The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-03

the little mans head and felt himself
| rise to his window as If ne were float
| ing on bit of dandelion down By
| the way, why do they call it dandelion
| down when it's up most Of the time?
| When Cyril and the gnome were In
the room, the former threw himself
upon the bed and the latter sat upon
the foot board.
Now tell me story that will please
The king"
So Cyril told him 'Puss in Boots" ana
he was delighted.
Say, did you make that up?" said
he, when Cyril had finished
mo, it's older than we are" said the
boy. You see he knew a good deal.
.'Not older than Il am said the
gnome, decidedly. I'm going on
thousand and two"
"Pheww said Cyril you don't any
where's near look it,
Il don't feel day over nine hum
dred, hut then all my family are very
young feeling My grandfather is
four thousand and you'd never take him
to be over three thousand seven hun
dred. It's because we're very particu-
lar not to let the sun shine on us I've
never seen the sun in my life but ! had
Il cousin who followed the humans
proverb. Early to bed and early to
rise and the sunshine shriveled him UP
so that he looks hundreds OF years older
than he Is. He used to 90 to bed Mt
seven in the evening and get up at
six in the morning and we all go to bed
MT three in the morning and get up at
eight in the evening"
Cyril looked at his clock 1t was five
minutes to three.
I'm sorry to hurry you he said,
''but if that's the case you'd better be
going"
well" said the gnome, II thank You
for the story and you may depend upon
it Il won't eat any more of those inlky
old letters. They didn't taste good
bit and If ! hadn't loved the kings
daughter very much i wouldn't have
eaten one"
Come again tomorrow nj" began
Cyril, but the gnome had vanished.
He waited week but the little imp
did not come back. On the other hand
no more letters were lost and the writ
ers were SO encouraged that they wrote
IN unusual number Of beautiful stories.
and | dare say You may read some OF
them in the magazines nerore long.
Cyril knew that it would be foolish
for him to tell his neighbors that he had
caught gnome eating their letters be-
cause they were not enlightened enough
to believe him. but he did tell his moth
or and she said: "Well, / suspected as
much. / knew no thieving letter car
rier could have gotten away with
them"
"Bnt he didn't come back" said Cyril.
balf crying, land he said that he was
going to tell me how the king liked the
story he had learned"
Give him time my dear" said his
mother. II take it as a good sign. IT
the story hadn't suited he would have
been back for another ! dare say that
he Is busy getting ready for his mar
riage."
And that night the gnome proved that
Mrs. Merton had guessed right, for af-
ter Cyril had been sleeping some hours
be was awakened by a breath of cold
air upon his face and opening his eyes
he behcld the little gnome sitting upon
the Pillow by his side.
You're brickv' was his first words
to Cyril.
Cyril was wide awake in an instant
and he said: SO the king liked it?'' He
jumped out of bed the better to listen
As for the gnome he leared to the foot
board and crossed his knees in the droll-
est way imaginable.
Like it?p said he why. | thought
he'd never stop laughing He said that
it was the best story he'd ever heard,
and he gave me his daughters hand as
he had promised. and I've been so busy
getting ready for the wedding that
haven't had time to come before. You
see. / had to engage big orchestra of
crickets and katydids and frogs and
locusts and | had to go to Japan for
them because the best insect musicians
are Japanese. 1t takes time to 90 TO
Japan even the way | travel on
moonbeam. We're to be married to-
morrow night and I've brought you
piece of wedding cake and Il present.
Only don't eat the cake until tomorrow
or it will make you dream. And now |
must be going as it's most three o'clock
Cyril got up and shook hands with
The little fellow, sincerely sorry that he
WAS going.
Jus think" said the gnome, IF you
hadn't come that night / would still
be eating those horrid. inky old MANN
scripts and never getting any story ut
all for the king Oh, | wish you could
see the princess She's a young little
thing; only two hundred, but She IS SO
pretty. Well, | must be going. Here's
the cake and here's pin to remember
me by. It's an emerald mace out OF
real katydid. Bye by"
And the gnome vanished.
In the morning Cyril found piece
Of toad stool on his pillow. That was
the wedding cake. He did not eat it.
But he has the emerald pin to this day.
Il guess IN marry Johnny Jones when