The record-union., 1899-06-16
West Country Pixies.

Among the busiest makers of fairy
rings and tha merriest dancers in them,
all over the pastures and meadow lands
Of Devonshire and other counties of the
southwest, reigned a little race of be-
ings known by the pretty name of pix
les. Daintily they dressed themselves
in green, with a headdress of little red
caps. and with tiny red shoes. And
while the graSshopper, the cricket or
even the frog would supply the needful
music, on a toadstool would sit little
elf, holding a tiny lantern to shed a
greenish blue light over the frolic
But fairy circumstances were some
times in a rather bad way AT such
times the attire of the pixies might be
rather ragged. They were sometimes
said to appear like bundle of rags.
Yet whether they were dainty or
whether they were poor, they were ever
a cleanly little folk. keeping their own
abodes scrupulously pure, and hating
sluttery above all things.
Wash your pals and cleanse your dairies.
Sluts are loathSome to the fairies.
sings Herrick. This passion for clean
liness was one of their strongest points.
When at midnight the King of the Pix
les held his court-for they were mon
archical race of fairies-and assigned
to each pixy his special work for that
night, some of the little kings subjects
were always dispatched to see that the
houses in the neighborhood were clean
and orderly. Slipping through the key
holes, these elves would examine every
thing. If all things were found right,
they were not only gratified but CRATE
full; for they would often leave behind
them a coin for the trim and careful
maids. Indeed, such servants would
frequently find half their mornings
work done for them by their invisible
fairy friends. But if things down stairs
We're left in disorder. the fairies would
nimbly trip up stairs to the servants
rooms, and pinch the lazy ones till they
We're black and blue.
For this reason many of the good
house wives of the west would carefully
see that their houses were swept and
put in order before they went to bed;
and often they would leave bowl of
water beside the chimney nook for the
water loving, cleanly little folk If this
water were forgotten, pixy vengeance
was pretty sure to follow "A pixy story
illustrates this At Tavistock lived two
servant maids. who had been very
kindly treated by the pixies; for these
two girls had always remembered the
bowl of water. and in the mornings had
found small pieces of silver dropped into
the bucket for them. But one night
they forgot to leave the bowl in its
usual place. The pixies went up to
their room and reproached them. I'M
mediately one Of the two maids was
ready to go down stairs to remedy the
mistake. But the other said that for
her part she would not slip out of bed
to please all the. pixies in Devonshire.
The one good maid went down and fill
ed the bucket, and next morning found
many silver pennies in it, Meanwhile.
the pixies were discussing the punish
ment which. they must assign to the
lazy one They resolved that she should
be lame for some years, and that then
she should be cured by a herb that grew
on Dartmoor The name of the herb
was a word of seven syllables and the
pixies clearly and distinctly told the
girl what the word was. Next morn
ing the unfortunate servant awoke