The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-03-03
| a soft tlnkle, tInkle. tlnkle, as they

sang this little sad song:
"Alas, my little silver bell
Pretty sheep, if you can tell
Where is hid my silver bell,
Tell me quickly now / pray!
! have not slept by night or day
Since my bell was taken away"
The boy who was keeping the sheep
heard the words of this song very
plainly, and luck at last was with
the little elf, for he was the very
shepherd who had run Off with the
bell, and 1t was now safe hid in his
pocket. Just at this moment the
sheep started restlessly to scatter
about the field, and, in order to bring
them together, the boy rang the
magic bell. At the first sound of its
sweet tinkle the little elf knew that
his search was ended; but he also
knew that he would have need of all
his cunning to win the bell from the
shepherd. He at once flew down to
neighboring thicket, and changed
himself, in the twinkling of an eye,
to an old woman dressed in shabby,
ragged clothes, who with sighs and
groans, limped across to the shep-
herd.
"Bid you good morning." said she
in cracked, tremulous voice. "Can
you tell me how l can get to Ber-
gen?" The shepherd still held the
bell in his hand, and, as he turned
to answer her, the old woman ex-
nj 1ot, on tsINall N
body see such pretty little bell!
And the merry tinkle that 1t has!
Why, it takes the lameness out of
these old legs of mine! Come, my
gentle lad, I'll buy the bell from you
at any price"
"Oh. no you won't, grandmother"
said the boy, with laugh. Money
could not buy my bell. See how the
sheep obey its silvery notes!" And,
sure enough, at its gentle tinkle all
the sheep turned to follow where 1t
led. "And see how all care and wor-
ry vanish at its merry chime! Why,
l have never known real Joy until I
owned this bell. I'd not give it up
for all the gold in the world"
Perhaps the sight of gold will do
more than its sound" thought the
shrewd old woman; and, stretching
out handful of gold pieces, she said,
Gold will buy much Joy for the
young, but will not give back health
to the old, as the little bell does.
See, I'll give you ten times this sum
for the bell"
The shepherd was kind-hearted
lad, and he really felt very sorry for
the little old woman, and he said:
NO, gold will not buy my bell; but
ptvhaps you can give me something
else that will take its place." He
began to suspect now that the little
elf stood here in the guise of this
feeble o,d woman.
Certainly, l can," said the old
woman, and drew from under her
ragged cape little white stick, on
which were carved Adam and Eve,
surrounded by their flocks, in the
Garden of Eden.
This shall be yours in place of the
bell. The cattle you drive with 1t
shall always be fat and well. AS
long as you own this stick, you will
succeed in everything you undertake.
You will grow wealthy, you will be
wise and good, and you will marry
the most beautiful woman in the
world"
"Ah!" said the lad, ''now I will
give up my bell; and may you, good
mother, be as happy with 1t as l have
been" So saying, he laid the bell
in her outstretched hand.
To his amazement, she at once van
ished from his sight, leaving him
staring at the place where she had
stood; but the little white stick in
his hand commenced at once to work
its wonders. For these little people
of the hills do not dare to lie; all
sorts of dreadful pu'nishments await
them, If they do. They are changed
into moles, bats, snakes and all sorts
of unpleasant creatures, and cannot
resume their own shapes until they
have kept their word.
The shepherd rubbed his eyes in
wonder as he saw his flock of twenty
sheep increase until 1t filled the great
meadow, and his one dog turn into
a dozen that ran hither and thither,
| keeping the great flock in order.
His own rough clothes fell from
him, too, and he stood in rich gar
| ments, talking to two shepherds
about the care they must give his
flocks and his herds. lie walked
homeward dazed and astonished at
his own good fortune; and in the
| place of his humble little cottage
there stood great mansion, with
servants waiting to do his bidding.
Then, too, and this was perhaps the
best Of all, he was given wisdom to
manage we'll all the wealth that had
so suddenly come to him, and kind
ness of heart, so that he did much
good with his money.
Is 1t any wonder, in view CT all the
good things that came to him
through the little silver bell, that the
| children of the far north love very