Year: 1873

OAoCAe MAY was only IOQr wears


Old. So no one could expect her tc
be very wise, but her little head was
running over full of fairy tales, and


she thought it would be the most
! delightful thing in the world to have
q real adventure, such as little "Red
Riding Hood" had with the wolf
1One day she got very tired of her
play things. Her dolly, "Miss


Armada" couldn't talk, and only sat
where she put her, staring STRAIGHT
before her without even winkino


unless Oracle shut her ewes bv
means of wonderful wire, hidden
AWAY under her pink silk dress. Her


block houses qOould tumble down


Just as she was ready to put on the
browning point of beauty, and Nam


ma had one of her bad headaches,


so she couldn't tell her a story. Pa


pa had gone to town, the servants


were bnsy, and cross; what could she
lido all that long summer afternoon?


All at once the little girl caught
Iup her hat, and erept out very care
fully, as if she didn't want any one
to know where she was going.


When fairly out on the broad gravel


walk, she ran quickly through the
garden, and across wide green field


until she reached the edge of the for


est, where she stopped for breath,


and to find out whether any one had


seen her. This was Gracie's first


summer in the country and she had


only once gone into this dark, cool


glen, and then it was with her papa,


who held her little hand all the


time. Indeed, he had often told her


that she must never go beyond the


garden alone, and that was the rea-


son why she had run away so slyly,


and was so much afraid of being


seen.


And there was g queer little thing
down in her heart that would keep


whispering at isn't right! it isn't
right" but Oracle wouldn't listen.
She climbed the fence and went in


to the cool, dark shade of the trees,


and wandered on until she found q


lovely spot by the side of a little


brook that went ripping and dane
/ ing over the prettiest lutte white


and red stones you ever saw. The
ground was covered with the green


est moss, and beautiful flowers bent


over the brook, nodding and smiling
at their own reflection in the water.
Oracle threw herself down on the


aoft moss, exclaiming, "Now this is
Just splendid! I'm tired of hearing
about such wonderful adventures
and never having one myself. Now
I'll have chance, for 1 am sure
there must be plenty of fairies
here"


She laid her bright curly head
down close by the brook, let the wa
ter ripple over hef dimpled hand,
and listened to the soft murmur of
the rustling leaves; indeed she would
have been perfectly happy, if that
little voice down in her heart had
only kept still. She lay there very
still, waiting for something wonder
ful to happen, and all at once she
saw tiny little creature perched on
the edge of a flower that she knew
must be a fairy, 80 she hardly dared
to breathe, lest the lovely creature
should vanish.


"Gracie May" said the sweetest
little voice, "tell mewhat you would
like to be: a bird, to fit among the
trees and warble sweetly from morn
ing till night2 a snow-White lamb,
bounding over the green fields, or a
merry little grey squirrel! 1 know
you are very tired of being a little !
girl shut up in a great house, with
lessons to learn, and dreadful patch
work to do, and your hair to be curl
ed every day of your life, so tell me,
and you shall have your wish"


ooh! I should like best to be a
snow-White lamb"


every WELL" said the fairy, and |
waving her silver wand over Oracle,
she suddenly sprang up and found |
she was no longer a little girl, but |
the Whitest, prettiest little lamb in |
the world. The strangest thing of
all was she could think just as well |
as ever, but when she tried to speak /
she could only say "Ba- ali! ba-ahP'
just like any other lamb. So she
bounded along by the side of the |
brook, her queer little feet hardly |
touching the earth, she felt so friskv |
and gay.


All at once grey squirrel drop |
ped a great walnut plump on her
nose and exclaimed, "What are you
doing here, you silly thing? There's
a great wolf over the hill, and he'll
eat you up, wool and all, if you don't
get back into the fold" But the
lamb answered, "I'm not afraid of
wolf, indeed 1 should like very much
TO see him."


So the silly creature capered
along, only stopping to nibble a bit
Of grass now and then. All at once
she found herself face to face with
the wolf, and, to tell the truth, her
little heart beat pretty fast for a
minute, he looked so strong aad saw
age. But the wolf smiled very
sWeetly, and said, "Good afternoon,
my dear lady. 1 am delighted to
see you! have only lately arrived
at this place, and have not met a
creature before that 1 could conde
scend to associate with. viii you
do me the honor to walk into my
humble dwelling and rest awhile? /
shall esteem it great favor, I as
sure you"


"Indeed, sir, you are very kind, !"
said the lamb; sand yet l don't
know as 1 had better stop this time;
the grey squirrel advised me not to
call on you, and said some hard
things about you, too"


mo doubt he did. but I am de-
lighted to find you choose to Judge
for yourself rather than listen to all
the idle tales you may happen to
hear. just walk into my parlor and
rest awhile, and then / assure you
you will find me the most amiable
creature you ever saw"


The foolish little lamb walked in
to the VOLTS den, and was rather
to find it such a dark,