The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-11

you have their origin, They were the
hrst Brownies in print
"But ought to 80 back further. My
stepmolheT was an Irish woman rich In
the folklore OF her own and other
lands. On winter evenings at the farm
she used TO tell US iairy stories. Her
iavorite tale was band OF little mon
who appeared only at night to perform
good and helpful deeds or enjoy harm
less pranks while mankind slept, never
allowing themselves to be seen by NOR.
tails. No person except those gifted
with second sight could see the
Brownies, hut from the privileged few,
principally old women, who were thus
enabled to now and then catch a
glimpse OF the goblin guests OF the
house, correct information regarding
their size and color Ia said to have been
gained, They were called Brownies,
don't you see, on account OF their color,
which was brown owing to their con-
slant exposure TO all kinds OF weather,
and also because they had brown hair,
after making that picture for WIDE
Awqke the little brown fellows began
gradually to take hold OF my imagina'
ton, Presently sent 10 ~, Nicholas
The Brownie Ride, and / have been
writing Brownie verses ever since.
"And why 10 It, do you think, that
they are SO much more popular than
other iairies? asked,
"Well," Mr., Cox said, ut is probably
due to their human qualities. The chill
dren always write, i like go and 80, but
Just love the Brownies Won't you
send me q real live Brownie, writes a
little Chicago girl, The faces Of con-
ventonal fairies have always been too
Rrotesuue or too idealized. The
Brownies are human" he added,
When no was boy Mr., Cox got his
car trained TO the Burns and Scott
meter. As n lad he knew Burns and
Scott's poetry by heart and he used 10
find his most pfosaic thoughts taking
on the Jingle Of rhyme. He wrote TO
his friends in verse. IL was from SCOTS
"Marmion" that he caught the swing
ing OF them to which the Brownies
naturally accommodate their pranks.
Each character in the Brownie land
Is copyrighted, still there are Brownie
souvenir spoons, rubber stamps, calen,
dars, and-yes, there is scarcely school
throughout the country but has Its
Brownies; some feature or movement
suggesting to hts playmate one OF Mr..
Cox's brown COLLINS.
Mr.. Cox is solicited on all sides to
lend his humorous pen TO more ambi-
tious works, but he has lived too long
in Brownielahd for that, and he sees all
things through children's eyes. II
might make drawings and call the fig
ures men and women, but ara sure
they would have the Brownies peculiar
movements" he said. III the talk that
day / learned o secret that will delight
all children, aud this is that Mr.. Cox
has writtenaplay in which the Brownies
and band OF fairies are the damatis
personae.
The Brownies encounter the fairies
in forest, and the king OF the little
brown tribe falls in love with the queen
Of the fairies. All goes happily until
an evil spirit appears upon the scene.
Fearing the immense power that will
como to tho Brownies by marriage with
the fairies, the Evil Spirit gives the
royal lovers all sorts OF trouble. How.
ever, everything ends happily.
The play has three acts and great
many fableaux. The whole lie set to
music by Malcolm Douglas, Of 81 Mich
olas. The tableaux will BIO simply ire
sistible. There will be magnificent
ballet, to which the Brownies and fairies
will dance. Tho Brownie performers
will be made up" exactly like the
Brownies in the pictures. In all prob.
ability the play will be brought out in
New York about the Christmas holi.
days. twill invariable be given in the
afternoon and BIO known as the chill.
dren's play.
This one an enterprising manager
proposes TO take into the various cities
and train school children to take part
in the performance. II will be great
fun for the children, all OF whom will
want to try their skill in initiating the
curious, funny pranks Of the little
brown men they have known and loved
long and well.