The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-06-19
THE DAILY
.SHORESTORY
The Fairy Wish
D. RILDA NORRIS.

u.Iuor Win QuSruLOub mdlueu aunt,
ga she had never 90 far as any one
nv, had Q lover. Yet her sandy red
hNa1 ives fllOd with dreams. Perhaps
- new librarian, who handed out 40
otmful Of FomAneOO 70 Miss B00gB
N1oOSOd this act But the ladies &
o. Gid society. ne neighbors who saw
hoF about her household tasks, and
uDst Of I'll Aunt Hattie, did not know
that Elsie was forever dreaming OF
p1lnee8 and warriors, beautiful ladies
ed good and evil fairies. Not thai
Elsie believed IN fairies, Of course.
son it WaS pleasant 10 imagine things
90 they might be II there really we're
taiFieS who could make wishes come
tFoO.
WhOl We entered the war the ladies'
g he GtllVille Aid Society, Ike the
lo1iBO Oe other aid societies ali over
to country, began 10 knit for the sol.
dilTB. There were strange things dis.
Closed 81 their meetings IN those dayO
OthoF things than the new church ear
PCT and the best way Of doing up
pOleheS. Soldiers, hospitals, France
tint far country Of Jeanne d'ATe-
a11 honor, glory, sacrifice. Even Still
VIIiO, remote in It's little valley was
touched With the spirit Of high adven.
tqrs, aAd something Of the spirit Of
romance.
10 Elsie BoggI II vas ell like 4 page
tTtm one Of her stories, preferably
historical one. She had thought 70
nance . book.thing, Of adventure, Is
belOAging 10 past ages, yet here 70.
ua1eo Wab coming 10 life before her
VeIy Oyes, and changing the sloUching
BOYS Ghe knew into erect young heroes
~ khakl, With Z strange earnestneSs
Gbout their faces. Elsie threw her.
6Glk .ho6lt and soul, into working for
~ SOLDIER. No fingers we're as quick
- hers with the knitting needles. She
vs. quite the town wonder, Sweaters,
goc1B, G6lmets-she turned them all
cot With amOSing Tapidity. But since
thero was no longer time 70 read 70.
nance, Elsie had 10 make It up for
E6f many years she had had a habit
ot wondering what would happen il
celtiin conditions we're thus and 50,
opd now, quite suddenly, she caught
herself wondering what would happen
g the soldier for whom she was knit
tipg 4 particularly fine sweater should
igaTn that she had knit II, and II he
ehould some day come TO find her and
tbe should be no longer red.haired and
needed. but as lovely as the young
girls head on a late magazine cover
Ne would make love 10 her, OF course,
and theu-
Aunt Hattie'S voice Gu, in upon this
FoVefle.
II hear Bud Emery has enlisted"
Aunt Hattie said as she came in from
the street. "There amt going TO be a
young man left in this town. don't
know what we're coming to-"
bud Emery" echoed Elsie. "Well,
he's not 80 very young. He used TO be
II my class In school. He's thirty,
anyway"
TOO young 10 have his life ruined.
But at least he hasn't any wife or any.
one dependent on him. never heard
Of bud counting anybody"
NO ! guess he never did" Elsie
agreed. But even as she spoke shs
wondered whether the shy glances he
had used TO give her in school were
uota kind Of counting Bud was pain.
fully shy, but she had always felt,
somehow, that he liked her He had
never liked any one else. apparently.
However, Il would be difficult to i'm.
aglne Bud Emery as a figure Of 70,
nance. He was more freckled than
ehe, with sandy hair that bristled
defcely all over his head, He ran a
feed store, and was believed to be com.
fottably we'll Oft. He lived down at
The Palace Hotel and was notably un.
social IN his tastes. Elsie had always
Hked Bud: but no, even she could not
picture him in any but workaday guise
As Elsie went on with that extra
tine sweater, . daring idea came to
hel. Never before in her life had she
put enc bit Of her sentimental thought
into action. Now she was possessed
With q desire to label that sweater so
that the soldier who got It could come
% find her II he chose. Furthermore.
% che worked she knitted into II what
Jhe tried TO imagine was a fairy wish:
q wish that he would want to find
hsg.
The sweaters we're destined for
some far-oif Red Cross station. 50
Elsto felt quite sure that no one she
new would ever see the slip Of paper
Tat she folded into this garment. II
bore her name and address, and /,
uitht be that some time she would
hear from the man who received II.
iEsie saw Bud Emery bebre he
vent away 10 camp. and tried 10 fancy
how be would look in a khaki uniform
~ Was % big and stumbling, 50 avk,
ward and shy! Il was hard to imagine
I'm erect and trim, yet she knew that
~ would make q fine soldier: Bud
Nmogy was true blue.
The weeks went BIZ after she had
sent away that sweater, and nothing
happened. Perhaps Il took time for
ne articles 10 reach their destination
perhaps her sweater had been lost on
~ way, or perhaps the man who got
q had not noticed the clip or cared 70
wife % her II he had. And so event,
u1||H, Isle gave up thinking about IL,
Alief 81. she was q red-haired old
n1Id, and would be a sad disappoint,
mfnt % any soldier. She had been a
lool % dream Of romance. The army
ulEht mako the men over but nothing
could make her over. Her part was
.ult b stay at home and knit.
And then, one day, there came q let
- Ar Elnln She rnHnlu rnenIroA L..