El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-08

''ou, HELP ME-"
so you had better go forth and seek
your fortune. and. as you are going, it
were we'll to go at once"
1T is good: am nothing loath," the
younger brother said. So he departed,
and to the end of his days the elder
brother remained in his poor estate.
which was good enough for his hard
heart and his low mind.
But the young adventurer journeyed
far away, and all his'days were filled
with dreamings of the future.
81 shall be a great hunter" was the
burden of his thoughts, and he hum
med gay airs that he composed him.
self and n hunters life was the one of
which he sung.
He fell asleep by a hillside one soft
summer night as the moon rose over
the fields of rye, waving In the mellow
light. The sun had gone down not
long before. and in the dying day he
had dreamed again of glory. So lightly
he slept all night that the changing
light OF the moon, as it rose higher and
higher. had affected his slumber, and
fitting shadows moved over him and
seemed TO touch him with tangible fin
gers. 1t was a night full of mystery
and of light and elfish sounds. and just
before morning he suddenly started out
Of his sleep with all his senses alert.
He listened. and sure enough he heard
a weak voice crying:
Help me, oh. help mer'
"Where and who are you" he an
swered.
"Oh. help me,' the voice repeated.
and. starting up. the youth beheld at
his side n dwarf. but so small that n
mans hand might have covered him
from view.
He was n queer looking creature.
with the body of n child and head
three times too big for his height.
When he saw that he had attracted the
strangers attention, he said:
81 live under this hill. but Il cow is
not pass her. Will you drive her away
for me?'
ITO be sure 1 WILL" the boy replied,
but let me take a look at you first,
you queer creature
D mo. no"' the gnome replied. DAY
light will soon be here. and if stay to
see it shall be changed into a spiders
web or into nights devil Oh. be quickw
. LIE lOliOWeu Tue ueeluS uWdTI
around the foot of the hill. and when
he had chased the cow away he sud-
denly beheld the hill lifted up on four
great pillars, red as blood, and under
the portal thus formed he saw, stretch
ing away. gorgeous caverns glistening
with gems and precious metals.
Gomez the gnome said. II am the
son of the king of the elves. You may
have three wishes, and we shall grant
them. But enter with me, that my
father may thank YOU
! AS he followed, the youth beheld a
countless number of little creatures
weaving golden veins into the rock or
packing it with other metal ore. Here
he saw some picking out diamonds and
other gems, while other little workmen
piled them into barrows that were
wheeled away to the great under
ground storehouses. Again, he saw
vast numbers busy at the FORCES, shap-
ing beautiful begemmed swords and
scabbards, and here he saw guns and
horns and coats of mail such as yet the
world scarcely knew. for the time was
yet far back beyond that that history
can touch upon. and only the tales Of
the great old fathers can tell of the
wonders of those days.
So past all these beautiful treasures
he was led from hall to hall until the
great council chamber was reached.
And here was a splendor that words
cannot describe, in the midst of which
was the little monarch, master of all
the forces of the underworld, COM
mander of the countless little workers
that dug and delved for him.
/ The king thanked the youth for his
sons timely deliverance and asked him
to make known his three wishes.
"They are easily made" the boy said.
"All my life have longed to be hunt
err. So pray give me a shotgun, bu-
gle and n horse"