The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-01-21
THE FAIRY LAMPS.
The Little Bare-Leeged Boy and the
Fairy of the Woods.

''~ ~-'~NiS NiS-GOSECd Ivy dH0 MIC
Fairy of the Woods.
There was once a little bare-legged,
brown-limbed boy who spent all his
time in the woods He loved the
woods and all that was in them. He
used to look not at the flowers. but
deep down into them, and not at the
singing bird, but into it's, eyes, to it's
little heart; and sc he got an insight
better than most others, and he quite
gave I'D collecting birds eggs.
But the woods were full of mystic
ries. He used to hear little bursts of
song, and when he came to the place
he could find no bird there Noises
and movements swould just escape
him. In the woods he saw strange
tracks, and one day, at length, he saw
a wonderful bird making these very
tracks. He had never seen the bird
before, and would have thought it a.
great rarity had he not seen it's tracks
everywhere. so ehe9learned that the
woods were full of beautiful creatures
that were skilfll and quick to avoid
him. @%A-Ab3
One day, as he, passed by a spot that
he had been to a hundred times before.
he found a birds nest. 1t must have
been there all the time, and yet he
had not seen it; and so he learned
how blind he was. and exclaimed:
"Oh, il only could see. then | might
understand these thingsl If only
knew! If I could see but for once
how many there are and how near!
Ii only every bird would wear over
its nest this evening little lamp to
show me,"E a. go
The sun was down now; but all at
once there was a soft light on the
path, and in the middle of it the
brown boy saw Little Brown Lady
in long robe, and in her hand a rod.
She smiled pleasantly and said:
Little boy, l am the Fairy of the
Woods. | have been watching you for
long. like you. You seem to be diff
ferent from other boys. Your request
shall be granted"
Then she faded away. But at once
the whole landscape twinkled over
with wonderful little lamps-long
lamps, short lamps, red, blue. and
green, high and low, doubles, singles,
and groups; wherever he looked were
lamps-twinkle, twinkle, twinkle. here
and everywhere, until the forest
shone like the starry sky. He ran to
the nearest, and there, sure enough,
was birds nest. He ran to the
next; yes, another nest And here
and there each different lamp stood
for another kind Of nest A beautiful
purple blaze in low tangle caught
his eye. He ran there, and found a
nest he had never seen before 1t was
full OF purple eggs, and there was the
rare bird he had seen but once 1t
was chanting the weird song he had
often heard, but never traced. But
the eggs were the marvellous things.
His old egg-collecting instinct broke
out. He rushed forth to clutch the
wonderful prize, and-in an instant all
the lights went out. There was moth
ing but the black woods about him.
Then on the pathway again shone the
soft light. 1t grew brighter, till in
the middle of it he saw the Little
Brown Lady-the Fairy of the Woods.
But she was not smiling now. Her
face was stern and sad as she said:
Il fear set you overnight l thought
you better than the rest. Keep this
in your mind:
who reverence not tho lamp Of
life can never see its light"
Then she faded from his view
From Ernest Thompson Seton's "Fa-
bic and Woodmyth" in the December
Century.