The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-13
M HANS OIRlTIAN AND[R5[N

and immortal, always seemed here trfhes to him. begatelies compared -wilh ssThe Two Baronesses," "Improvisa- fore" 70 T." and "Only a Fiddler. when they were published. those novels gave him a European reputa- tion. They are good. There are ex- ouisite passages in them that will de- light forever. But they sink into in- significance compared with the glorious dreams, the bright-visions, the prodigai treasures of wit and fancy and good ness and beauty that came from his brain in the foiSn of '"The Fairy Tales. These stories control with the same Sriumphant power the souls and minds of the youngest and most innocent and of the oldest and most sophisticated. l -~
 The six daughters of the old Sea King were beautiful; but the youngest was the most beautiful of all. Her skin was like a roses petal ~Her eyes were as blue as the deepest sea. When she was fifteen years old she was permitted to ascend to the surface of the ocean for the first time ana iook out upon the upper world.
 The sun had just set when she lifted her pretty head above the sea. All the clouds were like roses and gold, Tln she middle of the pale red sky the1eyen- ing star shone bright and lovely. The air was mild and the gfeat water was | calm.
 Near her was great ship with three .nasts There was not enough breeze t6 stir her, and the sailors lay idly on the yards She heard music and sing, ing. and then she saw hundreds or gay iy colored lanterns gleam as the dark ness fell.
 The little mermaid swan close to it. and when the slow waves lifted her she rould look through the cabin windows fnto a bright cabin where there were many people, beautifully dressed, but soon she had eyes for only one. He was young Prince with large black eyes. and he was just sixteen. for they were celebrating his birthday. The little mermaid could not look away from him. She sat rocking up and down until there came rumbling and crying over the sea. Then lighting and thunder sounded. The wind blew. The sailors rushed around the deck. The waves arose like great black rocks and fell on the ship.
 The little mermaid thought 1t was fine sport, and swan around the groan- ing, pitching, steaming vessel joyously, till all at once a mast snapped, ana then another. She had to swim care fully then for spars and beams began 10 sweep up and down on the rollers. Now she lknew that the ship would sink, for she and her sisters had seen many ships come down to them. She watched anxiously for the young prince, and at last she saw him, just as the vessel went down, sfnling slow iy through the sea.
 She was glad, then. for she thought that now she could have him all for her own. But she remembered at once that human creatures cannot live in the water, and that it would be only his dead body that would coKne down to her fathers palace. So She dived aa Ill a~& a his limbs failed him and his beautiful eyes had begun to close. She held her white arms around him and kept his head above the water and let the waves drift her and her burden where- ever they liked.
 ss The sun rose red and shining after the storm, but the Princes eyes. re- mafned closed. The mermaid kissed his fair forehead and stroked back his long hair. She thought he was like one of the marble statues in her fath- er's garden. She kissed him and wish ed that he might live
 Far away she saw the blue noun
 tains and the~ graves of the land. Thither she swan swiftly and placed the Prince carefully on the sand, rais- ing his handsome head so that it was
 in the bright sunshine. Then she hid
 herself behind rocks and covered her self with sea foam to watch.
 Some maidens came out of great
 building. They saw him and called for
 aid. People came soon and carried him to a house. She saw him smile at
 them. but he sent no smile in her di-
 rection. for he did not know she had
 saved him. She became very sad, all
 at once and when she could see him
 no more she dived under the water and
 returned to her fathers palace, quiet
 and unhappy.
 Many an evening and a morning aft
 CT that she swan. to the place where
 she had left the Prince Always she
 returned home more sorrowful than be-
 fore. Her only comfort was to sit in
 her little garden and throw her arms
 around the beautiful marble statue
 that resembled him.
 At last she could endure 1t no long
 er, and she told her story to her sist-
 CTS, and one of them knew where the
 Princes palace was. They put their
 arms around her shoulders and ascend
 ed with her and swan to the shore.
 The palace was of shining stone, and
 1t had marble stairs that went down
 to the, water. After that the little mer-
 maid went there many a time She
 swan close to the palace and looked
 up at a marble balcony when the
 Prince sat there in the moonlight im-
 Rgining that he was all alone. Some
 times she-saw him sailing in his boat,
 with waving flags all around. She list
 eneo to ms voice and to the voices of
 those who spoke of him.
 More and more she came to love hu-
 man beings More and more she long
 ed to be able to be among them.
 One day her wise old grandmother
 told her that muman beings did not live
 as long as did the people of the sea.
 We live to be three hundred years
 old" said she. but when we cease to
 exist we become only foam on the
 water. We have not an immortal soul.
 We shall never live again. Human be-
 ings, however, have a soul which lives
 forever When the body has become
 dust it rises through the clear air to
 all the shining stars"
 "Oh," cried the little mermaid. must
 die and float as foam on the sea and
 never see the beautiful world and the
 red sun? l would give all the hum
 dreds of years have to live to be a
 human being for only one day and aft
 erward share the joy of the starsw
 You could win an immortal soul
 only if human man came to love you
 and clung to you with all his heart and
 soul" answered the wise old woman
 But that never can happen They
 would consider our beautiful nsh's tail
 ugly on earth. Up there one must have
 two clumsy supports called legs to be
 considered beautiful"
 The little mermaid sighed and swan
 away. She was willing to risk every
 thing just to make the handsome
 Prince love her and cling to her with
 all his heart and soul. At last she be-
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