The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1910-05-25

Hal
It's now our turn to play"
r. Il. Bunner, in st. Nicholas.
ORIGIN OF SNOW FAIRIES.
Boys and girls, you have heard OF
the Snow Fairies; but perhaps none
| of you know of their origin. But why
should l say perhaps" for am very
positive the story of the Snow Fairies
c-igin has never been told. And that
| is why am going to tell 1T now, that
you may hear something strictly new.
In the very, very long, long ago
there dwelt in the Alps family con-
sisting cf the parents and two chill
dren, q little boy and little girl.
They were very happy together till
one day the father, going out on the
icy mountain side, slipped and fell
into deep gorge that was filled with
snow. OF course, he was instantly
killed, and the good wife, endeavor-
ing to reach him, hoping that she
might find him still alive, lost her
,oting in the snow and ice and was
precipitated to the bottom, dying be-
side the already cold body of her hus-
band.
Now, can anything be sadder than
the fate of those dear little children,
Dado, the boy, aged nine, and Pinto,
the girl, aged seven? There they
were, rway up in the mountains,
walled u by snow and ice, and sur
rounded by as wild a country as ever
mortal man heard of. There they
were, alone, both parents lying dead
in the great canyon down the noun
tain side. And lurking about in the
mountain forests were wild beasts
whose roars, growls and howls made
the night something to be feared by
those little orphans. When father
and mother were with them they
feared nothing. But now that they
were alone, and so helpless, their
hearts were very, very heavy, and
fear stalked about them with every
step.
All day long the little Pinto wept
and called for the mother she knew
could not come to her, and all day
long little Dado sat with downcast
eyes, his heart too sad to allow OF
speech. Then as the night came down
the little ones crep closer together
in corner by the great fireplace
,, where the huge logs, placed there the
day before by their father still burned
brightly, and gave. out light and
warmth.
"I am so hungry" whispered Pinto
, thinking of food for the first time
, that day. "I am so hungry that my
. head spins round and round"
"You must eat something, sister,
said Dado, rising and going to the
cupboard to find some food for his sis
ter. But only bit of dry bread wa!
there, and Dado remembered tha
9 that day was to have been his moth
e ers baking day, and that his father
: had gone out hunting for meat whei
e he met with the fatal accident.
He gave Iinto the bread, but he
!. sorrow choked her till she could no
}. swallow food, and she put the breat
0 on the table, declaring that her hun
ger had vanished.
4 cts mother and father want
not food" she whispered heart
brokenly, burying her face in he
y apron.
J, At that moment the door opene'
d ever so gently, then closed again
e But during the moments interva
I between opening and shutting
l. white-robed figure had entered tn
room. Dado, who was looking in
tently into the fire, wondering wha
he should do on the morrow for foo
and fuel for his sister and himself
did not hear the slight noise mad
by the opening and closing OF tn
massive door, nor the gentle footfal
of the intruder. But Pinto, her littl
ears eagerly listening for anythin
that might happen-and hopin
against hope that all this calamit
which had befallen her home nigh
prove to be a dream-caught tn
sounds, and she looked up from tn
folds of her apron. Then she quickl
touched the hand of her brother an
pointed toward the newcomer, direct
ing Dados eyes thither. "See," sh
whispered, "it must be fairy"
"Yes, my little ones, I'm fair!
and I came to earth to see what
might do for you. But how cold
has grown! Ugh, I cannot endur
the snow, and it is falling very rapit
ly outside"
"Snowing?" asked Dado, rising an
going close to the fairy.
Eyes, my little one, 1t is snowin
heavily, and I, being a cloud fair.
and always keeping closer to th
warmer zones, cannot breast th
storm. And here I am, as helpless Q