Year: 1864

THE QUEEN OF THE RYE FAIRIES


STORY FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS.


"Franz," said mother to her boy, 'wht


was lazily walking into the garden, to picl
. handful of berries, II have something fo
you to do. just see how high the peas are


You will find some rods in the summer


house; take them and stick them for tn,


peas to grow upon. They will then be


come great deal larger, and our garder


will Look much more handsome"


but can't get some ono else to do tha


for me asked the idle boy.


"Shame on you Franz-you seem t.


shirk the very slightest labor"


"But, mother" replied the boy, to cx
cuse himself, I'VE are not so poor that WI
are compelled to work for our bread. Wha
are all the poor people for! You could
benefit them by giving them work. One mo-


ment you must make me do one thing, and


the next must do another. The sun il
hot to-day, too, and l would rather 20 and
sit under our shady elm."


"If man." she answered, "would neithe,
labor with his mind nor hands, he would
then be no better than tho dumb beast"


Franz went reluctantly to his assigned
task, for he disliked to put his hands to
any work. His sister Emma had heard all
that was said, though some distance off,
and she came with her work basket and
sat down on the grass near where he be.
gan to stick the rods along the rows OF
peas. She took her knitting. work from
her basket, thoug h she liked labor about as
little as her brother. Things did not con.
tinue long in this way: and Franz came
and sat down beside Emma-to rest out,
as he said, and wipe the perspiration from
his face. Meanwhile his sister let nun.
Der of stitches drop, and did not take the
slightest interest in her knitting.


''If mother" she said chad not appeared
so serious would have asked her permis.
sion for US to take walk along the mea.
dow"


Franz answered, "Ohl would it not be
more quiet and shady out yondcr in the
rye field? We could not get moments
rest here in the garden. would like to
sleep here little while, but the birds would
60 to singing around me, and the bees
would be buzzing about my ears. Only
think, those troublesome bees are the same
little animals that mother says are useful
example to US Of industry. Now, you will
not find one of these pests in the tall rye.
Indeed, l never saw or heard of one there.
Let US 60 out there little while. Fortu-
nately for US, the garden gate is not lock-
ed!


"Oh /! that would be fine. l would be in
the greatest glee in the rye-field 4; for there
l could catch the glistening beetles, and
pluck the bright flowers"


"And l could have a little while for
Sleep" said Franz. "Comc on-mother
will not be here again till afternoon, and
we will be back long before that. Any
time of the day is good enough to attend
to pea-vines. Ha ha nobody can ever
make me believe there is an enjoyment in
work, for invariably get tired Of it as soon
as get at it,"


do you know what would rather be,
above everything else ~ said Emma. 81
would love to be fairy, for it is about the
fairies that our mother has told us so many
nice stories. They always live like queens,
Ia sk saa thss axs!!
Spring never ends. That would be the
right kind of life for me. Then would
have no stockings to knit, or dictionary
lessons to learn"


While this conversation was passing, the
two children were going out of the garden
gate into the meadow. Emma skipped
about after great dragon. flies, and plucked
many flowers of the loveliest hue and
sweetest fragance. But Franz, after an
hour or more, climbed over the fence into
the rye-field, and, when he had found a
cool place in the high grain, he lay down
without troubling himself as to whether or
not he was breaking off some fine stalks.
Although it was only mid day, he was soon
fast asleep.


BY and by, after Emma was tired of her
exercise, she went into the rye field, and
sat, resting her head upon her hand, near
her sleeping brother. All at once, she saw,
but few steps from her, beautiful little
figure, hardly as long as her finger. II
wore dress of bright-red poppy blossom
" hich had belt around it on single blade
Of ribbon grass. The hat that it wore was
was snow white flower which, on closer
proved to be lilly of the val.
ley. Such q fascinating object, Emma had
never beheld before; and although she had
a good many little porcelain people on her
table ut home, the best of them could not
compare with this living figure. She rub.
bed her eyes very hard, for she thought it
must be dream. But the little form did
not vanish, and she pulled away the grass,
so that she could see all its motions. Then
she touched her brother very softly, who
took it very hard to be disturbed in such
refreshing slumber. But when he saw the
little lady which his sister quietly pointed
at, he was just as much delighted at her
as she was-how quickly she stretched out
her diminutive hands !-how lightly moved
those little feet, that were clad in slippers
Of the smallest muscle shells Now she
took her rake of rose-twig, whose thorns
served for teeth, and pulled all the weeds
up into pile. Then she laid her rake
down and directed her wagon, up through
the high stalks of rye to where the weeds
were. And such wagon as it was! 1t
was drawn by two stag.beetles, the reins
and halters made Of cob-web. and the driver
so small that his blouse was blue. bell. A
host Of such little figures, men and women
they were, surrounded the wagon. They
were all dressed in flower clothing, and it
was glorious scene to behold them casting
the weeds into it, to be hauled away. Soon
tho wagon was loaded, and the horses be-
gan to pull and they struggled manfully
without even so much as injuring single
stalk of grain. The people who remained
behind did not lie down to sleep, but divid-
ed their time between playing hide and seek
behind pebble, and game Of ball with
grain Of sand. would give anything if