Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-12

(Hans Christian Andersen, 1805-1875. was
q Danish novelist and story Writer: Among
Girl." '' The The" steadfast Tin Soldier THE
Ugly Duckling." etc.
In the middle of a garden grew a
rose tree; it was full of roses, and in
the loveliest of them all lived an elf. He
was so tiny that no human eye could
see him. He had wings reaching from
his shoulders to his feet.
One night, returning to his rose late,
he found that the rose had shut Itself
UP. He could not get in; not single
rose was open. The poor little elf was
frightened and went in search OF some
honeysuckle that he knew was at the
other end of the garden.
So the little elf overheard two lovers
In the arbor pledging their troth.
I'VE must part said the young man,
"for your brother is not friendly; ne
has sent me on a long journey even
now, Just to take me away from you"
The young. woman Wept' put she gave
him a rose to remember her by. she
kissed it, and her kiss was so tender
that the rose opened as it would Tor
the sun. The elf saw the open rose
and Immediately flew in. He felt the
rose being placed against the young
mans heart as he heard the lovers sad
farewells. The elf could not go to sleep
because of the beating of the heart.
AS the young man went away, he TOOK
out the rose and kissed it again and
again. The elf was afraid he might be
crushed to death! But this passionate
pantomime was rudely interrupted.
Another man crept up behind this
young lover. The stranger was a
Stealthy enemy-he was the pretty maid
ems wicked brother. He took out a
long. sharp knife and while his sisters
sweetheart was kissing the rose she had
given him, the brother raised the knife
and stabbed him. He cut off his head
to make certain he was dead, and buried
it with the body under linden tree.
"He is dead and done WITH" thought
the brother. HE will not seek to marry
my sister any more. And she Will not
dare to ask about him, for he was to go
this very night on long journey. full
of risks, from which he might never
have returned, anyway"
Then he raked up the dead leaves
with his foot over the earth where 1t
had been disturbed, and went home
again. But the little elf went with him,
hidden in withered linden leaf which
had fallen from the tree on the bad
mans head while he was digging the
grave.
When he reached home, the brother
went to his sisters room to gloat over
her as she lay asleep. Seeing her, the
brother chuckled to himSelf-he had
put her lover safely away. AS he leaned
over the bed the linden leaf fell out of
his hair onto the counterpane; he did
not notice it, but went away to his own
slumbers.
The rose elf crept out of the dead
leaf and entered the pretty. rose-like
ear of the sleeping girl He told her OF
the terrible murder her brother had
committed; she would hear it, and to
her it would seem like bad dream. He
described the place where the murder
buried. Then the elf whispered:
80 you will believe what I have told
you, as in a dream, you will find
withered linden leaf on your bed when
you awake"
The girl found the leaf and realized
that her dream had been the truth.
She shed bitter tears, but she told no
one the cause of her grief. The elf
stayed with her, finding himself home
in one of the flowers in a pot on the
window sill.
one night the girl stole out of the
house and into the wood, following the
directions the elf had given her in her
dream. She found the grave and dug
away the earth. She recognized the
poor body of her sweetheart and wept
unconstrainedly into his grave. Then
she took the head, wrapped carefully in
silk, and brought it home with her. She
sought the largest flower pot she had,
and buried her lovers head in it; she
planted a sprig of jasmine in the pot,
to make it appear innocent.
The elf flew away and found home
outside, for he could not bear to watch
such grief as the girl now gave uay to.
But he flew back every morning and
always he found her weeping tears into
the pot of jasmine, so that it grew and
seemed to prosper.
The brother could not understand
why his sister wept so continuously over
the pot Of jasmine. He thought she
must be crazy. OF course, he never
guessed what lay hidden there beneath
those fragrant flowers.
One day the little elf found the girl
IN a deep slumber by the side of her
beloved pot of jasmine. He crept into
her ear and told her of the happy night