The Washington times., 1903-09-20
PUNISHMENT OF THE MISER ELF.
By MARY E. LACY.

when he thought OF himself he seemed
very poor
Almost every evening the mermen
came up on the beach to- gossip with the
ewes. Tor they dearly love 90 hear about
earth people And, OF course. there was
some little boasting and Dragging done
on both sides. Crote always led the tax
up 10 wealth. and would tell OF the stores
OF gold and Jewels that the king had
hidden away This always started the
mernen to Dragging a little. and anally
one day loose tongued courtier offered
10 snow Crote where the vast wealth %
the mermaid queen WIS kept. And he
brought him here and showed him what
have shown you.
"Crote knew that the coral treasure
house or the mermen stood in the midst
or a great forest OF purple sea feather
and that anyone not familiar with the
place might easily get lost in its MANY
winding paths. He also knew that there
we're many difficulties TO be overcons
before one could reach the treasure.
He thought OF many plans, but they
all seemed impracticable when he count
ed up the odds. Finally he decided uDon
very simple little artifce: in fact so
silly that he thought IL beneath the d.
vining of BaTJOta- His plan was this
that when he went TO visit the mermem
he would take a big clay pipe which hs
often smoked In hfs pocket and with IL
a good sized piece OF brown SOAP. BE-
fore he started out to take a walk be
scraped the soap up into fine bits and
filled the bowl of his pipe with IT, The
remainder he put in his pocket That
afternoon he met the norman strolling
on the beach. and he asked him in an
ofhand way il he would now take hiuu
to see their treasure house. The mer-
man proudly agreed to show him.
"Crote had never been in the ocean
before. and he could not but admit that
IL was very beautiful and wonderful.
The Norman was very much delighted
with his admirtng comments, and show
ed him the different exits TO the forest.
So far Crote had not seen any evidences
of Barjota. and he began 10 feel more
confident Of success. When they came
to the treasure house Crote was rejoiced
20 find that there were only two sword
1sh on guard at the main entrance. and
the others he could not see anywhere:
so concluded that they were not on duty.
OF course, they smiled and bowed grand
ly 10 the norman and his guest
When he thought the opportune no.
ment had arrived Crote took his pipe out
Of his pocket and began 70 blow. In a
few minutes al the water around was
filed with soap bubbles. and the poor
fish and norman were blinded, for the
soap made their eyes smart so that they
did not know what TO do. In the mean
time Crote had slipped into the treas
ury and was filling his pockets with
everything that he could lay his hands
on AS he started 20 leave he looked
up. and there IN the doorway stood old
Barjota. the magician Crote stopped a.
though turned to stone, for in the ma
gician's eye be read his fate; then he
fell on his knees begging for mercy.
But old Bar1ots. with scornful smile,
said:
'Crote, the reward OF thy greed shall
be the sight Of the gold which thou
hast coveted This house shall for ever
more be thy home IN all the years that
are to come perhaps thou wilt grow
weary, so for task I give thee this 10
10: Blow bubbles TO the end OF time"
did not make any comment on the old
crabs story. because am very skepti-
,al and still believe that those things
hat I saw were jellyfsh-