The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-09
al NJ ~ ses 41l5s
THE FAIRY DELL

+ Once there were three little girls,
/ and their names We're Margaret, Mol
lie, and Mary. Margaret was tall with
long dark braids and black eyes, Mol
lie was short and chubby with light
hair and blue eyes. and Mary was
medium size with brown hair curl
ing tight over her head.
They were all staying at a farm
I house in the country during vacation
time and one warm July day they
sat idly swinging in the hammock on
the porch. saying, "Oh, what shall We
do?" They had been playing store
selling the flowers they had picked
from the garden, and she bright col
ored petals were scattered about the
floor.
] Before them stretched beautiful
woods for miles and miles in every di-
rcction. and at one side was a high
hin that went up in the sky, and look
ed almost rs blue as the sky itself
Il know said MoIlie. '1ets climb
that big hill and see what's on the
top
mo, let's stay here and play house
/ with our dolls said Mary. IT'S too
warm to walk
Margaret said: '"Too warm indeed
of course not. Let's take a walk in
+ the woods and see what we can find
"a
much
+ u don't '-4k mother would want
me 10 go" % Mary, and / can't ask
+ her cause she t.s gone to the village
"Of course. she would like you to
I GO" Margaret said. Walking makes
you grow, and that's what you're here
for. III tell you" she went on. 'thers
"a dandelion gone 70 seed: III blow
1t, and, If the seeds blow all off, Wen
E,a off
wen climb the hill, and, If only q
teeny few blow off. wen stay here and
play house"
IAN right" the children said. SO
Margaret ran and picked the dande
lion ball and then she puffed out her
checks as big as she could and blew
with a great big blow The tiny seeds
felt what seemed TO them a great
gale, and they tried to hold on tight, /
but they couldn't, it blew so hard
so they scattered this way and that
way. and, when the children looked, (
every one of the tiny white seeds were
gone~-ali sailing on the summer
breeze straight toward the wood.
"Hurrah. shouted Margaret, Il
have my wish. Come on. one, two, /
three. go!"
Away the little girls started down
the lane towards the big woods. How
tered them. and what tall trees, The /
tops of some of them could hardly
be seen. There were graceful white |
birChes, green NAPLES C+Where our /
sugar comes from, you know" said /
Nary, and pines. spruces and clumps |
of trees just like. ChrIstmas~tree !
They could hear the crows cawing, |
and a phoebe's plaintiye call in the
distance. The pine needles made a
4. - IL -.
ries clustered under the ferns, a
striped chipmunk watched them with /
his bright eyes. and a red squirrel ran
chattering along the branch of an
oak. They gathered aCorns, and Mol
lie showed them how to make chains
Of pine-necdles.
AS they went on. the path grew
narrower and more twisted. shrubs
and bushes sprang up in their way,
and rocks projected ont Of the ground.
It began to grow darker, too; for they
had stopped to play so often and look
1t so many things that the afternoon
was almost gone.
Lets not go any further" said
Mary
"Oh, bark I can hear a brook
RurgIng I'm sure there's waterfall
ahead" said Margaret. IF we go
on, perhaps we can find drink. Hur-
FN up,
I'm sure / would like drink"
chimed in tired Mollie. I'm thirsty
and hungry, too. I just wish we were
at the farm house playing house with
cookies and cambria tea in our dolls
dishes,"
You foolish children" Margaret
exclaimed. You act like babies!
Come on, dol"
SO the little girls went ON, parting
hs. no of "a hmm
over the path, stumbling over the
rocks. and ducking their heads to
escape the masses of leaves, They
heard an owl boot before long. and
then a whip-poor- will began his even |
ing song
~ shall not go another step" cried /
Molhe, as a sharp twig flew back in
her face from a parted Dough.
Nor I either" said Mary. II will /
stay with you, Mollie dear, for we
can never find the way home" and
the two children sank to the ground. /