The Press., 1915-11-10
] Ny Fairy
GodnlOtler
She Gave Me Three
! Riddles.
BY F. A. mitchell

+ i + i j. j. + j.
Having tried various ways Of spend
ing the month | put aside each year
for an outing, and tired of them all,
was casting about for some new meth
cd when I saw an advertisement of
cabin situated on an island on the
coast of Maine. The price was SO rea-
sonable that it attracted my attention.
entered into correspondence with the
owner and engaged it.
Ny reason for doing so was that 1
met so many people at home that de-
sired to go where l would see no one.
All day long | was bounded by per-
sons eager to get a word with me to
sell me something, and in the evening
1 was engaged in various social mat
tiers. A cabin hidden in wood with
view of the ocean appealed to me.
To lie at night listening to the break
ers on the beach was pleasing fancy.
+ I found the location what 1 had
dreamed it. The cabin was we'll
enough, but the furnishings were ex-
ecrable. A cheap bedstead, rickety
bureau, table on which to eat, cook
stove and a lot of cheap dishes COM
pleted the furnishings. There was no
other abode near me, but scattered
about were summer cottages, some Of
which were fairly pretentious. I saw
no reason why should be troubled by
the inmates of any of them so long as
I let them alone, which I proposed
to do.
L had spent a week with only my
self for company when one day. after
a long tramp, on returning to my cab
in I stood on the threshold astonished
at a transformation of the interior.
Disorder had been accommodating ever
since my arrival; the bed had never
been made: the dishes had not been
washed. There were enough of the
latter to last one person week with
out being used more than once, and I
had about finished the lot. l found on
my return the bed made. the dishes
washed, the cooking utensils secured
and hanging spick and span on the
shelves
I felt myself to be the hero of fairy
story and almost expected to see lit
tie old woman drop down the chimney
and stand upon the hearth.
Several days passed, during which
disorder was again looming up about
me, when. after an absence, | returned
to find all set to rights, as before Still
not finding any clew, l wrote on a
piece of cardboard a message and
pinned it up against the wall for my
next absence:
Fairy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS you very much
for your attention. I need only one thing.
Will you give it to me? If so, leave word
when next you come and I will make it
known.
1 went away again very soon, and
when I returned beneath what had
written were penciled in letters APP
parently in the hand of an old person
the following:
!, Your single wish is granted; name it.
Before going away again I wrote:
Some one to love-me.
The answer to this was:
Love is not singular; it is plural.
1 found on the rude mantel Of my
cabin a skein of fine thread, tangled
and pinned to it the words:
Unravel this and you shall have your
wish.
This fairy business was not crafty
ing my curiosity. l spent no time try
ing to unravel the thread, but spent
considerable thought in laying a plan
to find out who was my fairy god
mother. 1 did not doubt that it was
some girl from one of the cottages
possibly several girls who were deriv,
ing a lot of amusement in playing
fairy. The only plan l could think of
was to go away early in the day and
hide near by. This 1 did. There was
a dense thicket a short distance from
my cabin, and one morning, having
break tasted at o'clock, taking a book,
pipe and tobacco and a lunch, went
into The thicket prepared to wait and
watch
About II o'clock in the morning I
heard a child's voice calling, "He's
goney' l peeped through an opening
and saw a girl about ten years old
near the cabin reckoning to some one
I could not see. Presently l saw a
girl of perhaps twenty concealed from
the hut by a tree, but visible to me,
evidently fearful of advancing. But
the child ran into the cabin and out
again, beckoned eagerly, and the young
woman timidly left her hiding place
and went into the cabin.
Now l did not propose to give away
the advantage held by cornering my
fairy godmother. I waited till she had
left the cabin, then stole cautiously
after her, my object being to locate
her home I followed her and her COM
panion for two miles and saw her go
into cottage situated on bluff over
looking the ocean. Then I returned to
my habitation to see what was her
last message.
| had left the tangled skein on the
table and near it a sheet of writing pa
per on which I had sprinkled drops Of
water and written "Tears" and below:
Fairy Godmother-I am wearing myself
out trying to unravel the skein. Give me
romething easier.
A reply to this had been written on
the "tear' despatched paper:
Idle tears. Square the circle and you
shall have your wish.
It was evident that the young lady
had no intention of giving me a sweet
heart. Anyway l knew enough not to
tackle an insoluble problem. l chuck
led, for l had her secret and she did
hnx ;oI ~, So,
der to sharpen my inventive faculties,
set to work to think out my next
move. did not spend much time ON
deciding upon one.
The next evening just before dark
was passing the cottage where dwelt
my fairy godmother. The little girl
who had aided her in her visits to my
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