The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-03-14

WakeQ, ana was just III JlLne 10 see
the Lady take up gray eraser with
pale-blue edges. With this her slen-
der, white fingers rubbed out the
little black line made the night be-
fore, and the Princess smiled through
her tears-for somehow there were
tears in her eyes as she saw how
much this improved the portrait.
Then, as the Lady held up the eraser
in the moonlight, the blue letters
sparkled as if they were precious
stones, and the Princess saw they
made the word Self Control.
The Lady smiled a wonderfully
beautiful smile that made the Prin
cess wish to be as beautiful as she.
Then, following the Lady's glance,
she saw that all the little sprites were
holding up their pencils for her to
see; but try as she might, she could
only read the names of those which
showed signes of having been used a
great deal, and they were all ugly
Selfshness, Carelessness, Spite,
Pride, and others like them. The
beautiful ones looked very fresh and
new.
AS it had happened the night be-
fore when the trained canary chirped
for two o'clock, the Lady and her at
tendant sprites vanished, and the
Princess found herself again in bed,
covered up snugly with the pale blue
silk comfortable embroidered with
golden stars.
The Lady did not come again for a
long time; but the Princess did not
forget her; she was so anxious that
the portrait should grow more beau
tiful that she grew quite changed,
and every one in the palace began to
love her. Now she had noticed that
among all the ugly pencils which
had helped to spoil her portrait, the
one most used had been marked
Vanity; SO she resolutely draped the
six mirrors in her room with some
pale-blue silk materials like the sky
in summer, and stuck golden daggers
through them, so that the effect was
very pretty. One little mirror set in
gold, with border of diamonds and
sapphires, she left uncovered; but
this she used in dressing only, for it
was one of the Rules that her hair
should be parted exactly in the mid
die.
At last, one night, about year af-
ter this, the Princess awoke to find
the moon looking right down in her
face, and smiling very hard. She
jumped right up and looked around
for the Lady, for she had feeling
that her visitor had come again; and,
sure enough, there she was over in
the corner with her easel before her,
and all the little sprites looked happy
as they crowded around to hand her
the pencils as she needed them in
her work. The Princess was almost
afraid to look at the portrait; but as
she noticed that the Lady was using
only the beautiful pencils on which
the letters had grown more distinct,
she gradually gained courage and
drew nearer; and the Lady, looking
at her smiled 80 sweetly that she lost
all fear and came up to the easel.
She could read the names on the pen
ellis quite clearly now, and she saw
that those which had been used we're
Patience, Unselfishness, Perseverance,
Faithfulness and Humility. She
laughed in glee as the merry little
sprites hid away the ugly pencils go
that she could not see them.
AS she turned to look at the por-
trait, the Lady put an arm around
her and drew her close to her side, at
the same time putting in soft, sweet
line with a pencil which sparkled as
if it were made of compressed sun
beams; and when the Princess read
the diamond lettering the word was
Love; and then she turned to the fair
Lady, and above her forehead in
sparkling letters she saw the word,
Character. She tried to speak, for
the Lady was fading away, and this
time she felt sure her beautiful Wis
itor was leaving her to return no
more.
SIS it finished, at last?" she cried.
And the Lady answered, softly:
"You must finish it yourself;" and
then she was gone and the Princess
was alone in the soft moonlight.
By this time the affairs in the pal
ace were running so smoothly, and
the Princess was grown to be such
an attractive, lovable girl, that the
King thought that he must have the
Rules copied and hung in each house
II L