Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-03-17

| Al cruel fairy, pretty as the
flowers, but wicked as
v the SERVANTS who lido j"
~ the grass ready to spring
| upon you, resolved to
avenge herself upon all the people Of a
great country. Where was this coun.
try situated? In the mountain or in
the plain, at the shore of a river or by
the sea? This the story does not tell.
Perhaps it was near the kingdom
where the dressmakers were very
skillful in adjoining the robes of the
| prlncesses with moons and with stars.
And what was the offense from which
the fairy had suffered? With regard
to this also the story is silent. Per-
haps they had omitted to offer up
prayers to her at the baptism of the
kings daughter. However this might
be, it is certain enough that the fairy
was in a great rage.
She asked herself at first whether
she should devastate the country by
sending out the thousands of spirits
that served her to set fire to all the
pNltNSS anu al AllG OOlluSSlO, VI w IGlll-
er she should cause all the lilacs and
all the roses 10 fade, or whether she
should turn all the young girls into
ugly old women. She could have let
loose all the four winds upon the
streets, and laid low the houses and
trees. At her command fire-spitting
mountains would have buried the ell
tire land with burning lava, and the
sun would have turned from its path
40 as not to shine upon the accused
city. But she did still worse. Like
a thief, who leisurely chooses the most
precious jewels in case, she removed
from the memory of men and women
the three divine words:
II love your
And having brought this affliction,
she removed herself with light smile
on her lips that would have been more
hideous than the church Of the devil
if she had not had the most beautiful
rosy lips in all creation.
II.
At first the men and women only
half perceived the wrong that was
done them. 1t seemed to them that
thay 10 elsod son1ethfns, DuC Iney dlu
not know what. The sweethearts that
met in the evening in the eglantine
lanes, the married couples who talked
cOnfdingly to each other behind closed
windows and drawn curtains, suddenly
Interrupted themselves and looked at
each other or embraced; they felt that
they wanted to pronounce certain
customary phrase, but they did not
even have an idea of what that phrase
was. They were astonished, uneasy,
for they did not ask each other any
questions, for they did not know what
question to ask, so complete was their
forgetfulness of the precious word.
But they did not suffer Tery much
as yet, for they had the consolation of
possessing so many other words that
they could whisper to each other, and
of so many caresses.
Alas! II was not long before they
were seized with profound melan-
choly. 1t was in vain that they
adored each other, thai they called each
other by the tenderest names. aud
talked the sweetest language. 1t was
not enough TO declare that al! the
bliss lay in their kisses; to swear that
they were ready to die, he for her and
she for him; or call each other, "My
soul! my flame! my dreamr They in
stinctively felt the need of saying and
hearing another word, more exquisite
than all other words. and with the
bitter memory Of the ecstasy chat was
contained in this word came the an
guish of never being able to utter OF
to hear it any more.
Quarrels followed in the wake Of
this distress. Judging his happiness
incomplete on account of the avowal
that was henCeforth denied to the
most ardent lips, the lover demanded
from her AMI she from him just the
thing which neither the one nor the
other 9Ould give, without either know
ing what or being able to name it.
They accused each other of GOODNESS,
of perfdy, not believing In the tender
ness which was not expressed as they
desired.
Thus the sweethearts soon ceased to
have their rendezvous in the lanes
where the eglantines grew, and even
after he windows were closed the
conjugnl chambers heard only dry con-
versation in easy chairs that were
never brought near each other. Can
there be joy without love? If the
country which had incurred the hatred
Of the fairy had been ruined by war,
or devastated by pestilence, it could
not have been as desOlate, as mourn
full, as forlorn, as it had become on
account of the three forgotten words.
III.
There lived in this country poet
whose plight was even more pltlful
than that of the rest. 1t was not be-
cause, having beautiful sweetheart.
he was in despair for not being able
to say and to hear the stolen word.
He had no sweetheart, for he was 200
much in love with the muse. But 1t
was because he was unable TO finish
a poem which he had begun the day
before the wicked fairy had accom-
plished her vengeance. And why?
Because it just happened that the
poem was to Wind up with 81 love
your and 1t was impossible to end
1t in any other way.
The poet struck his brow, took his
head between his hands, and asked
himself: Have gone mad? He was
,h,A h.