Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-07-16
The Argus Daily Story
The Water Fay-By F. A. Mitchell.
Copyrighted 1912. by Associated Literary Bureau.

orue SKY there and white clouds sail
ing slowly along. Bending. she saw
her reflection gazing at her.
Instantly look Of admiration came
upon the reflected features.
who are you down there. a water
fay? Whoever you are, you are very
beautiful"
No answer came, but HIldegarde no.
ticed that the lips OF the image moved
while she herself was talking
You must be an immortal else you
would give me some reply. Strange
that you should live down there In the
water. l have heard of mermaids, but
there Is nothing of the fish in your
composition You must be a human
being, who instead of breathing air
breathes water; but. though you can
see me, you can't communicate with
me. Therefore you must be a human
being who has grown to my age and
died. oh, dear! 1 wonder what you
are.'
She ran back to the house and called
to her husband: "Oh. Carl! Do come
and see the beautiful girl living In the
under world"
The baron knit his brows. He fear
ed that the secret was out-that she
had seen her image. He went with
her to the pond. she chatterlng on the
way about the vision of loneliness she
had seen and wondering IL it would be
there when she returned. Carl mean
while feeling confident that she had
seen herself was trying TO invent a
story that would satisfy her. When
they reached the pond she ran ahead
of him and bent over It
There she isl she exclaimed joy
fully. Come and see her"
But Carl hung back. 81 know whom
you are looking at" he said, "a water
fairy. Come away. She will contain
mate you"
mo, mol She is as good a. she is
beautiful. 1 can see purity In every
feature"
Should Carl lean over the water to
see the fairy his own face would be
reflected there. and his wife would
her to understand that the other re-
nectlon was ner own.
NO, no. sweetheart" he said.
SHOULD l look at her she might en-
thrall me. Not for the world would
risk being drawn away from you"
would sheY' exclaimed the girl in
a tone that betrayed both fright and
disappointment Then it would be
your fault. She would never tempt
you"
Come away This Is the Lorelei.
who has come from the banks of the
Rhine. You know how she lures boat
men to their death. She would draw
me down into the water, and l could
! never return to you"
Hildegarde, fearful that her husband
/ might be right, knit her brows and
saw her image do the same.
"Ah," she said, 81 see that you are
/ evil, after all. You have lured me
here that you may take my husband
from me, and now that you see he Is
! not to be tempted you frown. Good
by. You are beautiful. but you are
evil"
With this she rejoined Carl and, put
ting her arm through his, returned
with him to the house.
When again they set out on their
journey Carl persuaded his wife that
they must not go near any more wa
ter. for the fairy would be In any wa
ter they approached and he might see
her before he could withdraw. And
once seeing her he feared the worst.
! HiIdegarde was quite sure the girl
she had seen was the Lorelei Of whom
she had heard so much and was ready
to avoid the waters in which she lived.
And so fearful was she of losing her
husband that she proposed they 20
back to the castle, where there was no
danger.
This pleased the young husband, who
was In constant terror lest the admir-
ing glances of the persons they met
would betray the secret OF his wife's
beauty.
So they returned to their home,
where there were no mirrors, no sheets
of water and where every one was
trained to refrain from showing ad-
miratlon for the beautiful baroness.
Presently a little son came to take up
her attention, and she did not again
feel any desire to see the world, or,
rather. she feared to leave the castle
with her husband for fear the water
fay would get him.
This worked in two ways-the bar.
oness not only remained at home, but
would not permit her husband to &c
even down TO the Rhine. This kept
him with his wife ana his family and
his retainers When the physical beau
~ OF his wife faded ii left an expires
sion Of purity, Of unconscious beauty
Of soul Persons who had formerly
! come TO see her as a marvel Of bodily
perfection now came to view a saint
1t was not till this time that the
baroness discovered that she had beer
so hedged about that she did not know
that she was the fairy she had seer
in the water and that 1t was she wht
had already enthraINed her husband
But by this time she and ne and thel
children had become welded together
In one loving family. and her pas
beauty WAS not matter of regret L
her.