The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-03-28

tHS
~ the grass ready to spring
upon you, resolved to
ayenge herself upon all the people of q
great country. Where was this coun-
try situated? In The mountain or III
the plain, ut the shore Of Il river or by
the sea? This the story does not tell.
Perhaps it was near the kingdom
where the dresSnakers were very
ski!lful in adjoining the robes of the
princesses 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 Ill
y 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 ,deSastate the country by
sending out the thousands of spirits
thai served her to set fire. to all the
palaces and all the ~cottagers, or wheth-
er she should cause all the lilacS and
all the roses to fade, or whether she
should tnrn 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
so as not to slime upon the accused
city. But she did still worse. Like
a thief, who leisurely chooses the most
precious jewels in n case, she removed
from the memory OF men and women
the three divine words:
Il lcve,you"
And having brought this afiiction,,
she removed herself. with 4 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 tic men and women only
half perceived the wrong that was
done them. 1t seemed to them that
they lacked something, but they did
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 a certain
customary phrase, but they did not
eve 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, sc complete was their
forgetfulEess of the precious word.
But they did not suffer Tery much
as yet, TO: they had the consolation Of
possessing so many other words that
they could whisper to each other, and
OF so many careSSeS.
Alas! It Was not long before they
were seized with Il profound melan-
eholy. 1t was in vain that they
adored each other, thai they called each
other by the tenderest names. and
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 dream" They in
s~tinctively felt the need Of saying and
hearing another word, more exquisite
than all other words. and with the
bitter memory Of the ecstasy that YVES
contained in this ~wOrd"care the an
guish Of never being able 20 utter or
to hear it any more.
O. 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 ana she from him just the
thing which neither The enc nor the
other could give, without either know
ing what or being able to name it.
They accused each other of GOODNESS,
of perfidy, not believing in the tender
ness which was not expressed as they
desired.
Thus he sweethCartS soon ceased to
have their rendezvous in the lanes
where the eglantines grew, and even
,after Inc windows were Closed the
conjugal chambers heard only dry con-
in easy chairs that were
never brought neat 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 hy pestilence, it could
not have been as d~csolate. as mourn.
full, as lorlorn. as it had become OH
account OF the three forgotten words.
There lived in this country 4 poet
whose plight was even more pitifui
than that of the rest. 1t vas not be-
cause, having Il beautiful sweetheart.
he was in despair for not being able
to say and 10 hear The stolen word.