Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-16
The Spirit of the Lamp.

Once upon a time there lived little fairy
named Mischief, who was always getting
into trouble with the Fairy Queen for some
thoughtless act she had committed.
She did not mean to do wrong, but she
was thoughtless, and a thing which to her
seemed very harmless brought misery and
suffering to many.
One day she was sitting by the seashore
wishing she had something to do, when
some sea spirits in their fluffy white dresses
which looked so like the white foam made
by the breakers that nobody but a fairy
could distinguish them, came racing toward
her.
"Oh, how lucky we are to find you here, "
they cried I'VE are going to have such
fun tonight, and we want you to help us.
A short way from here there are some
large rocks, but on the land near them
there is lighthouse which shows them to
any ship that passes at night and pre-
vents her from running onto them. Now
there is large shipsfull Of mortals passing
tonight and we want you to put out the
light to prevent the ship from seeing the
rocks. Then storm will come, and driving
her onto them, break her into pieces, and
we will get the mortals to play with. Will
you help us?
But are you sure that no one will get
hurt?' asked Mischief.
"Oh, no." answered the sea spirits, for
they were wicked and did not care if they
told untruth, so long as they got what
they wanted I'VE will only play with
them for little while, and then put them
the shore
So Mischief. who never doubted that the
sea spirits spoke the truth, consented to
help them.
That night after putting out the light,
Mischief flew down to the rocks, where
she found the sea spirits awaiting her.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, for putting
out the light" they cried Look at the
ship; she will soon be here now"
Mischief looked and saw beautiful ship
driven by the. storm, rushing toward the
rocks, which she could not see in the dark
ness, and she felt sorry that she had helped
them.
Nearer and nearer, came the ship. louder
and louder laughed the sea spirits as they
danced wildly round the rocks.
In a few minutes she would have been
wrecked, when the light from the light
house shown from the rocks. showing them
course.
The sea spirits were going to accuse
Mischief of playing trick when looking
fairies surrounding them
The Queen turned to the sea spirits and
said, For what you have done tonight
you shall take the form of fish for 100
years, and if you are caught during that
time I will not help you. And as for you,'
she exclaimed to Mischief, you shall be
turned into the fame of the light house
lamp and remain so. saving all the ships
that pass from running onto the rocks till
you feel anxious to save them as you
were to destroy this one"
Then waving her wand over Mischief.
who Immediately became what the Queen
carry her to the lighthouse.
PART II.
The 100 years had passes and all the sea
spirits were again free, but Mischief re-
tanned the form of fame.
At first she had hated the ships, because
she thought 1t was their fault that she was
thus imprisoned, and, she tried not to save
them, but she was forced to do so, for
when she tried to go out she burned bright
er than ever.
Gradually this feeling disappeared, and
she began to take an interest In them,
though she did not like them well enough
to try to save them.
One night as she was shining upon the
rocks she saw a beautiful ship in the dis
lance. She was painted white all over,
and with her sails spread and the she'd
ding it's silvery light over her, looked
so pretty that Mischief was glad there was
no storm to drive her upon the rocks.
She was so busy looking at the ship that
she did not notice big black cloud creep
ing over the moon, and was much star
tied at hearing loud laugh coming from
the rocks
she looked there and saw the sea spirits
whom she had helped a hundred years be-
fore. They waved and shouted to her At
first she could not distinguish what they
storm Is coming! A storm Is coming!" and
looking up she saw that the sea had al
ready become rough.
The sea spirits ran to the ship, dashing
against her. curling their arms around her,
trying to drag her down, and the storm
came and drove her toward the rocks.
Mischief thought the ship so pretty that
she felt sorry for 1t. and determined to
save 1t. She sent forth brighter light,
but the ship blinded by the waves, con-
tinued to come toward the rocks.
Mischief shown. brighter still, and she
wished her light was ten times more pow
erful, and in her anxiety to save the ship
she had quite forgotten that in doing so she
would gain her freedom.
oh" laughed the sea spirits, I'VE will
get heri We will get her!''
mo you will not" shown back Mischief
Il will save her.
"Oh," she thought, eff I could only save
her, 1 would be quite happy
She felt that she could not burn much
longer and that she must save the ship
soon She waited moment and then sent
out one very bright ray. 1t shown on the
rocks, and the ship saw them; she stopped
then altering her course, went In the op-
posite direction. The sea spirits and the
storm tried to drive her back, but finding
they could not, they left her and went in
search of another
While this was going on, what had be-
come of Mischief?
She was watching the ship fight its way
through the sea spirits, when she found
that she was burning lower each minute.
She felt she would soon go out, but she did
not mind, for she had saved the ship
Then some one called her name and she
saw the Fairy Queen standing beside her.
She waved her hand, and Mischief regained
the form she had lost, more than one hun
erdd years before.
The Queen took her by the hand and
said: 1T am very much pleased with you
for the trouble you took to save that ship,
and as 1 do not think you will do any
thing thoughtless again. If ever you see
ship in danger l will give you the power to
take the form of highland save her And
as the name of Mischief no longer suits
you, from now you shall be known as
1.-THE Spirit of the Lamp I. " H.
AI,,o3ro1 Cn;r