RKSOS 
 
 
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00004205434 
 
 
JUH 1 3 1981 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 ENDOWED BY THE 
 
 DIALECTIC AND PHILANTHROPIC 
 
 SOCIETIES 
 LIBRARY, 
 
 — — mmmmmmmmmmmmmm—mmmmmmmm 
 
 JH398.2 
 Johnson 
 
DATE DUE 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26 1-2 500 
 
 
 Primed 
 ■oUSA 
 
£t^£i 
 
 *^Z— 
 
 
THE CATSKILL FAIRIES. 
 
 £. V 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/catskillfairiesOOjohn 
 
the 
 
 J A 
 
 CATSKILL FAIRIES. 
 
 By VIRGINIA W. JOHNSON, 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 'JOSEPH THE JEW," "A SACK OF GOLD," "THE CALDERWOOD SECRET," "KETTLE 
 
 CLUB SERIES," &c, &c. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY ALFRED FREDERLCKS. 
 
 N E W YORK: 
 HARPER & B R T H E R S. P U BLISHE R S, 
 
 F R A N K I. T X SQUARE 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1875, by 
 
 HARPER & BROTHERS, 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Pack 
 
 All about Job 1 1 
 
 The Old Clock Tells a Story 22 
 
 Adventures of a Sea- Shell 26 
 
 How Biorn Discovered America 30 
 
 One of a Cat's Lives 35 
 
 The Oak -Tree Sprite 42 
 
 Rapp, the Gnome King 57 
 
 Nip's Story 80 
 
 The Green Belt 90 
 
 The House that Jacques Built 111 
 
 The Fairy Regatta 114 
 
 The Dove Maiden 121 
 
 The First Cocoa-nut 153 
 
THE CATSKILL FAIRIES. 
 
 ALL ABOUT JOB. 
 
 "Are you afraid to stay alone?" 
 asked Grandfather, drawing the 
 buffalo-robe over his knees, and 
 taking the reins. 
 
 " Not a bit afraid," said Job, 
 sturdily, with all a boy's indigna- 
 tion at the charge of cowardice. 
 
12 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " You are twelve years old, and almost a man ! Well — take 
 care of the cow, and don't forget the fowls. I shall be back by 
 noon, mebbe." 
 
 Then the old wagon creaked away down the hill, moving as 
 if it had rheumatism in all its joints, the white horses jogged off 
 soberly, the rim of Grandfather's hat disappeared, and Job was 
 left alone. 
 
 The boy was half afraid all the same. There was not a living 
 soul left on the mountain besides Job, after Grandfather had 
 gone. When one is only twelve years old, and is left in this 
 way, one must feel rather queer at first — at least Job did, and 
 that is all we can know about it. He stood in the road until 
 the last sound of the wagon had died, away in silence, and at 
 that moment a little shiver of loneliness crept down his back, 
 and he did not know whether to laugh or cry. Something 
 white and soft brushed against him; it was the Angora cat. 
 You must not suppose that she was an every-day sort of tabby, 
 such as is found in all farm-houses : she was very different from 
 common animals, as we shall presently see. At that moment 
 the cow lowed in her shed, in a friendly way. Job laughed in- 
 stead of crying. 
 
 " He's gone," said the lad aloud. " Now, Kitty, let us have 
 our supper." 
 
 He decided to prepare the evening meal just because he did 
 not know what else to do. The cat was placed in a chair, 
 while he spread the board ; and as her table manners were very 
 elegant, she merely sat there winking sleepily instead of trying 
 to dab her paws into the dishes. 
 
 " This is better than living in the woods— isn't it, puss," said 
 
Shutting-iip for the Night. 13 
 
 Job, pouring some milk in a saucer. " How cold you looked 
 that September morning, after the frost, when I found you on 
 the edge of the ravine." 
 
 " Miouw !" replied the Angora cat. 
 
 "Yes, indeed," continued Job, as he cut a slice of bread for 
 himself. " If you had not come to me, Tom Smithers would 
 have caught you, and carried you down the mountain to all his 
 brothers and sisters — and a nice life they would have led you. 
 The baby would have pulled off your tail the first thing, and 
 how would you have looked without your tail ? There ! eat 
 your milk." 
 
 It really seemed as if the Angora understood every word 
 that Job said, for she gave a little leap in the air, purred vio- 
 lently, and proceeded to eat daintily. After that the cow was 
 made comfortable for the night, the hen-house barred securely, 
 so that no stray fox might steal in, and fresh wood brought 
 from the wood-pile for the fire. There was nothing more to 
 be done before going to bed, and Grandfather as well as Job 
 was usually asleep as soon as the chickens — but then the earli- 
 est cock that crowed did not catch them napping in the morn- 
 ing. Before closing the house door, he paused one moment to 
 look at the sky, which was flooded with gold from the setting 
 sun. Job was a very ignorant child, but he knew that far 
 away down the path of shining Hudson River was a great city 
 and the sea. This city he had never seen, which was not very 
 strange, since a great many grown people living back among 
 those Catskill Mountains were equally unlearned. It was the 
 last of December ; summer had faded, but the autumn had been 
 long and mild. The mountains towered up blue and grand 
 
H 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 against the heavens, and it seemed as if the snow would never 
 come from the bleak North this year. Here and there the hills 
 had a white line on their slopes, as if they had trimmed their 
 robes with ermine, yet the peaks were still uncovered. 
 
 
 Far down in the shadowy hollow was the spot where Rip 
 Van Winkle had slept for twenty years, according to the le- 
 gend. All through the leafy Junes, the glowing Octobers, when 
 the woods burned in scarlet and crimson, and the cold, silent 
 winter, Rip must have slumbered. No wonder he was stiff 
 when he awoke at last. Job had been to the very spot, and 
 tried to feel sleepy also. Grandfather said the story was all 
 nonsense, yet somehow Job believed it. Yes, and far away, 
 over on the brink of a distant precipice, was the hotel, now de- 
 serted and gloomy, where the gay people flocked in the warm 
 weather. Job would hide behind the bushes, like a shy, wild 
 
'Job's Portrait. 15 
 
 animal, and watch these strangers, wondering much .that they 
 cared to gather the wild flowers and mosses which he never 
 noticed. What fun it would be if a bear should come up the 
 path, only all the bears were gone. There was not even a 
 rabbit to be seen. If a pedler should pass, Job would invite 
 him to stay and rest. A pedler's pack was to Job what a 
 dry-goods store is to a city boy. 
 
 He went into the house, bolted the door, and crept into bed, 
 where he soon fell fast asleep, with the Angora cat curled up 
 comfortably beside him. 
 
 Now we must paint our hero's portrait, because we can feel 
 but little interest in the hero, if, in these days of photograph}-, 
 we do not know exactly how r he looked. Job was a strong, 
 active boy, and his face was as brown, his cheeks as red, as the 
 sun and the wind could make them. He wore a battered hat. 
 when he remembered to put it on, and a jacket made of Grand- 
 father's old plum-colored coat, with the tails cut off: Grand- 
 father being a tailor after his own fashion. When spring came 
 he tossed his heavy shoes into a cupboard, and ran about bare- 
 footed, until the frost compelled him to seek them once more. 
 
 He had been sent to the little red school-house three miles 
 away, where he learned to read and w r rite. Nobody knows 
 w r hat strange fancies came into his head about the clouds and 
 the moon, living up there alone with Grandfather. This may 
 seem rather a sad, dreary life to the little men who were born 
 in merry, crowded nurseries, yet it is astonishing how much 
 Job found to amuse him. Indeed, he seldom played with other 
 children, and did not miss them. 
 
 There was the early breakfast to get, and the dishes to clear 
 
1 6 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 away afterwards ; then the cow must be driven to the pasture, 
 where the mountain grass made her yield such sweet milk. 
 After that Job could run wild among the rocks all the 
 morning, setting snares for birds, searching for hidden nests, 
 and fishing for trout in the clear brooks, which leaped from 
 stone to stone with gleeful music. Nor did his resources fail 
 him in winter, when the wild storms kept him in-doors. Then 
 he listened to Grandfather's stories about Indians and rattle- 
 snakes, or read the few tattered volumes their library boasted. 
 Better still was it to retreat to the store-room, where their pro- 
 visions were kept as carefully as if they were in a besieged 
 city, and draw figures on the door with a bit of charcoal for a 
 pencil. These crooked, wavy lines meant to the young artist 
 the horses and people of the city. 
 
 Grandfather was a bent, wrinkled old man, who smoked a 
 pipe, and grumbled — but he was kind for all that. Job did not 
 take scoldings to heart, for he knew very well that Grand- 
 father was fond of him as the only relative left him in the 
 world. When one lives in a small house alone on a mountain, 
 one has to learn to do everything : Grandfather sewed, made 
 famous bread, and churned the butter. If Job had been used 
 to any other housewife, he must have found it very funny to 
 see Grandfather sweep the rag-carpet with his spectacles on ; 
 but to the boy this was the most natural thing in the world. 
 
 The mildness of December had tempted Grandfather to 
 make one more visit to the village, for when the storms came 
 they were cut off completely from all intercourse with the val- 
 leys by the deep snow-drifts. He went to buy some food, and 
 to cross the river to Germantown, where a farmer owed him a 
 
The Snow -Storm. 17 
 
 little money. These dollars must be got, and hidden away in 
 an old pocket-book for the time when Job would be a man. 
 If Job had gone as well, who would have taken care of the 
 cow and the fowls ? 
 
 Next morning Job was awakened by the Angora cat. Pussy 
 had jumped on his breast, and was licking his cheek with a lit- 
 tle red tongue. The fact of the matter was, she had been up 
 a long while, and was becoming very much bored, as well as 
 hungry. Job sprang out of bed, and ran into the kitchen. 
 Something strange had happened ! The old clock ticked 
 solemnly in the corner, pointing a hand, as if in reproof, at 
 the hour of ten. Yes, it was ten o'clock, and Job had never 
 slept so late before. The kitchen looked just the same. There 
 was the little table by the window, where Grandfather's large 
 Bible lay, and the shelf above, with the conch-shell on it. The 
 fire was out, and it was dreadfully cold. Job pulled aside the 
 curtain, and peeped out. All the world had grown white. It 
 was snowing. While he slept the storm had come, filling the 
 ravines, covering the low shrubbery, and crowning the mount- 
 ains with fleecy masses. Job was not afraid of the snow ; he 
 was used to it. He kindled a fire, and both he and the cat 
 warmed themselves. Next he tried to open the house door, 
 and found it already banked up by a drift. Job's face grew 
 very long. How should he reach the cow ? There was food 
 and wood enough in the house to keep him alive, but the cow 
 must not starve. The cottage was small and poor, consisting 
 of two rooms, and an attic above. Job ran up-stairs, and looked 
 out of the attic window. He there saw a gray sky, the air 
 misty with falling flakes, and the wide sheet of snow below. 
 
 B 
 
i8 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 At the back of the house the snow was not equally deep, the 
 building being an obstacle to the growing mass. What do 
 you suppose he did ? He went down-stairs again, put on his 
 boots, wrapped his neck in a woollen comforter, took the shovel, 
 and jumped out of the window to make a path to the cow-shed. 
 The poor cow, supposing that she was never to have her 
 breakfast, mooed dismally. Job worked with all his might. 
 
 Sometimes the cat sprang on the window-ledge to watch him, 
 but she took very good care not to wet her dainty paws by 
 skipping out-of-doors. At last the path was finished, and Job 
 fed the hungry animal. As he did so he heard the flapping 
 of wings, and the cocks crowed dolefully in the dark hen- 
 house, where they supposed it was still night. He had forgot- 
 ten them until that moment. Dear me ! what was to be done ? 
 
The Old Clock Bewitched. 19 
 
 Job could not leave the poor biddies to die, when lie had seen 
 every one of them come from the egg — wee bundles of clown. 
 The hen-house was more difficult to reach than the cow's 
 residence. Job's arms ached, and his feet were cold, yet he 
 took up the shovel valiantly, and began to dig again. What 
 with running to and fro, back to the house to thaw numb 
 fingers at the fire, getting meals, and continuing to make paths, 
 it was late in the afternoon before Job had finished his labors. 
 He was able to throw corn to the chickens only by climbing 
 on a snow-mound, and scattering it through the small window 
 of the hen-house. The fowls did not know what to make of 
 it ; they cocked their heads sideways to catch a glimpse of day- 
 light. While at work Job had been quite happy ; when it 
 was over he began to feel frightened. The storm was in- 
 creasing, the wind commenced to moan. Grandfather could 
 not force his way back up the mountain while it lasted, and 
 that Job very well knew. The boy sat down in Grandfather's 
 chair, and burst into tears. 
 
 " You are too old to cry," said a grave voice. 
 
 Job dried his eyes on his sleeve, and looked up. 
 
 " Who are you ?" he asked, curiosity conquering fear. 
 
 " I am the clock. You should know me by this time." 
 
 There it stood in the corner, with a brass ship above the 
 dial that rocked when the pendulum swung. 
 
 " I didn't suppose you could talk," laughed Job. 
 
 " I usually make enough noise, and I am always on the 
 minute, I hope. I don't mind telling you what you will find 
 out sooner or later — to-night I am bewitched," said the clock, 
 in a rattling way. 
 
20 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 The Angora cat yawned, curled her whiskers in a military 
 fashion with both her fore-paws, and added, " Yes, we are be- 
 witched." 
 
 " What has bewitched you, I should like to know ?" said Job, 
 now quite at his ease, and wishing to understand matters 
 thoroughly. 
 
 " The sea-shell," replied the clock. 
 
 Job turned to look at the shell as it lay on the shelf ; it 
 glistened in the dim room like a beautiful pearl. " We are to 
 talk this evening," murmured the shell. " After all, a little boy 
 might spend a more lonely night than here with a clock, a cat, 
 and a shell." 
 
 " All great travellers," said the clock, proudly. 
 
 " And foreigners by birth," said the cat, whisking her tail. 
 " Besides, I have invited company, and you are to have a pres- 
 ent before you go to bed." 
 
 " Oh, what is it?" cried Job, with sparkling eyes. "How can 
 company get here in all the storm when Grandfather can't 
 come r 
 
 " We shall see," returned Puss, walking to the window, and 
 listening with her ear to the crack. 
 
 " We have no legs to carry us about like the cat," sighed the 
 clock, half enviously. " Every one in his place, though." 
 
 " The wind brings a message to say that they will be here 
 in an hour," said the cat, returning to the fire. " We must 
 try to amuse ourselves until they come." 
 
 " Who are they ?" asked Job. 
 
 " We shall see," said Puss again. " One can live anywhere, 
 I suppose." This she uttered in a dignified way, as if she were 
 
A Cat of Experience. 2 1 
 
 used to much better things, and indeed that was what she de- 
 sired every one to think. " The Esquimaux dwell in the snow 
 and ice — even their houses are built of snow; thousands of 
 people crowd together in dam}) cellars of great cities ; and 
 away off in hot countries the natives would not leave their 
 sandy deserts for any thing. I must be contented here." 
 
 " How did you come to know so much ?" inquired the old 
 clock, very impertinently. 
 
 " I am a cat of experience," said the Angora in a genteel 
 manner. - 
 
 Then the clock knew that it had done something amiss, and 
 clattered away, sounding the hour to cover up the blunder ; only 
 it grew embarrassed, and struck full fifteen times, like the silly 
 old clock it was. 
 
 " I am sorry to make so much noise, but when I am ready I 
 cannot help it. My little hammer rises up, you know, and 
 will fall again." Having finished this duty, the time -piece was 
 prepared to be more agreeable, and immediately proceeded to 
 tell the following story. 
 
22 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 THE OLD CLOCK TELLS A STORY. 
 
 " The first sound you ever heard, Job, was the 
 ticking of my pendulum, and the very first ob- 
 ject your baby eyes noticed was my brass ship 
 rocking, always rocking, as it did years before you 
 lived, and has done ever since. Babies are some- 
 times born out on the ocean and in strange places, 
 but I think that the top of a mountain is a droll 
 place for a cradle. I will tell you 
 all about it. I am really very an- 
 cient — quite a grandfather clock, 
 as you may see from my wooden 
 case. I was sent over from Lon- 
 don in my youth, and once I was 
 mended here in America by the 
 grandson of the clock -maker who made me. He knew me 
 directly, and said, ' Here is my grandfathers work.' At first I 
 lived in New York, where I was for sale in a shop, until I was 
 bought by a man who had me placed on a sloop to be taken 
 up the Hudson River. It was a long voyage in those days, 
 I promise you, and we were one week on board of the sloop 
 before we reached our destination. Now the great steamboats 
 make the same journey in a few hours. I could tell you the 
 exact time if I were placed on the ' Daniel Drew ' in running 
 
Unexpected Visitors. 23 
 
 order, and not laid on my back with my pendulum tied. How- 
 ever, I have no reason to complain. I was purchased by your 
 grandfather, Job, to place in the new house where he would 
 bring his bride. 
 
 " Dear, dear ! It seems only yesterday when the newly mar- 
 ried couple stepped across the threshold hand in hand. Their 
 hair was golden, their cheeks like ripe apples, and outside the 
 door the damask roses bloomed in the sunshine. So long, long 
 ago, little Job — as you may tell by my worm-eaten case and 
 rusty works. 
 
 " I remember very well that we had unexpected visitors up 
 here the day before you were born. There had been no living- 
 soul here for years besides the old man : his wife was dead, and 
 his only daughter gone away. Well, the door stood open, and 
 I saw T a wagon drive up with two women in it. The younger 
 one rose, and stretched out her hands to Grandfather, who 
 stood shading his eyes, and looking at her. 
 
 " ' Father !' she said, and began to cry. 
 
 "'She would come up the mountain to-day,' said the elder 
 woman. 
 
 " The last speaker was Grandfather's sister, and the younger 
 one was your mother, Master Job. 
 
 " The visitors were made comfortable. The girl promised to 
 be good, and return to the farm with her aunt next clay, after 
 she had seen her father once more. She had been wilful, and 
 married a handsome sailor against her parent's wishes. Now 
 the sailor was wrecked, and she had come all this weary way 
 across the seas to beg forgiveness. 
 
 " The wind blew fresh about the lonely house. I struck 
 
24 The Cat ski 11 Fairies. 
 
 twelve, and before I had ceased the angels had brought you 
 here to live. What do you think of that ?" 
 
 " It is very funny," said Job. He had never thought of be- 
 ing much smaller than he was then. 
 
 " Yes," said the clock. " But when the angels brought you 
 they carried away your mother. You never saw her after- 
 wards. You were a sturdy little fellow, and the aunt did 
 everything for you. She had a goat brought up here, for you 
 to drink the rich milk. The goat behaved very well, although 
 it did not like the quarters much. When the aunt wished to 
 take you away home, Grandfather shook his head. If he was a 
 clumsy nurse, you thrived. Bless you ! babies thrive anywhere ; 
 and if you don't expect them to live, they are sure to do so. 
 
 " You had a wee face — I don't suppose your face will ever 
 be as large as mine — and bright eyes, and you used to sit 
 on the floor with your thumb in your mouth staring at my 
 ship. You never cried much, and soon learned to trot around, 
 climbing as nimbly as a squirrel. So you see the good God 
 sent you as a gift to Grandfather, who lived all alone, and he 
 has toiled for you day and night. I have watched him many 
 a time sitting up long after you were sound asleep to sew your 
 coat or carve a toy. The very least you can do, in return, is 
 to be a good boy, for he is growing old." 
 
 Job had never given the matter a moment's reflection. He 
 could not decide whether he had been a good boy or not. 
 Now the old clock's words made a deep impression on his 
 mind, and he formed a resolution. 
 
 " He shall never saw all the w r ood again !" he exclaimed. 
 " Sometimes I forget, you know." 
 
The Sea - Shell Speaks. 2 5 
 
 " That is right," said the clock, heartily. 
 
 " You will always be glad if you arc thoughtful of others," 
 said the sea-shell. 
 
 " Grandfather is a good man ; he gives me tender morsels," 
 said the Angora cat gratefully. 
 
 The old clock had finished its story, and for a few minutes 
 nothing was heard in the room but the slow, steady ticking of 
 the long pendulum as it swung back and forth, and the quiet 
 purring of the Angora cat. Job was thinking of what the 
 clock had told him, when the silence was again broken by the 
 sea-shell 
 
26 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 ADVENTURES OF A SEA-SHELF 
 
 " Each one may tell what he 
 knows," said the sea -shell, in a 
 soft, liquid voice. 
 
 " Where did you come from ? 
 I mean, where did you grow ?" 
 asked Job, eagerly. 
 
 A sweet little laugh came 
 gurgling from the depths of the 
 shell as water bubbles out of a 
 clear spring hidden among the moss of the woods. 
 
 " Where did I grow ? You speak as if I was plucked from 
 the branch of a tree like fruit. Do you not know that a little, 
 soft, defenceless animal — a mollusk — built me for a strong 
 castle to protect it from foes ? Then, being something of an 
 artist in its own tiny fashion, the mollusk painted and decorated 
 its house, lining it with pearl, as you see, and adding turrets to 
 the roof. Yes, and the very best of it was that it had only to 
 close the door firmly, and no enemy could come in ; even the 
 rough waves might toss the house about with no harm to the 
 inmate." 
 
 " Where did you live ?" persisted Job. 
 
 " I was only the strong castle remember. The mollusk lived 
 away off in the trojDical waters of the Indian Ocean. Above 
 
The Islands of Spice -Trees. 
 
 27 
 
 the sea bloomed the rich islands where the spice-trees grow, 
 and cruel pirates lurked along the shore to attack foreign ves- 
 sels. The pirates, in their swift boats, were like the small 
 sword-fish that dart forth to attack the whale, wounding the 
 huare creature on all sides. 
 
 " Chinese junks came there, too, in search of the swallow 
 nests, built in the rock caverns, which they sold in their markets 
 for the famous bird-nest soup. Down at the bottom of the 
 ocean crawled the sea-cucumber, a slow creature, with a trans- 
 parent body, and pretty, feathery tentacles, like plumes, waving 
 about the mouth, to draw in food. Even the cucumber was 
 not safe from the sharp Chinese eyes. Whirr ! a prong was 
 hurled through the water, striking the poor thing with unerr- 
 ing aim, and up came the cucumber to the surface, to be 
 
28 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 packed as the ' trepang ' of commerce. If we hide in the 
 deepest waters, we do not escape ; nothing is safe from man. 
 I left my home one day, with a sudden jerk, just as the tre- 
 pang did. The mollusk soon died, out of the sea, even as you 
 would die if your head was held under water. I was left, be- 
 ing only a shell, and since then I have been a great traveller. 
 Your mother brought me here in a box. First I was carried 
 off by a sailor as a gift for his sweetheart at home ; yet I never 
 saw the sweetheart, for the cabin-boy stole me long before we 
 reached port. The cabin-boy treated me very ill : he traded 
 me for a gay neck-tie, when I would have really brought him 
 money if sold for a cabinet. Silly fellow ! Then we sailed up 
 north ; I could tell you all about the cold countries." 
 
 " It is cold enough here," yawned the Angora cat. 
 
 " I changed owners half-a-dozen times anions; sailors. We 
 were in the Baltic Sea, and I had been left on deck careless- 
 ly, when a gull came swooping down on me, made bold by 
 hunger. 
 
 " ' You are as tough as a Tartar,' said the gull, pecking at 
 me to judge if I was good to eat. 
 
 " ' What is a Tartar ?' I inquired. 
 
 " ' Don't be tiresome,' said the gull, pettishly. ' My grand- 
 father knows everything : ask him.' Then it flew away. I 
 was glad to have the ship lurch just then, and roll me against 
 the bulwark out of sight. Presently the gull returned, hopping 
 along cautiously in the hope of stealing a morsel. 
 
 " ' Where is your grandfather ?' I asked. 
 
 " ' Holloa ! Are you still there, Mr. Shell ?' cried the gull, 
 cocking its head over its shoulder. 
 
Grandfather Gull. 29 
 
 " ' I will make a bargain with you,' I said. ' If you carry me 
 to your grandfather, I can tell you where to find food.' 
 
 " ' But you are so heavy,' he objected. 
 
 " ' But you are so hungry, 1 I said, quietly. 
 
 " ' I know it,' groaned the gull. ' I will try to find the old 
 gentleman instead.' 
 
 " Then it flew away again, returning with the grandfather gull, 
 and I kept my word by showing the birds where they could 
 obtain food near the cook's galley. The old gull said he did 
 not know what the young one meant about Tartars, but he 
 would tell me a story, if I w r ould excuse his standing on one 
 leg while speaking, for he had the gout badly in his right 
 claw r . He told me the following tale. 
 
3<d The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 HOW BIORN DISCOVERED AMERICA. 
 
 " ' The Northern nations were a roving people long before 
 their existence was known in Southern Europe. The Goths 
 crossed the Baltic Sea in three ships, to grow into a mighty 
 race capable of subduing Rome ; the Swedes were rulers on 
 the ocean, strong in arms and numbers ; the Danes boldly 
 attacked the English coast, and, after being held in check by 
 Alfred the Great, established four Danish princes on the 
 throne. A Scandinavian king ruled in Dublin ; early con- 
 quests were made of the Shetland Isles and the Hebrides ; 
 Scotland was visited by them, when Duncan defeated the in- 
 vaders, the Scots being commanded by Macbeth and Banquo. 
 
 " ' The country was too small for all the families to be fed and 
 lodged, so it was agreed that a certain number of children to 
 each household should go abroad in search of a living. There 
 were too many birds in the home nest. The father drove out 
 his sons when they grew to manhood — except the eldest son, 
 who was heir to the estate. The sea-kings, or vikings, spread 
 their sails to discover new lands. Naddod, a Norwegian pirate, 
 saw one day a dreary looking country, which he named Snow- 
 land ; then Gardar Svarfarson, a Swede, found that it was an 
 island, and called it Iceland instead, because of its forbidding- 
 aspect. His companions liked the island, and a Norwegian 
 Jarl took refuge there, founding a colony. 
 
Biorn' s Stormy Voyage. 
 
 3* 
 
 " ' Then the sea-kings sailed on, and other shores were found 
 in the Western Atlantic. In the year 98 2 a Jarl of Norway 
 went to Iceland, with his son Eric the Red, and Erie left Ice- 
 land to roam still farther to the south-west, where he espied a 
 country which he named Greenland, and made his home at 
 Eric's Fiord. Heriolf, one of these early colonists, was a trader, 
 sailing from place to place in partnership with his son Biorn. 
 
 "'Now we shall hear! Biorn, who was a sort of salt-water 
 pedler, had agreed to meet his father at a certain spot, but 
 missed him on the open ocean. Lo ! a terrible gale arose, 
 driving Biorns vessel like a feather before the wind. The 
 little craft bounded lightly over the heaving billows, through 
 sleet and foam — sent far away from the shelter of Greenland, 
 until the sailors expected that her prow would touch the end 
 of the world. At last they saw land, a wide region, thick- 
 
 v.. 
 
 ly wooded. It was a northern cape 
 of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 " ' What do you suppose this stupid 
 
32 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 Biorn did? He just drifted around the promontory, looked 
 at it, and, without setting foot on the shore, spread his sails 
 before a fresh west wind, the storm having abated, and re- 
 turned to Greenland, where he found his father Heriolf safely 
 harbored. 
 
 " ' That is the way Biorn discovered America, quite ignorant 
 that he was the first European to touch the strand of a won- 
 derful New World. This happened long before Christopher 
 Columbus saw the tropical palm-trees and crystal waters of 
 the West Indies. Biorn went back, and told the story at least. 
 Eief, a son of Eric the Red, set sail with thirty-five men, reach- 
 ed the American coast, and steered along it until he found an 
 inviting anchorage. The region was delightful : fruits and 
 berries were ripe, and there was salmon in the river. The 
 Northmen landed, built huts, and called the spot Vinland, 
 because of the quantities of grapes they found. Lief spent 
 a winter in Vinland, then sold his vessel to his brother Thor- 
 wald in the spring, who stayed another year, exploring the 
 land. The natives came in canoes to oppose him, and Thor- 
 wald was killed. The other Northmen remained a third win- 
 ter. The natives were like the Esquimaux, already known in 
 Greenland. 
 
 "'In 1007 a rich Greenlander, Thorfin, emigrated to Vinland 
 with sixty followers and his wife Gudrida. The ships carried 
 all kinds of animals and food. Gudrida was the first Euro- 
 pean woman to see the New World, and her son Snorro, born 
 at Vinland, was the first child of foreign parents in America. 
 Thorfin's expedition prospered. The native tribes came in 
 great numbers to trade in furs, yet Thorfin went home again. 
 
Puss and tlic Mouse. 
 
 oo 
 
 a 'At the mouth of the St. Lawrence traces of these early 
 settlers have been found. The savages there were different 
 in aspect, and they knew the cross when the Jesuit mis- 
 sionaries showed it to them.' 
 
 " I have told you the truth, whatever else you may hear to- 
 night," concluded the shell. 
 
 " So did I tell the truth," said the clock. " I don't know 
 what the cat may do." 
 
 " Speak for yourself, then," said Puss, quite in a huff. " I 
 have had no chance to tell my story yet, if you please ; and it 
 seems to me that both of you are fond of hearing yourselves 
 talk.— Oh !" 
 
 A little mouse had crept out of its hole ; the cat pounced on 
 it like a flash. 
 
 " I can't imagine why you like those mice," said the clock. 
 " It makes me tremble in all my wood-work only to see one, 
 they have such frightfully sharp teeth, and gnaw such dreadful 
 holes." 
 
 The Angora cat was terribly excited ; her eyes were large, 
 her whiskers bristled, and she held the poor little mouse be- 
 tween her paws. One could see how much she was like those 
 great relations of hers, the tiger and lion, when they gloat over 
 their prey. 
 
 " What have you got to say for yourself," growled Kitty. 
 
 " Mercy !" squeaked the little mouse, rolling its eyes towards 
 Job. 
 
 " Let Mousey go. You have had your supper," said Job. 
 
 " Ask me nicely, mouse, and perhaps I will," said the wicked 
 cat, enjoying the fright of her captive. 
 
 C 
 
34 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 So the little mouse sat on its hind-legs, and crossed its fore- 
 paws piteously. 
 
 " I am very young to die. I ran away from the nest behind 
 the beam of the cellar just to see life. Oh ! please don't look 
 at me like that !" it said faintly. 
 
 " I will not eat you if you tell a story," said Puss. 
 
 " Oh, dear !" piped the little mouse. " How can I tell a 
 story ? I have no ideas, and I have never been even to a 
 mouse school yet. I am really a baby. To be sure, we have 
 gnawed a great many books and papers ; still we do not read 
 the print — we only make nests." 
 
 " Do you stay in the corner of the hearth and think of a 
 story," said the cat. " If you try to run away I will eat you 
 in one mouthful. There ! I don't mind your being a baby 
 mouse at all ; your bones will be all the more tender on that 
 account." 
 
 So the little mouse had to sit in the corner, and make the 
 best of it. When the cat looked at it, the mouse closed its 
 eyes, pretending to nap, for it wished to appear very much at 
 ease, but it trembled in every limb for dread of those terrible 
 jaws and gleaming eyes. 
 
 It was now the cat's turn to tell a story. 
 
Puss begins a Story. 35 
 
 ONE OF A CATS LIVES. 
 
 " I know very well that I was born in a palace — that is, a 
 palace in comparison with this cottage," said the Angora cat, 
 stretching herself comfortably on the warm hearthstone. 
 
 " What was it like ?" asked Job, glancing around the kitchen. 
 
 " Well, it must have been a palace, because there was a 
 lawn and a park, with winding avenues and flowers. Then 
 the house was beautiful, large, and spacious, with soft carpets 
 and velvet cushions. The old lady who lived there owned 
 twenty cats, and people said she was crazy on the subject of 
 pets. The cats had an easy life. Each morning a servant 
 bathed the Angora family, combed our fur, and tied a fresh 
 ribbon about our necks. How much we were caressed ! One 
 day I was taken to the drawing-room for some visitors to ad- 
 mire my flossy coat, when I saw an ugly face peering in at 
 the window, and I hid beneath the dress of my mistress. The 
 butler told the beggar to go away. ' I'm hungry,' said the 
 man. Now I had never been hungry in my life. After the 
 visitors left I curled myself up for a nap on the best em- 
 broidered cushion. Two dirty hands seized me, the ugly face 
 peered in the window again, and I was hurried away, hidden 
 from sio-ht beneath the besro-ar's rao-oed coat. In vain I 
 struggled ; he held me firmly until we had crossed the road 
 behind a hedge, and he took me out to shake me angrily. 
 
36 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " ' You are always fed, if the children do starve,' he muttered, 
 fiercely. 
 
 " He did not kill me, though I was half dead with fright by 
 the time he reached the miserable hovel where he lived. The 
 children were hungry, but I was made to rob them of their 
 scanty portion of milk, because I was to be taken to town and 
 sold for my beauty. 
 
 " Fortunately some dear, kind ladies bought me, paying the 
 man a good price, and I hope that he took the money to the 
 poor children. 
 
 " Wherever the ladies went on their travels, I was carried in 
 a basket, and people were warned not to hurt Kitty. At this 
 strangers smiled, but they were all good to me. We crossed 
 the ocean in a large steamship, and in the summer we came 
 up to these mountains. When parties rambled in the woods 
 I was allowed to go, for there were too many children in the 
 hotel for my comfort. They play strange pranks with the 
 most superior cats. When the ladies had a picnic I was at- 
 tracted by a bird that hopped near in search of crumbs. I 
 gave chase, the bird flew away, and when the people called 
 me I hid behind a rock. I was tired of being petted, so I de- 
 cided to become a hunter, searching for my own food in the 
 woods. This served very well until the frost came. Then you 
 found me, Job. I made a great many acquaintances in the 
 woods during my rambles, as you will presently see." 
 
 " Crickets and grasshoppers ?" said Job. 
 
 " No such thing," replied the Angora cat. " Here they are !" 
 
 Job could scarcely believe that he was still in his senses, 
 for in a moment the place was full of Fairies. The wee 
 
The Fairies Arrive. 37 
 
 people came through the keyhole, clown the chimney, and 
 forth from the blazing logs of the fire, with a soft rustle of 
 wings and a murmur of tiny voices that sounded like the pat- 
 ter of rain-drops among forest leaves. The boy winked sev- 
 eral times to make sure he was awake. 
 
 At first these visitors looked all alike : their pinions were 
 spangled like those of a butterfly, and their little forms twin- 
 kled and hovered about in restless motion ; but by degrees they 
 settled down like fallen blossoms, some on the hearth, others 
 on the chimney-piece, and two perched on the sea-shell. The 
 little mouse moved an inch to run ; Puss clapped a paw on it. 
 Then the Fairies formed a ring around the animal by joining 
 hands, and danced to their own music. The mouse shivered 
 ' with terror ; but by degrees it grew brighter, and began to 
 dance also, hopping on one hind-leg, and nodding its head in 
 time to the sono;. That was a droll sio;ht ! 
 
 Job now saw that the Fairies on the hearth were very plump 
 and pretty. They wore little petticoats of red rose-leaves, while 
 their caps and aprons were made from the white rose's petals. 
 
 "I am Queen Puff, and we come from the Lowlands, " said 
 one, nodding to Job. " You must excuse us if we keep on 
 with our work while we pay our visit, because we are busy 
 housewives. Besides, this is Christmas-eve." 
 
 With that two of her maidens brought her spinning-wheel 
 to Queen Puff, and then all her court took their knitting. 
 Such a spinning-wheel as that was ! The frame was a rose- 
 thorn, the wheel made of horse -hair, and the distaff wrapped 
 in a tangle of cobweb, which the Queen spun off in fine silk 
 threads. 
 
38 The Cats kill Fairies. 
 
 " What is it for ?" asked Job. 
 
 " These threads make children's dreams," replied Puff. " Of 
 course there must be a great supply of dream-thread on Christ- 
 mas-eve for the children of America alone." 
 
 Another group was clustered on the handle of the tongs. 
 These were clad in pale satin. 
 
 " We are the Fairies of the Mountain Laurel," they said. 
 " You will find us in June on the overhanging banks, where 
 the ferns and mosses drape the rocks, and the rivulets flow 
 down hill. Then we live in our lovely pink houses ; but when 
 our flowers fade we hide beneath the leaves." 
 
 " I know you right well, and how glad I am to see you in 
 the spring," said Job. 
 
 On the window-sill, where Jack Frost had made the panes 
 like ground glass, a number of delicate forms rested, their robes 
 of snow-flakes, and their helmets of gleaming ice. 
 
 " We are the Winter Fairies, and dare not approach the fire," 
 they murmured. " We live in marble palaces made by our 
 king, and there are no jewels so splendid as the icicles with 
 which we hang our halls." 
 
 " We are the Summer Fairies," said a race that had sprung 
 from the burning log. They were so radiant that one could 
 not look at them long ; they changed in hue from emerald 
 green to red and purple, and the flame shone through them. 
 The Summer Fairies were as unlike Queen Puff's court as 
 possible, for their faces were brown, their hair dark like the 
 Indians'. 
 
 " Where is the Fairy of the Waterfall ?" inquired the cat. 
 " She was to bring Job's gift." 
 
The Fairy Pedler. 
 
 39 
 
 
 " Winter has made her a prisoner ; but she will beg leave to 
 come, if the king is in a good-humor. Sometimes he melts." 
 
 " These are friends I made in the woods last summer," said 
 the Angora, proudly. 
 
 Just then a queer little form dashed down the chimney, up- 
 set Queen Puff's spinning-wheel, and flew into the cat's face as 
 a beetle blunders into the candle-flame. 
 
 " Gracious ! I hope that I'm not late," said the new-comer. 
 
 " Where are your manners ?" cried Queen Puff, putting her 
 cap straight. 
 
 " Beg your pardon, ma'am. I was in a hurry to see Job." 
 
40 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 Then he winked at our hero, and began to laugh. This was 
 Fairy Nip from the Berkshire Hills across the river, and his 
 garments were made entirely of pumpkin -blossom cloth. He 
 carried on his back a pack — for he was a fairy pedler — which 
 he unstrapped and opened. 
 
 " Perhaps I may have something to please you, ladies. Here 
 is the latest thing in jackets — fly-wings trimmed with dandelion 
 down ; the effect is quite as good as real lace. My jewelry is' 
 cheap ; this set of spider's eggs, necklace, bracelet, and ear- 
 drops, I will sell for a mere song. Want any patent medi- 
 cines ? Try the Mountain -dew Tonic to make lazy people 
 work, or the Strawberry- seed Cordial for the appetite. As 
 to cosmetics, I can make the plainest fairy beautiful in five 
 seconds by using this Bee Powder." 
 
 The Fairies were very much excited ; they crowded around 
 the tiny pedler, who sold his wares like wildfire. Queen Puff 
 left her spinning-wheel, and the Winter Fairies ran great risk 
 of melting because they must peep at the pretty things. The 
 Summer Fairies showed the greatest fondness for finery, as 
 they were Indians. They bought mantles of scarlet poppy, 
 and strutted about to be admired ; while of the spider- egg 
 chains they could not get enough. 
 
 When Nip had emptied his pack, he cut a caper, winked 
 again at Job, and climbed on the mouses back, which was 
 a soft, velvet couch. The mouse looked like an elephant to 
 Nip. 
 
 The Sprite of the Mountain Laurel began to speak: 
 
 " There are fairies in the .New World just as much as in 
 the Old, and it is time we should be known. Surely nature 
 
The New World Fairy Homes. 41 
 
 has given us quite as beautiful homes as those of our sisters 
 across the seas ; we can hold revels in the heart of forests 
 where man seldom comes ; we may wrap ourselves in the 
 rainbow mist of the waterfall ; and if we wish to live in water 
 mansions, there are plenty of majestic rivers. What sprite 
 could desire a more beautiful home than our dear Hudson 
 yonder ? People are stupid, and will not see us." 
 
 " They are too busy, I guess," said Nip. " Many a time a 
 farmer has all but crushed me beneath his foot in my beauti- 
 ful yellow coat, or I have peeped out of a flower-cup under the 
 very nose of a man who was too busy thinking about money- 
 making to see either the flower or Nip. These are the sort 
 of people who tell the world that there are no fairies." 
 
 The Laurel Oueen said she had a storv to tell. 
 
42 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 THE OAK- TREE SPRITE. 
 
 " At the foot of these mountains an oak-tree once waved 
 its long branches, and towered above the grass bank which 
 sloped away to the brink of a little brook. The brook sang 
 sweet songs to itself all day long, as it rippled about large 
 rocks, then flowed smoothly among rushes and marsh flowers. 
 The birds trilled delicious music overhead ; but the oak-tree 
 had no ear for music, although it had lived beside the brook 
 for years, and might certainly have learned something from 
 association by this time. 
 
 " ' The summer breeze rustles among my leaves, and the 
 winter storms clash my branches together,' said the tree. ' Is 
 not that enough noise ?' 
 
 " ' That amounts to just nothing at all,' replied the brook, 
 the sunshine dimpling its surface with golden sparkles as it 
 hurried on to swell the broad Hudson, and roll still further 
 onward to the sea. 
 
 " At last something happened. A lamp burned all night in 
 the poor cottage ; the Doctor came with his medicine-box, and 
 the parents hovered anxiously about the cradle. When morn- 
 ing dawned the house had grown still, for in the early hours, 
 before the sun brought returning warmth and brightness to 
 the glad earth, a little soul had risen on snowy wings to the 
 gates of heaven — the child was dead. 
 
The Fairy Carpet- Bag. 
 
 " Then the father made a tiny grave beneath the oak-tree's 
 shade, and flowers soon bloomed, tended by loving, careful 
 hands. 
 
 " One morning a tall poppy shot up, the 
 petals unfolded, and from this little red 
 house out stepped a sprite dressed in the 
 oak-tree's livery of green. You might 
 easily have mistaken him for a grasshop- 
 per or a locust at a short distance. In 
 his hand he carried a carpet-bag, stitched 
 together neatly out of bits of oak-leaf, and 
 on his head he wore the small end of an 
 acorn, fashioned into a cap. Altogether 
 the sprite had a very brisk manner, and 
 as he came out of the poppy mansion he 
 gave it a kick, very ungratefully. 
 
 " ' I am just born, and I belong to you,' 
 he said, making a low bow to the oak-tree. 
 
 " The tree was delighted with the little 
 man. 
 
 '"Shelter yourself in my trunk from the cold, and dance 
 among my leaves,' it said, cordially. 
 
 " ' What am I to do for you in return ?' -^ked the sprite. 
 
 '"You will be my voice,' repl-' '■ T 1 Hrds shall 
 
 teach T 
 
 
 1 
 
44 The Caiskill Fairies. 
 
 " ' Because it is a fairy gift.' 
 
 " ' A fairy carpet-bag — eh ?' and the tree chuckled. 
 
 " The sprite was charmed with the fresh, beautiful world into 
 which he had been born. He roamed all over the great oak- 
 tree, which was a long distance for him to travel, and he was 
 never lonely, as he found no end of delightful society. There 
 were the ants and spiders to chat with about their own affairs, 
 and the stupid caterpillars to poke, for the sprite loved his 
 pranks as well as older children. 
 
 " The oak-tree had very sensible ideas about education ; 
 the sprite must not play all the while. 
 
 " Soon the news spread that the oak-tree wished to have its 
 sprite instructed, and all the creatures came flocking to dis- 
 cuss the matter, as the tree was a general favorite. 
 
 " ' I can teach the sprite to growl,' said the black bear. 
 
 " ' Thanks !' said the tree. ' He is such a tiny fellow it does 
 not seem necessary that he should do anything besides laugh/ 
 
 " ' I can teach him to burrow in the ground, or to steal 
 chickens,' said a little fox. 
 
 " ' I can teach him to swim,' croaked a frog. 
 
 " ' And I to dive below the surface,' added a water-rat. 
 
 " Now came the beautiful birds, fluttering in a bright cloud 
 to perch on the branches, ruffling their soft feathers, cocking 
 their prefrt-v ht*~J" 1 i*t n S they hopped jauntily from twig to 
 
 ■rl" with his '*' "^s. and 
 
The Birds give a Music -Lesson. 45 
 
 " ' Yes, certainly,' replied a robin. ' We must begin at once, 
 and give you some notes to practice while we are off hunting 
 our breakfast. Listen to me — tra-la-la !' 
 
 " The other birds set up a clamor before the sprite could re- 
 peat the notes which had swelled pure and sweet from the 
 robin's tiny throat. 
 
 " ' The robin is no singer,' piped a saucy wren. 
 
 " ' I will show you the way to use your chest notes,' said the 
 thrush. 
 
 " ' Bob-o-link ! bob-o-link !' 
 
 " ' Peet-tweet !' 
 
 " ' Chip, chip, chee !' 
 
 " ' The loudest voice is the best,' screamed a handsome crow. 
 ' Caw ! caw !' 
 
 " The oak-tree plainly saw that the sprite would be unable 
 to make anything out of all this noise, so it shook its trunk so 
 violently that the birds had to take wing, or tumble to the 
 ground. 
 
 " ' One at a time, if you please,' said the tree, politely. ' The 
 sprite is so young that he is easily confused.' 
 
 " Then each bird hopped out and sang a song. 
 
 " ' All the songs are so sweet that I like one as well as the 
 other,' said the wise and prudent sprite. 
 
 "The birds were offended — e^b " hed to 
 prefe*"" ' "."* .*»f f1 *" " 
 
 de 
 
 P 
 
46 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 been a storm, and the brook, swollen by mountain torrents, 
 rushed along noisily, instead of rippling calmly, and the break 
 of the waters seemed to the sprite the finest melody he had 
 ever heard. Day by day he listened as the flood gradually 
 subsided, and quietly sang to himself as the brook sang. 
 
 " This delighted the oak-tree beyond measure. 
 
 " ' Now we have music in ourselves,' said the tree, joyously. 
 ' We shall always be happy.' 
 
 " The tree spoke too soon. Ever since its roots had struck 
 into the soil it had stood there on the bank, and it naturally 
 supposed that matters would never be changed. 
 
 " Dull blows were heard, and many stately trees toppled over 
 to the ground. 
 
 " ' What is it ?' said the sprite, pausing in his play. 
 
 "'The wood- cutters,' said the oak-tree, trembling with fear. 
 ' You will have no home, little sprite, if they fell me.' 
 
 " The sprite ran quickly, and hung his magic carpet - bag 
 around his neck. Soon a party of wood -cutters approached, 
 with their sharp axes over their shoulders, and they paused 
 before our oak-tree because it was the finest they had seen. 
 They girdled the brave trunk, and then began their work, 
 each stroke of the cruel steel curbing deeper into the heart 
 of the wood, as w r ell as the heart of the sprite, who wept as he 
 "• ' r^ branch from which he must soon be torn. A 
 
 slow rocking from sidp ' side, and 
 
 n 
 
 iere 
 
The Sprite Clings to the Oak. 
 
 47 
 
 was nothing left but a pile of wood. When they moved these 
 logs, the sprite took his carpet-bag in his hand and trudged 
 after. He decided never to leave his dear tree while a stick of 
 it remained. One of the wood-cutters saw the little man. who 
 was visible when he took his bag in his hand like a traveller. 
 
 " ' Halloo ! is that a grasshopper ?' cried the man. 
 
 " Instantly the sprite jumped into the grass, and hung the 
 bag around his neck again. From the lumber-yard to the 
 mill, where sharp saws smoothed and polished the logs, did 
 the sprite follow the tree, and at last they reached the shore, 
 where the firm, stout oak was to build a ship. The sprite saw 
 a great deal of the world in those busy places, and learned 
 more than the brook or the birds could ever have taught 
 him. 
 
48 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 " ' I was only a baby then,' he thought. ' Now I must be 
 grown up.' 
 
 " He roamed everywhere while the ship was building, with 
 the magic bag to protect him. He crept into the old fruit- 
 vender's pocket and spilled her snuff ; he peeped into the tin 
 pails which the children brought for their fathers at noon ; and 
 he clambered about the workmen whose hammers kept time 
 on the ship's sides — rat-a-tat-tat 
 
 At last the vessel was finished, and the people gathered to 
 see her launched. The sprite was on board before any one 
 else, however, and perched on the bow when the ship slid 
 gracefully down into the water. There was nothing for the 
 sprite but to become a sailor, now that the dear oak-tree was 
 prepared to follow the sea. He enjoyed himself beyond meas- 
 ure, and he was soon at home in every nook except the medi- 
 
 cine-chest. Down in the hold he met the rats, and they were 
 sharp fellows enough. 
 
 " ' Ha, ha !' laughed the rats. ' We like new ships, too, so 
 we just skipped on board when all was ready.' 
 
Life on board Ship. 49 
 
 " Some of the rats had already made voyages, and these 
 called themselves 'Jolly Tars,' and other funny names. They 
 told the sprite what to do in case of shipwreck ; nor did their 
 good services end in mere empty advice, for they brought him 
 any dainty in the ship's stores which their sharp noses could 
 be poked into, and thus he fared very well. 
 
 " When tired of the rat company he went to the captain's 
 cabin, where a lamp swung all night, and the table had its legs 
 chained to the floor, to keep it from running away in rough 
 weather. Here he found a respectable old cat, that told him 
 there were no rats on board, as it was a new ship, therefore 
 she need do nothing but doze on a rug all day. The sprite 
 laughed in his sleeve, for the cat was so old that her whiskers 
 were gray, and she disliked springing about after the nimble rats. 
 
 " The captain was a kind-hearted man, and never inflicted 
 suffering on his crew. The mate was harsh and stern, using 
 the rope's-end or his heavy boot, whenever the captain was 
 out of sight, to vent his ill-humor. The sprite tormented the 
 wicked mate, and the rats helped him. The sprite stuck pins 
 into him, pulled his hair, tweaked his nose, tripped him up on 
 the deck, and tied him in the chair with fine threads, until the 
 mate feared that he was bewitched. 
 
 " The little cabin-boy was homesick. He had run away, 
 without the consent of his parents, because he fancied that he- 
 should like the sea. Now he discovered how sadly mistaken 
 he had been. He must work hard and receive many blows 
 from the surly mate. 
 
 " Our sprite pitied the cabin-boy, and when he slept at night 
 in the close forecastle, the elf took off the top of the little lad's 
 
 D 
 
50 * The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 head, as you would raise the lid of a tea-pot, and wove dream- 
 pictures in the sleeper's brain. Then the sprite, after stocking 
 thought with bright -colored ideas enough to last through the 
 next day, just closed the lid of the boy's head, and marched 
 off about other business. By this means the cabin-boy grew 
 happy, and whistled as he worked. 
 
 " The ship sailed on, miles and miles, into warm latitudes, 
 where the soft breeze grew fragrant with the breath of flowers, 
 and the sea gleamed rosy and green at night like sparkling 
 showers of diamonds. Land could be seen in the distance, 
 looming like a faint cloud on the horizon. 
 
 " ' What a beautiful world !' said the sprite, climbing the 
 rigging to admire the clear sky and tranquil water. ' That 
 is the shore over yonder, and soon we shall see strange roofs 
 and towers, the narrow streets built to shade the people from 
 a hot sun. The rats told me, and they know.' 
 
 " The sprite was not as near the curious towns as he thought, 
 for soon he noticed a cloud rising rapidly, and spreading dark 
 masses over the whole heavens. The sprite scampered down 
 from the rigging as the tempest came rushing along, heaping 
 up the waves into mountains, and washing over the deck. The 
 surly mate was hurled from the bulwark far out into the heav- 
 ing waters, and no one heard his death-cry, w r hile the ship 
 plunged and swayed helplessly from side to side. 
 
 " The sprite was terrified ; he cowered down in the hold, 
 and the rats nestled close to him, for they had lost their fine 
 spirits, too. Suddenly a grinding crash announced that the 
 vessel had struck on a reef, and was at the mercy of the 
 breakers. 
 
Tossed up by the Sea. 5 1 
 
 " ' Every one for himself,' cried the sprite, catching a splinter 
 of wood for a float, and throwing himself overboard. This 
 was what the rats advised in case of wreck, but not one of 
 them succeeded in reaching shore. The waves bore our hero 
 along safely — he was as light as a feather on his oak float ; 
 and finally he was tossed up on the shore more dead than 
 alive, as a shipwrecked mariner always is, whether sprite or 
 mortal. 
 
 " When the sun rose next morning the brave ship was gone, 
 and all the crew had perished. A little sprite and a bit of 
 wood alone remained. 
 
 " ' Ah, if we were only rooted in our home beside the brook,' 
 sighed the bit of wood. 
 
 " ' Are you my tree ?' cried the sprite. 
 
 " ' Yes ; I have brought you to land, and now you must give 
 me a decent burial on this foreign shore,' said the last splinter 
 of the once grand tree. 
 
 " So the sprite found a spot high above the waves, and com- 
 menced to dig a grave with his tiny hands ; but he got along- 
 very slowly. 
 
 " ' I have no patience with such clumsiness !' said a Mother 
 Carey's chicken that happened to be strolling past. Then the 
 bird would have helped to make the grave by scraping the 
 sand with its claws. 
 
 " ' No, no !' cried the sprite. ' I must bury my own tree 
 alone.' 
 
 " The bit of wood was dragged to the hole, and a pebble 
 placed as a head-stone to mark the spot. 
 
 " ' The oak-tree is dead,' sobbed the sprite over the grave. 
 
52 
 
 The Cats kill Fairies. 
 
 ffl&ti' 
 
 " ' That can't be helped,' said Mother Carey's chicken, peck- 
 ing at the carpet-bag, which the sprite had laid out to dry. 
 The sprite put it around his neck, and disappeared before the 
 bird's round eyes ; then appeared again, laughing ; until Mother 
 Carey's chicken did not know what to make of it all. They 
 got along well together, however, as the sprite had a cosy way 
 which won friends. 
 
 " ' What part of the world is this ?' he inquired: 
 
 " ' World ? If you ask such hard questions I must take you 
 to the mussels. They know all sorts of things, which are 
 brought them by the tide. I have no time for such nonsense, 
 as I have my living to get.' 
 
 " They went to the mussels on a steep cliff jutting out into 
 the sea, where the waves were running so high that when the 
 mussels opened their mouths to answer the sprite they only 
 seemed to gurgle instead of speak. 
 
 " ' What do they say ?' asked the sprite. 
 
 " ' They say that you are a great way from your home,' re- 
 plied the bird, as he could understand the mussel language 
 much better than the sprite could. 
 
Mischievous Nip. 53 
 
 " The friendly chicken brought the sprite all sorts of things 
 to eat, such as made his own supper, but the delicate stranger 
 could not touch the food. 
 
 " ' I will call on you in the morning again.' With that the 
 bird flew away. 
 
 " The last prank the sprite ever played was to try on the 
 magic carpet-bag before the amazed Petrel. When the bird 
 returned at sunrise, an oak -leaf lay on the grave of the tree, 
 and the sprite had faded from life." 
 
 When the Laurel Queen ceased speaking, some of her fairy 
 audience clapped their hands politely. 
 
 " Poor little sprite," said Job. 
 
 " I knew the oak-tree well," said a Winter Fairy. " How 
 many times we hung its branches with icicles. It was years 
 ago, to be sure — but fairies never grow old ; the children who 
 believe in us become men and women, and forget us. We are 
 always the same." 
 
 " Will somebody please make Nip behave ?" asked the clock, 
 in an injured tone. " I know that he is trying to make mis- 
 chief with my works by the way he spies through the keyhole 
 of my case. If he pokes me I shall run down, or come to a 
 dead -lock in my machinery, and that has never yet happened 
 to me." 
 
 Nip, who had been capering around the kitchen while the 
 Laurel Queen told her story, now assumed the most innocent 
 look. 
 
 " Dear me, how touchy you are, Clock ! I was only trying 
 to see how you were made. Perhaps I shall invent a time- 
 
54 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 piece myself one of these fine days. It's not uncommon where 
 I come from," he said. 
 
 " If you don't go away I shall strike, and that will put me 
 out of order. Be off with you !" said the clock. 
 
 " Come here, Nip," coaxed Job, holding out his hand. So 
 Nip flew up and sat in the palm of Job's hand, crossing his 
 legs like a Turk. If Job closed his fingers gently over the 
 saucy elf, he seemed to hold a velvet insect. 
 
 The little mouse still crouched in the corner, not daring 
 to say its body was its own while the Angora cat's eye was 
 fixed on it. 
 
 " It is my turn to tell a story," said one of the Summer 
 Fairies, walking up and down the hearth, wrapped in the red 
 poppy cloak. 
 
The Eljin Banquet. 57 
 
 RAPP, THE GNOME KING. 
 
 " Many years ago, before the white race came to live on the 
 banks of oar Hudson, a certain Elf King decided to give a tea- 
 party on one of these very mountains, and to invite a great 
 prince. He chose a peak over yonder. Do you see the high 
 hill on the right now covered with snow ? Well, there the Elf 
 gave his banquet. 
 
 " Now the guest was no less a person than Rapp, King of 
 the Gnomes ; and if you never heard of him before, it is quite 
 time he was made known to you. In the first place, he was a 
 dwarf, with green eyes, a red nose, yellow hair of spun gold, 
 and a face of copper. His kingdom was in the depths of the 
 earth ; sometimes he lived in the Rocky Mountains, and again 
 in the Andes. He did not mind stepping from one continent 
 to the other in the least. The volcanic fires such as burst 
 forth from the summits of Vesuvius and Etna were fed by his 
 subjects, and his domain extended over the rocks which arc 
 richly veined with gold and silver. 
 
 " When Rapp felt ill-humored he liked to bury himself in 
 some remote cavern, and the earth then rumbled with his 
 anger ; but he also enjoyed appearing in the upper world oc- 
 casionally, to see what every one was about. He graciously 
 accepted the Elf's invitation to tea. The clever Elf people had 
 been very busy with the mountain-peak to make it elegant for 
 
58 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 that day. They smoothed the rough, sharply pointed rocks 
 into slender pillars draped in vines ; a fountain gushed in spark- 
 ling jets of spray, and a carpet of velvet moss sloped from the 
 brink of the fountain, fit for the dainty feet about to trip over 
 it. A grotto of pure crystal reflected the light in a thousand 
 glittering pendants, so that it resembled transparent ice. In 
 this grotto was spread a feast of delicious fruits — golden or- 
 anges, ruddy apples and pears in silver vases, crimson peach- 
 es, and pyramids of amber honey. 
 
 " ' I hope everything is in order,' said the Elf King. He was 
 very small, but he wore a red smoking -cap on his head, and 
 slippers on his feet, crochetted by the Queen out of milkweed 
 flax. He wished to appear at his ease before the great Rapp, 
 yet he was terribly flustered for fear of a blunder being made 
 in the entertainment. The Queen was pretty and delicate ; her 
 apron had for pockets two wings of the lady-bug. 
 
 " ' Let us dance,' cried the young elves. 
 
 " ' Not yet,' piped the King. ' Rapp will be here very soon, 
 and you must be ready to make your best bow or courtesy.' 
 
 " The little Elf ladies spread their gauzy skirts, and bowed 
 low as Rapp and his Gnomes appeared. Rapp, being in a very 
 good-humor, winked at them, and one cannot expect more no- 
 tice than that from a prince. 
 
 " It was droll to see the Elf King and Queen seated opposite 
 to. him at table, he was so much larger than they were. The 
 Elf waiters were obliged to climb silk ladders, which they did 
 as nimbly as spiders. 
 
 Rapp was full of his jokes ; he told stories at which the 
 merry elves laughed, like the tinkle of bells, and then he rolled 
 
hi the Charmed Circle. 59 
 
 a peach across the board, which knocked the Elf King off his 
 seat. 
 
 " A child's voice was heard to join in the mirth this oc- 
 casioned. Yes, it was a human voice, just beyond the bushes. 
 The elves looked at each o flier in dismay ; Rapp became ter- 
 ribly enraged : his copper face glowed with wrath, his gold 
 hair bristled on end like gilded spikes, and his green eyes 
 flashed fire. 
 
 " ' What mortal is here ?' he cried. 
 
 " Then a little girl crept out of the ferns, and stood trem- 
 bling before him. She had entered a charmed circle without 
 knowing it, and had since watched the elves. She was not 
 like the little girls one sees here now. Her skin was bronze 
 in color, her hair hung down her back straight and black, her 
 feet were shod in moccasins. You only find children like her 
 in the far West — she was an Indian. 
 
 " ' Why do you disturb our feast, child of man ?' asked 
 Rapp, very fiercely. ' I have only to strike the earth, and my 
 servants will carry you away to my palace underground for a 
 hundred years.' 
 
 " The child began to cry at this threat, and the elves caught 
 her tears to sprinkle them over the Gnome King's hands, and 
 thus try to soften his heart, which was in reality made of iron. 
 
 " ' This is my kingdom,' said the Elf King, with dignity. 
 ' You are my guest, King Rapp. The little girl shall not be 
 hurt' 
 
 " ' Tell us your story,' said the Queen, kindly. 
 
 " ' A story ! a story !' cried the elves, clustering about the 
 stranger, while Rapp leaned back in his seat, and shut one eye. 
 
60 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " Then the Indian girl told them all about her life. She 
 lived with her tribe down in the valley. Her father had been 
 killed in the chase, and her mother also was dead, so she stayed 
 in the wigwam with her grandmother on the ed^e of the wood. 
 The chief did not like the hunter's children ; he took away the 
 boys to train them for warriors, and he frowned at the girl, so 
 that the old grandmother hid her when the chief stalked past, 
 his feathers and war-paint giving him a savage appearance. 
 Perhaps he did not like the children because their father had 
 been called Big Chief. The old grandmother gathered herbs 
 and simples ; she was called to the sick as often as the medi- 
 cine-men. 
 
 " The brothers rode off to earn their first scalp, as they 
 could not be considered heroes until they had killed an enemy ; 
 and one day the girl sat weaving her mat in the door of the 
 wigwam, for the Indian women are very industrious. The old 
 grandmother came quickly. 
 
 " ' Run to the forest,' she whispered. ' The chief is in a 
 bad humor, and, now your brothers are gone, he sends for 
 you.' 
 
 " The girl was in a great fright, the chief was so cruel, and 
 she ran to the forest without once glancing back. Soon she 
 was lost in the cool, green twilight made by the lofty trees ; 
 here and there the sunshine shot golden arrows down on her 
 path, revealing mossy nooks where she discovered berries, ripe 
 and dewy, among tangled vines. The flutter of a bird rising 
 from its nest or the crackling of a branch made her heart 
 jump, so much did she dread seeing one of her own people. 
 If one had met her he must carry her back to the chief, or 
 
The Magic Pool. 
 
 61 
 
 ^tii 
 
 "mmmim 
 
 perhaps suffer death himself. She climbed the mountain to 
 get farther away, her only thought being flight. At last she 
 reached a pool of clear water, high on the mountain-side, where 
 his highness Rapp was taking tea, and she stooped to bathe 
 her face. No sooner had the crystal drops sprinkled her fore- 
 head than she sank down on a bed of grass fast asleep. Then 
 the ferns spread their delicate sprays over her, and screened 
 her from sight. She never knew how long her nap might have 
 been had not Rapp's gruff voice aroused her to peep through 
 the foliage at the tea-party in the grotto. 
 
 " The little people were interested in the girl's misfortunes. 
 Rapp pretended not to notice, and caught flies, but he really 
 meant to assist her. 
 
 " ' Go down to my winter palace,' he said to a favorite 
 
62 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 Gnome servant, 'and in my dressing-room you will find a 
 winged jacket. Bring it to me.' 
 
 " The Gnome servant bowed low, and dived into the earth 
 as a bather dips in the ocean wave. Presently he returned 
 with the winged jacket, which the girl put on. 
 
 " ' Now listen to me,' said King Rapp. ' You can fly like a 
 bird in that jacket. If you wish to come into my presence at 
 any time, you have only to clap the wings thrice, like Chanti- 
 cleer before crowing, and you will be met by a Gnome, who 
 will conduct you to my kingdom. You must go to my cham- 
 ber, and knock on the steel shield at the head of my bed. 
 Wherever I may be I will answer the summons.' 
 
 " The Indian girl thanked the terrible Rapp, and dried her 
 tears. Then the tiny Elf Queen gave her her apron, which 
 grew larger and seemed made of the finest silk. 
 
 " ' Whatever article you desire can be had, if you wish with 
 your hand in your pocket,' she said. 
 
 " Now the Elf King did not choose to be considered behind 
 the others in kindness, so he took off his slippers, and placed 
 them on the child's feet, which they fitted perfectly. 
 
 " ' The Queen can make me another pair,' he said, capering 
 about barefooted. ' You can run miles in those shoes without 
 feeling weary, and the best of it is that they will carry you 
 over the water dryshod.' 
 
 " The Indian bid them all farewell, and stepped outside the 
 enchanted circle. Instantly the grotto, the murmuring fount- 
 ain, the flower-carpet vanished. 
 
 " The sun had set, and dark shadows spread along the forest 
 paths as the girl hastened home. She would creep into the 
 
A Strange Apparition. 63 
 
 grandmother's wigwam in the darkness, and tell her of the 
 fairy gifts she had received. The cruel chief need not be 
 feared when she was the owner of a winged jacket and the elf 
 slippers. If the grandmother thought best, she would go away in 
 the morning, and find another tribe that would treat her kindly. 
 " When she reached the valley where the Indian settlement 
 was situated it was already night, and so dark that she could 
 not find her wigwam, while she feared to arouse the sleeping 
 natives. Down on the river- bank she saw little lights, bright 
 stars that twinkled, some moving on the water, and others re- 
 maining still on the land. This sight puzzled her, and she 
 dreaded to approach near enough to learn what they actually 
 were. While she was wondering, a great boat passed down 
 the river, sparkling all over with colored flame which did not 
 burn, and it panted as it moved like some monster breathing 
 
64 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 heavily. It was as large as one hundred canoes put together. 
 The girl held her head in both hands, and crouched down on 
 the ground. 
 
 " More wonderful still ! On the other side of the river an- 
 other terrible creature moved quickly along, with a grinding, 
 jarring sound. This one was like a serpent, with links to its 
 body, and it glided over a shining track. The water - demon 
 only puffed as it moved, this other one uttered a shriek that 
 startled all the echoes. The Indian girl hid her face on the 
 bank. She had seen a steamboat and a train of cars. 
 
 " These strange sights decided her not to go beyond the 
 edge of the woods until daylight. So she wished for a tent 
 in which to pass the night by putting her hand into the apron 
 pocket. A tent immediately sprang up in the ravine, and 
 when she had entered it she began to feel hungry. 
 
 " ' I should like a pot of hominy.' 
 
 " Lo ! a caldron stood before her smoking with the most 
 delicious hominy, and tasting as if the grandmother had just 
 taken it from the camp-fire. Then she lay down on the 
 ground and slept soundly, until the first beams of the rising 
 sun awakened her. 
 
 " The village people were much surprised to see an Indian 
 girl approach, wearing a curious jacket with little wings on the 
 shoulders, and glittering slippers on her feet. She was equally 
 astonished by their white faces and houses. Where was the 
 lodge of the cruel chief ? Where were the patches of maize 
 tended by the women ? Where was the grandmother ? 
 
 " ' Have my people gone away ? Who has conquered them ?' 
 
 " But the villagers did not know what she said, and the rude 
 
The Toad Family. 65 
 
 boys formed a ring around her, shouting, ' You arc a witch- 
 child ! Let's catch her.' 
 
 " She sprang high in the air with one bound, spread her 
 wings, and flew away before their eyes. 
 
 " The people were greatly excited ; they ran about gazing 
 up at the little bird-like form in the sky much as we now 
 look at a balloon ; then they ran to the ravine where the beau- 
 tiful white tent still stood. While they observed it the tent 
 vanished. 
 
 " l She is an Indian witch,' cried the boys. 
 
 " ' It is all Rapp and his Gnomes," said an old woman. 
 
 " The boys flung burning brands on the spot where the tent 
 had stood, and the witch-child watched the flames kindle as she 
 hovered far above. There was nothing to be done further with 
 the old home ; she must search for her own people, and follow 
 them wherever they had gone. She swept along through the 
 air with a delightfully easy motion, and did not mind traversing 
 miles any more than steps on the ground. 
 
 " At a great distance from these mountains a toad family 
 lived at the root of an elm-tree. They were yellow and brown 
 and ugly, but according to their own ideas the young lady- 
 toads were quite beautiful. They came forth in the evening 
 to take the air. 
 
 " ' Bless my spectacles !' cried the toad mother. ' Here is a 
 witch-child in a winged jacket. Be very pleasant in your man- 
 ners, children. We shall see if my Lord Rapp is always to 
 have his own way !' 
 
 " Then she hopped to the strangers feet, she having alighted 
 for the night, and said blandly : 
 
 E 
 
66 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 '•' ' You must be very tired, my dear. Have you come far ?' 
 
 " ' Yes. Can you tell me where to find my people ?' 
 
 " ' The snail may know. Stay with us to - night and rest. 
 We are only toads, but we have a guest-chamber.' 
 
 " The toad family were so kind that the Indian told 
 them her story; she so much desired to find her own tribe 
 again. 
 
 " The toads blinked and nodded their heads. The toad 
 mother, after going to the snail which lay in the path, and 
 tapping on its closed door, presently returned. 
 
 " ' The snail is a hermit ; it does not go out into society, but 
 likes to stay shut up in its own house. However, it will ask 
 the night moths, and tell you in the morning. Now go to bed, 
 darling,' she said. 
 
 " The toad guest-chamber was cool and pleasant, for it was 
 the grass around the tree. They took off the visitors slippers 
 and apron for her, and tried to coax her out of her jacket as 
 well, but this the witch- child kept on her back. She was no 
 sooner asleep than the toad mother waddled out to whisper to 
 the little garden-snake : 
 
 " ' Run to Mulkgraub as fast as you can, and tell him to 
 meet me at the toadstool turnpike to-morrow.' 
 
 " ' I never run — I glide,' said the snake. 
 
 " ' Fiddle-de-dee, and don't be silly. Hurry !' said the toad. 
 
 " When the witch-child awoke her lovely slippers and apron 
 were gone, and the toads had also vanished. 
 
 " Searching everywhere she came to the marsh. 
 
 " ' What is the matter ?' croaked a frog, dressed in green. 
 
 " ' The toads have stolen my magic shoes,' she replied. 
 
A very A/can Trick. 67 
 
 " 4 That is like a toad. You would not catch a frog at such 
 mean tricks. Besides, Mulkgraub pays them.' 
 
 " ' Who is Mulkgraub ?' inquired the Indian. 
 
 "'An enemy of King Rapp,' said the frog. 
 
 " ' Where can I find my people ?' said the child. 
 
 " ' Ask the eagle, if you are not afraid,' returned the frog. 
 
 " ' An Indian is never afraid of bird or beast ; it's only those 
 pale faces that change everything,' she said, proudly. 
 
 " Then she sought the eagle. 
 
 " ' Go toward the setting sun — always westward,' said the 
 eagle. ' Mind that Mulkgraub does not catch you.' 
 
 " ' Where does he live ?' inquired our witch-child. 
 
 " ' He lives in the water, and he cannot go very far on land. 
 He loves to pour floods over the earth and into Rapp's mines. 
 They are enemies, because Rapp can quench Mulkgraub with 
 fire, so that he becomes a vapor-steam.' 
 
 " The witch-child thanked the great eagle and flew on. 
 
 " In the meanwhile the ugly old toad mother met Mulk- 
 graub at the toadstool turnpike, and gave him the slippers 
 and apron. 
 
 " One would not have believed him so wicked, for he was 
 fair and handsome, with a crown of rushes on his head, and 
 drops of water flowed from his mantle. 
 
 " ' Perhaps I may drown out Rapp yet, if the rain only helps 
 me,' he said, and swallowed the slippers and apron as if they 
 had been pills. 
 
 " He promised to give a wedding outfit to the toad daughter 
 that married first, and the mother hopped home well satisfied, 
 like the mean old toad she was. 
 
68 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " The second evening the witch-child found a beautiful lady 
 sitting on the border of a lake. She was robed in leaves, and 
 her long hair was also green ; but she was altogether lovely, 
 even if her look was sad. She seemed very glad to see the 
 witch-child, and made her sit down beside her, while she held 
 her hand. 
 
 " ' I am chained beneath the waters, and can only rise to the 
 surface of the lake,' she said. ' I lived on the mainland very 
 happily until Mulkgraub carried me off in a great storm.' 
 
 " ' Let me see your home,' urged the witch-child, curiously. 
 
 " ' Mulkgraub might come and find you,' hesitated the lady. 
 
 " ' I am not afraid while I wear my jacket.' 
 
 " ' Then you must be prepared to live in the water, or the 
 first breath you draw will strangle you.' So saying the lady 
 
The Island Lady's Prison. 69 
 
 drew from her girdle a golden clam-shell closed in the form of 
 a bottle, which contained a perfumed liquid. With this she 
 bathed her companion's face, and they dived together into the 
 lake, where the Indian found that she could breathe as easily 
 as in upper air. 
 
 " Nothing could exceed the beauty of the prison where the 
 lady lived ; certainly Mulkgraub had given her a handsome resi- 
 dence, if he was harsh in other respects. It was a large glass 
 box, with a bell-shaped roof ; a broad hall extended from one 
 entrance to the other, but there was not a dark corner in the 
 place where one could hide from the King's searching eye. 
 
 " ' He is coming,' cried the lady, hiding the witch-child in the 
 folds of her robe. Then, as Mulkgraub entered one door, she 
 darted out of the other, and rising to the lake surface as far 
 as her chain would allow, placed the Indian on shore safely. 
 Once out of harm's way the witch-child began to think of re- 
 leasing the lady from prison. She must ask King Rapp about 
 the matter. Accordingly she clapped her wings thrice, and a 
 Gnome stood at her elbow. 
 
 " ' Is King Rapp well ?' she asked, politely. 
 
 " ' Of course,' said the Gnome, gruffly. ' He is made of 
 metal.' 
 
 " Then he stamped on the ground, and away they went down 
 dark passages, through caves, past silent pools where the sun 
 never shone — down, down, until it seemed as if they must 
 come out the other side of the world. Here she peeped into 
 vast treasure-houses of rich ore ; there she paused before walls 
 of mineral salt ; and finally they reached the Gnome palace, 
 where the atmosphere was hot enough to bake one. 
 
jo The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " A spacious garden surrounded the palace, with winding 
 paths, arbors, and fountains, and gorgeous birds flitted from 
 tree to tree. All was fresh and sparkling, but even the trees 
 and the fruit on the branches were carved from metals or 
 jewels. The walls of the palace were jasper and malachite, 
 while the floors were solid gold, polished like glass. 
 
 " On they went, through the gates and into the palace, com- 
 ing to the Gnome King's chamber, which had a ceiling of dia- 
 mond stars, and a bed of silver, fringed and embroidered with 
 pearls. At the head of the bed hung the large shield, and the 
 witch-child tapped on it. Rapp appeared immediately, his eyes 
 greener, his carbuncle nose redder, and his face more like a 
 burnished copper kettle than ever. 
 
 " ' I want to help the lady chained in the lake.' 
 
 " ' She is an island,' said Rapp. ' When the lake overflowed 
 it made her an island by separation from the mainland.' 
 
 " ' Mulkgraub is very wicked to keep her a prisoner against 
 ner will,' said the witch -child. ' Please assist me to set her 
 free from his bondage.' 
 
 " ' As to that, we are sworn enemies ; my weapon is volcanic 
 fire, and his floods of water. Mulkgraub would make you a 
 slave, if he could, because I helped you ; still, you must remem- 
 ber that he does a great deal of good in the world, as well as 
 some harm.' 
 
 " ' What good can he do ?' inquired the witch-child. 
 
 " ' He works hard for man, carrying vessels, pushing rafts, 
 and turning mill-wheels. If it were not for my precious metals, 
 he would be of more service than I am. As for this lady isl- 
 and, we must see.' 
 
The Magic Herb. jt, 
 
 " Rapp stroked his beard in profound reflection a moment, 
 then struck the steel shield seven times. A peal of thunder 
 seemed to roll over the palace, and a Giant appeared, whose ar- 
 mor resembled dragon scales, with a helmet of brass on his head. 
 
 " ' I obey your call, King Rapp,' he said, in a deep voice. 
 
 " ' What can restore the island lady to her home ?' asked 
 Rapp. 
 
 " ' If she can pour some magic drops into his evening cup 
 of coffee that will make Mulkgraub sleep, I will bring my 
 brother, Fire, to dry the water between her and the mainland, 
 her former home,' said the Giant. 
 
 " ' How can the drink be obtained ?' demanded Rapp. 
 
 " ' Send a Gnome to the meadow beyond the brook for the 
 herb which has a scarlet flower and blue leaves. Put this into 
 a bottle, which the witch-child will give the prisoner. When 
 Mulkgraub sleeps, the Indian must spring twice over the top of 
 the pine-tree, calling Fire, softly. I will answer.' With this 
 advice the Giant thundered away again. 
 
 " Rapp sent for the herb with a scarlet flower and blue 
 leaves, the liquid was distilled into a bottle, and the witch- 
 child once more stood on the ground in the daylight. There 
 was the sad island lady dragging her chain, and wishing her- 
 self home on the mainland. She was given the bottle, and 
 quickly told what to do when Mulkgraub came to her glass 
 box for his evening coffee. 
 
 " The witch-child hid on the shore, and watched for the sig- 
 nal which was to assure her that Mulkgraub slept. At last the 
 lady rose to the surface and waved her hand. Up sprang the 
 witch-child over the top of the pine-tree, touching the ground 
 
74 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 on the other side, and rebounding again* like an India-rubber 
 ball. ' Fire ! fire !' she called very softly, under her breath. 
 Lo ! the earth opened and two giant heads emerged ; but if 
 Wind, already seen by the girl, was terrible, Fire was more 
 so, for a ruddy glow came from his body, and the grass with- 
 ered before him. The Giant stood on the bank, and hurled a 
 burning torch into the lake, between the shore and the place 
 where the island was chained, and the torch devoured the 
 water, which rose in a cloud of steam, so that the lady stepped 
 dry-shod back to the mainland. 
 
 " Then there was great rejoicing over her return among the 
 rocks and trees, and the witch-child received much praise for 
 her conduct. 
 
 " ' There is a storm coming,' shouted Wind. ' I go to share 
 the sport — uprooting trees and whisking off steeples and chim- 
 neys.' 
 
 " ' As for me, work is never done in the earth,' said Fire. 
 
 " Mulkgraub awoke after the mischief was accomplished ; 
 the glass box exploded like a soap bubble. 
 
 " This is your turn, Rapp,' he said. ' Wait until the spring- 
 freshets help me to repay you !' 
 
 " Always seeking her tribe and never finding them, the witch- 
 child flew on toward the West. Far below she saw lakes, riv- 
 ers, and cities ; then the wide expanse of prairie became visible, 
 like a sea of waving grain. 
 
 " ' This must be the end of the earth,' she thought, and 
 paused. 
 
 " It was evening, and the little prairie dogs were sitting on 
 top of their mounds to see what was going on, for they were 
 
Ahuays Wcshuard. 75 
 
 very curious. When the Indian girl paused to observe them, 
 they gave a shrill bark, and dived out of sight in their burrows. 
 
 " ' Can you tell me where to find my people ?' 
 
 " At that all the prairie dogs put out their little noses, and 
 one answered — 
 
 " ' The red man has gone beyond ; you will find him farther 
 on.' 
 
 " ' Always farther on,' sighed the Indian, wearily. 
 
 " ' Perhaps you will tell me something I should very much 
 like to know,' said the prairie dog, again perching on his 
 mound. ' If you made a burrow for yourself and family, would 
 you enjoy having a white owl and a rattlesnake come to live 
 with you whether invited or not ?' 
 
 " ' I should not,' replied the witch-child. 
 
 " ' Look here, then,' and the prairie dog showed her the hole 
 in the ground where it dwelt, and where the owl and the snake 
 would lodge too. 
 
 " ' There is room for us all,' said the owl, in a comfortable 
 way, as if the prairie dogs words did not hurt much. 
 
 " The witch-child walked forward. The sky seemed to meet 
 the horizon in a flat line before her ; shadows rippled over the 
 ripening acres of corn. She very well knew that her race 
 never planted these fields ; a patch to last one summer satisfied 
 them, and the next year they might select another spot to till. 
 Not a human beinQ- was visible ; all the scene was very calm 
 and still. 
 
 " At length she reached a stream bordered with cottonwood- 
 trees, and paused to drink. Hither filed a herd of buffalo to 
 slake their thirst. 
 
7 6 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " ' We know your people well,' they said. ' They hunt and 
 slay us in great numbers. We may be quietly browsing with- 
 out thought of danger, when the Indians rush down on us like 
 the wind, and hurl arrows at us before we know well what we 
 are about.' 
 
 " ' Where shall I find them ?' the girl asked, eagerly. 
 
 " ' Farther to the west.' 
 
 " The buffaloes thrust their muzzles in the cooling waters, 
 and the witch-child also held her brown hands in the stream. 
 
 " ' Mulkgraub, I begin to love you,' she whispered. ' Here 
 you are no longer terrible and mischievous, but give life and 
 refreshment to all creatures.' Then she saw Mulkgraub's fair 
 face laughing up at her from the clear depths, and the next 
 moment her Elf slippers were tossed on the bank. These she 
 put on and ran so swiftly that she seemed a sunbeam chased 
 along the grass by the god of day. 
 
 " An emigrant train passed, the white wagons loaded with 
 household furniture ; the mothers and infants riding while the 
 fathers and sons walked before, on the watch for enemies. The 
 route was lon^ and full of danger. 
 
 " The witch - child presently heard cries of distress, and 
 mounted on her wings to see what had happened. The 
 emigrants had paused to search for one of their number, a 
 
The Little Papoose. 77 
 
 boy who had strayed away. Nothing can be more terrible 
 than to be lost in such a place. If savages find the wanderer, 
 it may be to scalp him or make him a prisoner ; hunger and 
 death come sooner than the savages. 
 
 " As soon as she discovered what was the matter, the witch- 
 child flew back, and saw the boy trying to find the path. He- 
 felt a hand placed on his shoulder which guided him in the 
 right direction, until he could again behold the white wagons 
 of the emigrants. 
 
 " Once more mounting into the sky, the witch-child came to 
 a region of furze, sage, and wormwood, with lofty peaks be- 
 yond. She noticed a smoke as of many fires, and her heart 
 bounded with the hope that she had found her tribe at last. 
 Here were lodges and tents, dried venison, and a few horses 
 near ; but the fires came from smouldering ruins of an en- 
 campment. There had been a battle between warring tribes, 
 and the place surprised. The witch-child approached sadly, 
 and what do you suppose she found ? A little papoose lying 
 in a folded blanket unharmed. She took it up to kiss, and 
 the baby crowed and smiled. What was she to do with it ? 
 Carrying it on her back, Indian fashion, she climbed the first 
 slopes of the Rocky Mountains, one of King Rapp's homes. 
 
 " It was well that she had recovered her Elf slippers, the 
 baby was so heavy she could not fly. Those were happy days ! 
 She fed the little thing with berries, and sang it to sleep, de- 
 lighted with the pretty brown face and bright eyes. 
 
 " One night she reached a house, a lonely ranch of the bor- 
 der settler. You would have mistaken her for a thief to see 
 her steal past the watch-dog into the chamber where the chil- 
 
78 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 dren slept. Beside these white children she laid the Indian 
 baby, the last of its tribe, and went away as noiselessly as she 
 came. 
 
 " Fortunately this was a good home for her charge. Next 
 day as she rested at noon, the loud report of a rifle startled 
 her, and a wounded mountain -goat came tumbling down into 
 the valley. She took to her wings in fright ; but as she darted 
 up into the air, the sportsman aimed at her, supposing she was 
 some strange specimen of bird. Bang ! went the weapon, and 
 she fell. The sportsman hastened to the spot, but found noth- 
 ing. 
 
 " What do you think became of the witch-child ? I believe 
 that King Rapp opened the earth as she sank down, and that 
 she lives with him in the Rocky Mountains to this day." 
 
 The Summer Fairy glowed and faded in the radiance of the 
 hearth. 
 
 " The witch-child was the last Indian seen in these hills," 
 rustled the other Summer Fairies. " We must always remain 
 as the summer of the year, ranking first in the season, even as 
 the red man came first among human beings here." 
 
 " Mousey, I think it is your turn to speak," said the Angora 
 cat, wickedly, and stretched out a paw to the captive. 
 
 The little mouse hopped in fear as it answered : 
 
 " It is such a strain on my mind to try to think of a story 
 that I shall have a nervous headache for the rest of my life." 
 
 " Tut ! tut ! Remember how sharp my teeth are, and how 
 very unpleasant it is to have ones head nipped off," said the 
 cat. 
 
 This made the mouse desperate ; never before had it been 
 
Nip Intercedes for Mousey. 79 
 
 required to do anything but nibble cheese and bacon rind, and 
 now the cruel cat would force it to tell a talc, or be eaten alive. 
 
 Nip had sat quietly in Job's hand while the Summer Fairy 
 was talking, and pretended to doze, with his little head sway- 
 ing on one side, like a flower- bell. Now he skipped down, 
 and clasped his arms around the mouses neck, whispering in 
 its ear. 
 
 " Give the mouse time to think," said Nip. 
 
 " I give time," interposed the clock, striking violently. 
 
 The clock liked none of the company to use the word time 
 besides itself, as it was old and cranky in its ways. 
 
 " What change will half an hour make in the mouse's wits ?" 
 growled the cat, and she must have been feeling hungry. 
 
 As for Job, he was so much amused by his companions 
 that he could do nothing but look and listen. 
 
 " I will tell a story myself, if Queen Puff will stop spinning, 
 so that I may hear myself speak," said Nip. 
 
So The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 k NIP'S STORY. 
 
 " About the good year 1620 the West Wind stood on her 
 cloud throne, her fair brow wreathed with ivy tendrils, her clear 
 gaze brilliant with untold promises, her stately form erect and 
 instinct with a splendid vitality. She was gazing out over the 
 sea. 
 
 " The waves dashed in clouds of spray against granite head- 
 lands, and a dark line of forest extended inland as far as eye 
 could see, unbroken by town or any trace of human life. What 
 was the West Wind looking at ? A tiny vessel tossed like a 
 cockle-shell on the billows, and steering timidly across the wide 
 waste of waters. This was the cradle of the queerest baby 
 ever seen. 
 
 " Of course, the West Wind knew all about it — this found- 
 ling was to be cast on her care and protection. He had no 
 space to grow in the crowded nursery where he was born on 
 the opposite shore of the ocean. The baby's godfather was a 
 great king, but he said, ' Let him go, for he is not like the 
 other children, and will make trouble when he is a big boy.' 
 
 " Do you remember the story about the large, ugly duck- 
 ling among the little ducks and geese of the barnyard that 
 would one day become the beautiful swan ? Have you ever 
 heard, Job, that the cuckoo's egg, if allowed to remain in the 
 nest of the hedge-sparrow, crowds out the other nestlings ?" 
 
The Wonderful Baby. Si 
 
 " Yes, I know that," said Job. " Grandfather says" — 
 
 " Never mind what Grandfather says," interrupted saucy 
 Nip, reclining 011 his velvet couch — the mouse's back. " I only 
 intended to make a comparison between the large duckling 
 and the cuckoo and my hero. Well, the king godfather was 
 quite right, for this baby was destined to become a giant, and 
 would have pushed the other children about had it remained 
 at home in the nursery. 
 
 " Nearer and nearer came the cradle-vessel while the beauti- 
 ful West Wind watched. Now there was peril of wreck on 
 the sharp rocks of that stern coast, but the West Wind cast 
 a silk cable and drew it safely to shore. The landing was not 
 too gentle : the infant was drenched in spray, and, emerging 
 gasping from the cold bath, felt a new life tingle in every vein. 
 That was the West Wind's baptism of her charge. Next she 
 smiled and showed him the gifts stored in her mantle, which 
 were to be earned, not given away. A shower of spring blos- 
 soms fell softly on the scented air, like a mist of pink snow ; 
 then he saw sheaves of golden grain, then a cluster of purple 
 grapes, with crimson autumn leaves. The infant wanderer, 
 treadino- for the first time with tender baby feet the soil 
 of a rugged coast, and extending feeble little hands towards 
 these treasures, realized vaguely the greatness of his own 
 destiny. 
 
 " How the baby throve, to be sure ! The cold winds swept 
 in from the Atlantic, freezing the spray into icicles to festoon 
 the granite cliffs ; Winter seemed to frown on the stranger, vet 
 he grew. 
 
 " Greatest danger of all ! Stealthy forms hovered in the dim, 
 
 F 
 
82 
 
 The Cat ski 11 Fairies, 
 
 Jg§» 
 
 shadowy forest, and glared with looks of hatred at him. Their 
 faces were dusky in hue — not at all like the baby's fair race — 
 and they wore gay feathers nodding above their long, black 
 hair, while their step was as light and swift as that of the shy 
 wild animals they pursued in the chase. Yes, and these dark 
 people were not content with frightening the baby by scowling 
 at him ; they gave shrill whoops and cries, and, twanging their 
 bows, shot arrows at him which pricked smartly. The West 
 Wind had a cure for these wounds, the balm of courage and 
 hope. 
 
 " I am speaking about the Indians. Perhaps the Summer 
 
Who was the Baby? 83 
 
 Fairies may not like it, but I must tell my story, and they 
 
 certainly received the baby very rudely." 
 
 " How did the baby treat them ?" cried the Summer Fairies. 
 
 " We will ask Job's opinion. What if some men came up 
 the mountain and took your house, saying, ' We want to live 
 here ; you can go away.' What would you do ?" 
 
 " I would fight cm," said Job, promptly. 
 
 " That is just what the Indians did," said the Fairies. 
 
 " But who was this baby ?" asked Job. 
 
 " Don't be in such a hurry. The world was not made in 
 a minute," rejoined Nip. " In spite of the Indian enemies, 
 the cold and storms, this sturdy chap flourished, for he was 
 made of the best flesh and blood. The forest cleared a 
 spot here and there, yielding to the strokes of his axe, 
 where the spring blossoms began to bloom on the fruit- 
 trees and shower the grass below instead of remaining hid- 
 den in the folds of the West Wind's mantle, and planted 
 grain to ripen under the summer sun for the harvest. The 
 strangest part of it was that the baby was never idle, and his 
 play was always work, building houses out of bits of wood, 
 and making bridges and roads. 
 • " ' Let those play who come after me,' he said, cheerfully. 
 
 " So the forests thinned, the dark enemies retreated as the 
 bright daylight followed the path he made, chasing away the 
 gloom of solitude. 
 
 " Forward he marched,- always following the West Wind, who 
 beckoned him on to fresh exertions, and growing from infancy 
 to childhood as he went on. 
 
 " ' Now we will have a city, I guess,' planned the baby. He 
 
84 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 began to guess in his very babyhood, and well he might, with 
 a whole new continent before him — all guess-work. 
 
 " The West Wind nodded approval, and he built a crooked 
 little town, with narrow, winding streets. How the baby archi- 
 tect enjoyed making the buildings climb steep hills, and then 
 spared fine trees to shade wide avenues, bordered with green 
 turf in the heart of all the crowded town. ' We must have a 
 bit of country here.' So the city was laid out, and the West 
 Wind beckoned him on to build towns and villages, but he 
 cherished his first city with a pride that he never felt in any 
 other, and trotted back, every now and then, to beautify and 
 improve it, which he has continued to do until the present day. 
 The baby grew strong and large — one could see that he would 
 be a towering giant by and by — and his work only grew with 
 him. As he strode on he left Industry spinning many-colored 
 threads in his wake, hammering at forge and anvil, turning 
 great wheels to stir the tranquil rivers, and before him the 
 forests thinned, admitting the sunshine, and the dark enemies 
 melted away, like night shadows, at his approach. 
 
 " No obstacle could daunt or discourage him ; the rough 
 path often wounded his feet, his limbs grew very weary, yet 
 where the West Wind led he followed. When he came to 
 broad streams he spanned them with bridges ; he linked miles 
 of space together with an iron band of railway, and then he 
 looped magnetic wires over hill and valley along which thrilled 
 messages as rapidly as the lightning flashes. 
 
 « ' Progress !' whistled the locomotive to the earth, and all 
 Industry's wheels turned quicker at the sound ; but the locomo- 
 tive could not overtake the West Wind or her charge. 
 
Nip Plays a Cunning Trick, 85 
 
 " Forward ! ever forward ! The giant youth saw lakes, and 
 launched boats on the clear waters, and then he came to the 
 plains. 
 
 " Forward ! ever forward ! The Wind daughter led the way 
 in her chariot of sunset clouds, so that he might hew a path 
 through the wilderness, and earn the treasures she would scat- 
 ter broadcast. Through deserts of wormwood, beyond crags 
 and cliffs mantled in snow, the giant fought his resolute 
 way, sowing seeds of future growth, finding precious metals, 
 until he reached the shores of another ocean and the Golden 
 Gate. 
 
 " In the full radiance of the present, behold him ! He is a 
 giant, but he is not at all handsome ; his features are sharp ; lie 
 cares nothing about his dress, or the color of his necktie. He 
 talks through his nose, besides. What name did the West 
 Wind give him? Not a pretty one, but suited to him — 
 Yankee." 
 
 " You are a Yankee, yourself," said Queen Puff, starting her 
 wheel again. 
 
 " I am proud of being one. You are a Dutchman," said 
 Nip. 
 
 Queen Puff laughed at being called a Dutchman. 
 
 " It is true, and I came from Holland in a tile," she con- 
 fessed. 
 
 " I am tired. Take me to ride around the room, Mouse}," 
 said Nip. 
 
 " I don't know about that," said the cat, suspiciously. 
 
 " Only a little ride," urged Nip, looking very roguish all the 
 
86 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 while. " If you Fairies will make a ring, we can perform circus 
 tricks, mouse and I, equal to those of the Hippodrome." 
 
 The others were quite ready for the sport, and soon there 
 was a fairy ring formed on the floor, with Job and the old 
 clock to look down on it. Nip was to have his own way in 
 everything ; they must leave an avenue for the mouse to gal- 
 lop into the circle in style. " I am clown, ring-master, and 
 rider, all in one. I should like somebody to hold bits of news- 
 paper for hoops for me to jump through, and I will borrow 
 a poppy cloak to leap over. Do I need spurs to make you 
 go? 
 
 " No, no," hastily squeaked the mouse. 
 
 It did Job good to see Nip perform. The mouse went 
 around the circle, with the Fairy dancing on his back, now 
 popping through the paper hoops, now springing over the 
 cloak. At last they paused to rest. 
 
 " Let us breathe awhile, and I will show you a trick worth 
 seeing," said Nip. 
 
 " Oh, what is it, Nip ? Tell us — do," cried the Fairies. 
 
 Nip stood up on the mouse's back once more, and started 
 around the circle, faster and faster, until with one bound they 
 darted out of the ring, and the mouse was safe in its hole be- 
 fore the Angora cat could wink. 
 
 " What do you think of that ? I told you it was the best 
 trick of all. Oh, you needn't make big eyes at me, Madam 
 Cat, and curl your whiskers, I am not afraid of you, and the 
 dear little mouse is safe," said Nip. 
 
 " If the mouse will join us again, I will promise not to eat 
 it," purred the cat, mildly. 
 
The Winter Fairies. 89 
 
 " Thank you, I will just watch what happens from my hole," 
 replied the mouse, gayly, poking out its head. 
 
 " If it is our turn to speak, we will begin," said the Winter 
 Fairies from their perch on the window-sill. 
 
 " Yes, do tell me something," said Job, who wished to learn 
 all that the Fairies could impart. "Only I should like to know 
 when my present is to be given." 
 
 " Patience," advised the Angora cat. 
 
 Then the first Winter Fairy, leaning against the frosted pane 
 began — 
 
90 The Cat ski I I Fairies. 
 
 THE GREEN BELT 
 
 " Far away in the backwoods, where the lumber comes from, 
 a poor widow once lived, with her seven sons, the eldest being 
 eighteen, and the youngest, Peter, a lad of ten years. Peter 
 was born with a caul drawn over his head, like a funny little 
 cap, and the old women said he must meet with great good- 
 fortune in life on this account. 
 
 " The father was a hunter, who trapped the beavers and 
 otters, but he had been killed by a fall clown a precipice. 
 The winter was very severe, and daily the snow-drifts were 
 piled higher and higher, hedging in the poor cottage from the 
 nearest neighbor, who lived two miles distant. 
 
 " One night when a violent hailstorm was dashing torrents of 
 icy musketry upon the roof and against the windows, the fami- 
 ly gathered around the fire — there would always be fuel with 
 the forest so near at hand. 
 
 " ' It is a great deal to be warm, children,' said the mother, 
 spreading her fingers to enjoy the blaze. ' I must tell you 
 plainly that the meal - chest is nearly empty, and there is but 
 one sack of potatoes left.' 
 
 " The children pulled on very long faces ; they began to feel 
 pinched under their jackets with hunger. Just then a distinct 
 tap, tap, was heard on the door. 
 
A Wonderful Gift 91 
 
 " ' Can any poor soul be out such a night ?' exclaimed the 
 mother. 
 
 " She unbarred the door, and a gust of hail rushed into the 
 room, but on the threshold stood a little old woman shivering 
 with cold. The widow led her to the fire, and at once began 
 to prepare some hot porridge. 
 
 " In the meanwhile the children stared at the stranger with 
 eager curiosity. She wore a cloak made of squirrel fur, tied 
 about her throat by the fore-paws ; her face was like a puck- 
 ered lemon, and her eyes two diamonds, so rapidly did they 
 flash and glitter about the place. 
 
 " Peter advanced to her side fearlessly. 
 
 " ' Your slippers are dry,' he said. 
 
 " ' That is because my shoemaker fits me with pure ice, my 
 dear,' replied the old lady ; then she patted him on the head. 
 ' You are clever because you are a seventh child,' she added ; 
 but Peter did not understand one word of such talk. 
 
 " The good mother offered the stranger her own bed, the 
 best she had, and the old woman declared that her fur cloak 
 was a famous couch as she spread it down in one corner, and 
 soon the whole family were asleep. In the morning the old 
 lad)' - had vanished away, and little Peter lay snugly wrapped 
 in the soft fur, with a green belt beside him. Of course, this 
 green belt must be a wonderful gift, and the old ladv a fairy ; 
 the family at once decided that to be a fact, yet the belt was 
 so dingy and faded as to seem useless and only fit to hang on 
 a peg behind the door, where it was speedily forgotten. The 
 fur cloak did not vanish away, as they feared it would, and it 
 was afterwards used by Peter for a bed. 
 
92 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " The snow rose higher and higher, and the sun could not 
 warm the keen air. At last there were no more potatoes left 
 in the cottage, and the poor widow w r as forced to seek some 
 help from her neighbors, even if the way was blocked with 
 deep drifts. 
 
 " Night came on, and the mother did not return. She had 
 lost her way, and frozen to death in the bitter cold before she 
 reached the first house. The children watched and waited, 
 then went to bed supperless. It was very sad that the mother 
 must perish thus ; but such things happen in the winter every 
 year, especially in the backwoods of which we write. 
 
 " Next morning a pretty squirrel rapped on the window-pane 
 with one paw, and when the casement was open hopped into 
 the room quite tamely. 
 
 " ' I believe that I will skin and eat you,' said the eldest 
 son, trying to catch the animal. 
 
 " ' Not so fast,' chattered the squirrel, leaping nimbly up to a 
 high beam. ' I can do you more good alive I am thinking. 
 Why don't you go out into the world for yourselves ?' 
 
 " ' I will !' cried the eldest brother, and sprang through the 
 door. 
 
 " A bridge of ice reached from the cottage quite to the heart 
 of the forest, and when he stepped on it he found it firm as 
 marble. He soon returned, carrying a beautiful little bird in 
 his hand, which he had found in the path. The bird had a 
 crest of scarlet feathers on its head, while the wings were vel- 
 vet black. 
 
 " ' If you make a nest for the bird, it will lay a pearl egg 
 every day,' said the squirrel. 
 
The Silver Gridiron. 93 
 
 "'Let me see what I can do,' said the second hoy, encour- 
 aged by his brother's success; so, crossing the ice-bridge, he 
 disappeared. 
 
 " When he came back he carried a copper porridge - pot, 
 which was so brightly polished that it resembled gold. The 
 hungry children found a handful of meal, and made porridge 
 in the new vessel. When they poured out the porridge, the 
 pot was again full. 
 
 " ' It will always be filled whenever emptied,' said the squir- 
 rel, also tasting the dish daintily. 
 
 " ' Hurrah ! We shall never be hungry after this, 1 said the 
 second son, hugging the pot in his arms. 
 
 " Then the third son crossed the ice-bridge, and in less than 
 five minutes appeared with a silver gridiron. 
 
 " ' Who would like a cake baked on my gridiron ?' he asked. 
 
 " No sooner was one cake taken, crisp and brown, from the 
 fire than another lay in its place, and the gridiron did not cease 
 from cooking until the children were well filled. It must have 
 taken a great many cakes to make a boy say he had eaten 
 enough ! 
 
 " Then the fourth boy said, ' I will try my luck ;' and crossed 
 the bridge as the others had clone. 
 
 " He found a tiny cask made of rough iron, but it was al- 
 ways filled with rare, sweet wine, and the supply could never fail. 
 
 " The fifth son in his turn found nothing but a delicate white 
 cloth hanging upon a tree. He entered the cottage with a dole- 
 ful face and slow step. His portion was only a cloth, when his 
 brothers had found a bird that would lay pearl eggs, a porridge- 
 pot always full, a silver gridiron, and a cask of wine. 
 
94 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " ' Spread the cloth on the table,' said the squirrel. 
 
 " Fancy their astonishment when a grand feast appeared on 
 the magic cloth. Ducks and turkeys dressed with flowers, de- 
 licious confectionery in sparkling heaps, and tempting fruits. 
 The fifth boy's gift was not so poor a one after all. 
 
 " Then the sixth son walked out, and directly before him lay 
 a beautiful gold trumpet. He blew a loud blast, and immedi- 
 ately all animals responded to the summons — bears, monkeys, 
 jaguars, moose, and deer, even wild cats. 
 
 " ' Eat us up, if you like, or do anything with us ; we are 
 your slaves,' growled the animals together. 
 
 " Yes, he had control over all beasts for any service he might 
 require. 
 
 " ' The little old woman must have been a fairy after all !' 
 shouted the brothers, beside themselves with delight. 
 
 " The pretty squirrel sitting up on the beam with its tail 
 curled over its back was the fairy all the while. 
 
 " ' What am I to own ?' asked Peter, in dismay. 
 
 " The seventh son went out across the ice - bridge and 
 
The Green Belt. 95 
 
 searched every path, gazing eagerly up into the trees ; but he 
 found just nothing at all. The brothers, in their own joy, 
 scarcely noticed poor Peter's disappointment. 
 
 " ' I must seek my fortune out in the wide world,' said the 
 eldest, taking the scarlet bird in his hand ; then with a careless 
 good-bye he was gone. 
 
 " The others quickly followed, until Peter was left alone. 
 
 " The little squirrel leaped clown, and nestled close beside 
 the weeping child. 
 
 " ' Dry your tears ; you are the seventh child, and therefore 
 the most fortunate of all. Here is the caul with which you 
 were born, to hang about your neck, and that will bring good 
 luck. The green belt is your gift.' 
 
 " The squirrel had the same clear diamond eyes that the 
 old woman possessed who visited their cottage on the stormy 
 evening. 
 
 " Peter took the belt from the peg where it had hung, and. 
 behold ! it was bright in color, and bore these lines — 
 
 ' You shall have power to change your shape, 
 To Lion, Tiger, Dog, or Ape ; 
 To help the good, torment the bad, 
 To make some gay, and others sad.' 
 
 " Peter danced for joy, and the squirrel skipped also on its 
 hind feet to keep him company. 
 
 " ' Put the caul on your head, and you will see just what 
 your brothers are doing, wherever they go,' said the squirrel. 
 
 " Peter held the dried skin -cap over his head, and shut his 
 eyes. The first son travelled far, still holding the scarlet bird 
 
96 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 in his hand. He entered a city in the East, where there were 
 mosques with glittering domes, palaces, and bazaars. In the 
 harbor queerly shaped boats darted about, and the stately ships 
 had the flags of all nations floating from their masts. 
 
 " The first son crossed the court of a magnificent building:, 
 led by black slaves m gorgeous turbans and robes, and entered 
 a marble -paved hall adorned with pillars and sparkling fount- 
 ains, where a prince sat on his throne, and he bowed low be- 
 fore him. The prince admired the little scarlet bird, as a 
 prince has a right to admire a new toy, and he gave to the 
 owner ten chests of gold coins, a house to live in, and three 
 trained Arabian horses from the royal stables in exchange 
 for it. 
 
 " ' My eldest brother will pass his days in idleness and ease,' 
 said Peter. ' He will doze on velvet cushions, be refreshed 
 with delicate perfumes, and smoke a pipe mounted with gems 
 and amber. His raiment will be the finest linen, the softest 
 satin and damask. He will forget entirely that he was ever a 
 poor boy living in the woods.' 
 
 " ' So much for him. Now for the next one.' The squirrel 
 fairy was very polite in listening to the history, although it 
 knew already everything that would happen,. Peter must 
 learn to like his gift the best, and so he was to see his broth* 
 ers first. 
 
 " The second son was walkimr along the road where the 
 hedges were in bloom and the fields ready for the harvest. 
 He was ruddy and strong-limbed, as well he might be, for the 
 porridge -pot never failed. At the farm-house door stood a 
 pretty maid, as the crimson sunset turned every object to 
 
The Fairy Gifts. 97 
 
 red and gold. She was calling the harvest - laborers to their 
 
 supper by blowing through the horn ; and the second son, 
 coming among the rest, loved her for her sweet smile and 
 light footstep as she waited on the table. 
 
 " ' It will be love in a cottage,' said Peter. ' They need never 
 suffer from hunger while they keep the porridge-pot.' 
 
 " ' Who comes next ?' inquired the squirrel. 
 
 " The third and fourth brothers were together in the city of 
 Paris, one with his silver gridiron and the other with his table- 
 cloth, which was always covered with dainties. That was a 
 famous partnership ! They had a cook-shop, called a cafe, with 
 tables and waiters. Even great noblemen came to taste of the 
 cakes baked on the gridiron ; and where the nobility lead, com- 
 mon people must follow the fashion, like one sheep after an- 
 other. 
 
 " The fifth son, no less fortunate than his brothers, drew 
 sweet wine from the tiny cask, and built a warehouse in which 
 to store his barrels. The fame of his wine went everywhere, 
 the flavor was so delicate, because it was made from fairy 
 grapes, and no one could tell the vintage. 
 
 " The sixth son went to the South American pampas, where 
 he grathered immense flocks, for all he had to do was to blow 
 through the trumpet, and cattle followed the sound. 
 
 " ' I would not choose the place of any of them,' said Peter, 
 and the squirrel fairy was pleased with this decision. They 
 left the cottage to visit the Fairies, and in the depths of the 
 forest the snow had melted away like magic, as if for the tiny 
 people to hold their sports. The squirrel here became a fairy 
 lady no longer than one of Peter's fingers, and her companions, 
 
 G 
 
9 8 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 dressed in green, so that they resembled moving leaves, wel- 
 comed her back cordially. 
 
 " ' I was the old woman and the squirrel too,' she laughed. 
 ' I take those forms for travelling about.' 
 
 " ' Your eyes are still diamond clear,' said Peter, and then 
 he thanked her for all the kindness she had shown to his 
 family. 
 
 " ' We trained the bird and made all the other gifts,' cried 
 the Fairies. ' Then we placed them in the path.' 
 
 " Peter seated himself on- the grass to watch the Fairies 
 dance ; they spun around in giddy circles without losing their 
 
 breath, until it made the boy's eyes ache to look at them. The 
 fairy music was wonderful, the wee musicians being ranged 
 around a toadstool upon which stood the leader, and they blew 
 through dandelion stems for instruments. 
 
The Household Sprite. 99 
 
 " When they ceased dancing they all clustered about Peter, 
 
 and the squirrel fairy sat on his shoulder. One little sprite 
 had a tiny broom made of thistle, and a dust-brush under one 
 arm, with which she dusted and swept the flowers surrounding 
 the fairy circle, until not a speck of dust remained. This 
 sprite had a sharp nose and a prim little waist. One could 
 plainly see that she was set in her ways. 
 
 " ' I am a household spirit, and my name is Pucker. I steal 
 through the keyhole of the silent houses at night, and if I find 
 the rooms untidy, I nip the housemaid in her sleep until she- 
 is black and blue. I am very severe on housekeepers. If I 
 discover the dishes improperly washed, or egg-shells and bones 
 lying about in the humblest cottage, I tweak the good wife's 
 nose, and box her ears soundly. Every one can be clean, and 
 they must be happier for neat homes. I stand no nonsense ' 
 — and the brisk little Pucker began to dust the flowers again 
 with renewed energy, until the roses and pinks blushed a 
 deeper red from sheer anger. 
 
 " ' Will you let our beautiful faces alone ?' they exclaimed. 
 
 " ' My name is Gull,' said a merry, romping fairy, dancing on 
 a spider-web bridge. ' I love to play tricks better than to work. 
 I steal cream and sugar from the closet, and whisk away the 
 glass of water just as a body is about to drink — that is capi- 
 tal fun!' 
 
 " ' I am Grim,' said a short, stout elf with a droll face. ' 1 
 pull the master's beard, and throw him into ditches by the 
 roadside when he comes home from the public - house at 
 night. He may lie there until morning, yet I give him no 
 rest ; he is pricked with nettles, pounded with sharp stones. 
 
ioo The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 and his boots filled with cold water — that is the way to cure 
 drunkards.' 
 
 " Peter rose at last. 
 
 " ' I could stay with you forever, dear Fairies, but I must start 
 on my travels.' 
 
 " Leaving the forest, he saw three graceful horses in a mead- 
 ow, now prancing forward with manes and tails streaming on 
 the wind, now bounding high in the air to vault over the 
 boundary wall. 
 
 " ' I should like to be a horse,' thought Peter. Immediately 
 he began to prance too — his coat of the softest black color, his 
 limbs delicately rounded, and his hair like spun silk. A golden 
 bridle hung over his arched neck, and his hoofs were also shod 
 with shining gold. The young farmer who owned the meadow 
 saw the horse nibbling grass, and apparently as tame as a kit- 
 ten. Although so rich and owning already many steeds, he 
 w r as always envious of other people and their possessions. 
 
 " ' Who has a horse so much more beautiful than any of 
 mine ?' he inquired, frowning angrily. 
 
 " He advanced towards Peter, and, as no one seemed to claim 
 the animal, he determined to have it at all hazards. He just 
 touched the golden bridle, when Peter shook his head saucily, 
 and danced away. The farmer ran faster after the stranger 
 horse, bewitched by its beauty, and Peter played all kinds of 
 pranks. At last he stood still, and the farmer, overjoyed at 
 such unexpected docility, mounted, when away dashed Peter as 
 swift as an arrow shot from a bow, the rider clinging to his 
 back. Peter enjoyed the race ; but when he reached the bank 
 of a river he determined to punish the envious farmer still fur- 
 
A Frio id in Need. 101 
 
 thcr, so he plunged into the stream, wished himself a fish, and 
 slid away from under the rider, leaving him floundering in 
 
 deep water. 
 
 "'Perhaps that will teaeh him a lesson,' said Peter, watching 
 the farmer climb the bank again. 
 
 " Then he swam to the opposite shore, and became a boy, 
 with his green belt around his waist. 
 
 " Presently he came to a house, where all was silent except 
 the cackling of the fowls in the barn-yard. The door stood 
 wide open, and on the step lay the dog winking lazily in the sun. 
 Peter boldly entered, and in the corner he found a young girl 
 sitting alone, with a pile of flax on the floor and her spinning- 
 wheel before her. 
 
 " ' Why do you stay in the dark corner ?' asked Peter. 
 
 " ' Because every one has gone to the county fair, and left me 
 alone,' sobbed the girl. ' My mistress said I could not leave 
 until my work was done, and she very well knew that I could 
 not finish it before nightfall. Oh ! I want to see the fat cattle 
 and the big vegetables, the bedquilts and prize bread, so much !' 
 
 " Peter just stepped forward and kissed her on both eyelids, 
 and she fell asleep. 
 
 " ' I want the Fairies,' whispered the boy. 
 
 " Through the window they fluttered like a cloud of brilliant 
 butterflies. No need to tell them what to do ; for Pucker set to 
 work on the wheel, which whizzed around without making the 
 least noise, and the threads were wound off by no less nimble 
 fingers. Fairy Grim, having no drunken men to trip up, began 
 to sort the flax, and Fairy Gull dressed the sleeping girl by 
 changing her cotton gown to cashmere, and twining bright rib- 
 
102 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 bons in her hair. How surprised she was when she opened her 
 eyes five minutes later to find the work neatly finished, herself 
 gayly dressed, and a donkey standing before the door, with a 
 saddle of red leather trimmed with bells on his back, ready to 
 carry her to the fair ! 
 
 "This donkey wds our friend Peter; and when the poor girl 
 had mounted his back, away he trotted as fast as his four little 
 legs would carry him. He did not allow himself to show any 
 ugly donkey tricks, such as lying down to roll in the dust, or 
 shying at a stream of water. When they reached the borders 
 of the town, he left the girl to go on alone, and became a boy, 
 as he did not like the donkey character much. 
 
 "After that Peter became a madcap, if ever there was one. He 
 blew out the farmers' pipes, overturned the hay-mounds, tied the 
 dairymaids to the cows' tails, and set all the dogs crazy. Then 
 he went to a city, where he was one day a chimney-sweep, scram- 
 bling through the flues and sprinkling soot down to make peo- 
 ple sneeze, and an organ-grinder the next. He pretended to be 
 a beggar with one leg ; he pulled door-bells and ran away ; he 
 laid traps for thieves, so that the police seized them. All this 
 Peter called seeing life; yet he soon grew weary of it. He went 
 back to the forest to see the squirrel fairy ; and when he entered 
 the familiar path she ran to meet him gladly. Although Peter 
 had been gone many years, the squirrel was as young as ever, 
 with the sparkling diamond eyes. 
 
 " ' It is time you did something better than cut capers. I will 
 tell you what to do — you should win glory as a soldier, and 
 there will soon be a war across the seas.' 
 
 " So Peter went across seas ; and he had no sooner set foot in 
 
An Army of Carrot Soldiers. 105 
 
 a foreign land than he heard that the Emperor of the country 
 had declared war on a neighboring Prince. Peter bought a 
 field of carrots, and when they were ripe he changed them into 
 an army of splendid soldiers, and placed himself at the head in 
 a gold uniform to match the yellow colors of the regiments. 
 
 " ' We serve under the Emperor,' he said, drawing up his 
 men before the Imperial Palace. 
 
 " ' Will you charge the enemy now ?' asked the Emperor. 
 
 " ' The sooner the better/ returned the brave Peter. ' The 
 troops will not "wither then ; and if they do fall, they arc only 
 vegetable men after all,' he added to himself. 
 
 " Peter and his carrot soldiers attacked the enemy with tre- 
 mendous vigor, so that they were driven at the point of the bay- 
 onet into the river, their only choice being to jump into the wa- 
 ter or become spiked on the weapons like cockchafers. 
 
 " After the engagement the carrot troops retired into the for- 
 est, where they died, and the Fairies buried them in considera- 
 tion of their valiant deeds. 
 
 " Peter was created commander-in-chief of the Imperial forces, 
 as he was flesh and blood instead of carrot. Of course he could 
 not be made commander-in-chief without stepping into some 
 other man's shoes. General Rub-a-dub did not like the change 
 at all. He declared that if the Emperor would only have given 
 him time he could have dus: trenches about the enemy, attacked 
 them by flank movements and other military tactics, until they 
 were safely bagged, every soldier of them, instead of giving 
 Peter all the glory. 
 
 "'Where are your troops?' asked General Rub-a-dub, before 
 the Emperor himself. 
 
io6 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " ' They disbanded in the woods,' said Peter. 
 
 " ' I saw nothing but a pile of carrots,' retorted General Rub- 
 a-dub. ' I believe your soldiers were nothing but carrot men 
 after all.' 
 
 " ' Nonsense !' cried the Emperor, growing purple in the face 
 with wrath at the idea of his empire being defended by an 
 army of carrots. ' If I believed half that you say, Rub-a-dub, I 
 would command that every carrot in my dominions should be 
 pulled up by the roots, and no more be planted for one while.' 
 
 " ' I will execute the wise order, if it please your majesty,' Gen- 
 eral Rub-a-dub hastened to reply. ' Without his carrots, you 
 will find that your new commander-in-chief is not much of an 
 officer.' 
 
 " Peter was at his wits' end ; but a wasp flew past, and buzzed 
 in his ear : 
 
 " ' We will use beets.' 
 
 " The neighboring Prince gathered new forces, and marched 
 into the Emperor's territory, blowing trumpets under his maj- 
 esty's nose. General Rub-a-dub drilled his men, and watched 
 Peter quite fiercely, twirling his mustache. At the very last mo- 
 ment, when the enemy was preparing to besiege the Imperial 
 city, Peter stole softly out to the Fairies, and they employed 
 countless numbers of owls and bats to pull up all the beets in 
 the kingdom, and bring the vegetables to the edge of the wood. 
 
 " When the next morning's sun rose, Peter turned all the beets 
 into soldiers, and marched to join the Emperor's army. The 
 beet soldiers were infinitely more splendid in appearance than 
 the carrots had been ; they were glowing crimson not only in 
 uniform, but their faces were of the same hue, and their caps 
 
. The Beet Soldiers. 107 
 
 were green, with nodding plumes. Peter wore a costume of 
 crimson velvet to match his troops, studded with rubies, and 
 his sword-hilt was incrusted with the same jewels. 
 
 " Peter told the Emperor that he believed in sudden action 
 and quick movements, like Napoleon. He knew well that the 
 vegetable men could not press the siege, as they would wither 
 by sundown, if exposed to intense heat. 
 
 "'General Rub-a-dub is an old fogy in his ideas,' whispered 
 Peter in the Emperors ear, and the Emperor nodded his 
 head. 
 
 " If the carrot soldiers had fought well, the beet men did ten 
 times better ; and when they were slashed down, they shed real 
 blood-beet juice. The enemy was again driven back with ter- 
 rible slaughter, and the beet men dra^'o-ed themselves to the 
 wood, where the Fairies buried them. Rub-a-dub was not sat- 
 isfied. Peace was, indeed, restored to the country; still it was 
 all done through the tricks of the new commander-in-chief, he 
 declared. 
 
 " ' There is not a ripe beet left in the kingdom, 1 complained 
 this general. ' Your last army was beet men.' 
 
 " ' How f cried the Emperor. ' Shall I be deprived of my 
 favorite salad because the beets are gone ?' 
 
 " Peter was again bewildered. The wasp buzzed in his 
 ear — 
 
 " ' We must use radishes next time.' 
 
 " So when the warlike Prince, having been twice defeated, in- 
 duced two other Princes to join him in fighting against the 
 Emperor, Peter brought an overwhelming force of radishes, 
 some in scarlet jackets and others in bright yellow, to the 
 
io8 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 rescue. The radish troops were more spirited than the carrots 
 or beets had been, perhaps because radishes are so peppery. Pe- 
 ter charged at their head, this time using a silver sword, with an 
 edge like a razor, and a shield against which blows fell harm- 
 less. The three Princes fled before the valiant radishes ; but 
 the latter withered in the hot sun, after the victory, before they 
 could seek the forest shade, and lay in rows along the highway 
 — nothing but wilted radishes. 
 
 " ' They were radishes,' said General Rub-a-dub, scornfully. 
 The Emperor patted the commander's shoulder graciously. 
 
 " ' If vegetable soldiers can defend my dominions so bravely 
 without loss of human life, I shall always employ them. I im- 
 plore you not to use beets in the future, and deprive me of my 
 favorite salad. I make you chief for life.' 
 
 " ' If it please your majesty, I must now return home,' said 
 Peter, bowing low before the throne. ' Your army can be made 
 of real men by General Rub-a-dub.' 
 
 " Then Peter crossed the seas once more, and lived in the 
 very cottage where he was born. He hung the green belt on 
 
 the peg behind the door ; and if 
 you had happened to pass the 
 place, you would have seen a 
 quiet old man, with a squirrel 
 perched on his shoulder. The 
 squirrel had diamond clear eyes/' 
 
 The Winter Fairies clustered 
 against the frosted pane like 
 snow-flakes. 
 
yob's Picture -Gallery. 109 
 
 "All the same, I should like my present," said Job. "When 
 will the Fairy of the Cascade come ?" 
 
 " You must not be so impatient," rejoined the Angora cat. 
 She had shown her good-breeding by turning her back on the 
 mouse's hole, and behaving as if she had forgotten all about 
 it, although the mouse's nose did look tempting. 
 
 " What do you suppose the gift is ?" asked Queen Puff. 
 
 " I can't guess," said Job, staring at the fire with bright eyes, 
 and nursing his knee. " Is it a top?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 "A ship?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Oh, oh !— A kite ?" 
 
 " No." 
 
 Something very odd happened. After his circus pranks with 
 the mouse Nip had been flying around the room. At last he 
 came to Job's picture-gallery. Now I suppose you imagine that 
 Job was too poor to have a picture-gallery; but he owned a 
 very good one. The previous summer he had stood by the 
 roadside when a Mountain House coach came down the hill, 
 crowded with people, and a golden-haired little girl nodded to 
 Job in a friendly way — " Would you like a paper, boy?" 
 
 Before he could reply the golden head vanished, the coach 
 lumbered on, and he held a " Harper's Weekly " in his hand. 
 What delight the pages afforded simple Job ! He ran home 
 and cut out the pictures with Grandfather's shears, then fast- 
 ened them on the wall with large crooked pins. There were 
 four big prints, and ever so many little ones, which afforded a 
 good variety for a gallery. Here was a queer old negro mend- 
 
iio The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 ing a shoe at the door of his shop ; there a beautiful lady, 
 with a high satin ruff about her neck and pearls in her dark 
 hair. The gems of the collection were the two largest wood- 
 cuts, according to Job's ideas, and one off these was a palace, 
 with gables and pointed roof, and the other a beach, where a 
 fisherman's wife waited for the boats to come in. 
 
 Nip had bewitched these pictures, and he now sat on the pin 
 that held the palace to the wall. 
 
 The old negro cobbler in the shop door began to work — tap, 
 tap sounded his hammer; while t'he parrot in the cage above 
 scolded a monkey that was slyly stealing its food. 
 
 Then the beautiful lady smiled, showing her white teeth, and 
 unfurled her large fan — one could see that she was a Spaniard 
 from the grace with which she used it. As for the fisherman's 
 wife, she took several steps along the beach, shading her eyes 
 with her hand, and the white sails gleamed off the bar. The 
 fishing fleet was coming in safely after the storm. 
 
 " Now look at the palace," said Nip, from his seat on the 
 large brass pin. 
 
The Old Palace Tells a Story. 1 1 1 
 
 THE HOUSE THAT JACQUES BUILT 
 
 " I am very old," said the Palace in the picture. " There are 
 no such strong walls and towers built nowadays, because there 
 are no robber bands to plunder as they did when I was erect- 
 ed ; and great armies are not as likely to besiege and destroy 
 cities. 
 
 " Yes, I am very old, as I said before, and Jacques Cceur 
 built me after the quaint fancy of his own mind. I suppose 
 there never was a palace with as many odd twists and turns 
 in it as I have. 
 
 " Do you know who Jacques Cceur was ? He lived in France 
 a great many years ago, and he was called the merchant prince 
 of his country. He was a good and wise man, but his king 
 was weak and cruel, and made him suffer for his prosperity. 
 Those were the days when Joan of Arc saved France, but 
 Jacques Cceur helped with his money. 
 
 " He built his home in the old city of Bourges, which had 
 narrow, winding streets, where the tall buildings seemed to 
 touch overhead, and a grand cathedral stands now just as it 
 did in Jacques Cceur's day. 
 
 " Here you see the front of the palace, which opens on the 
 street. The wall is richly carved, and the massive gateway has 
 a large knocker on the door, with a hammer that strikes on a 
 heart. To the left is a pointed tower, evidently belonging to 
 
1 1 2 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 the kitchen. Over the kitchen door funny little figures are 
 carved of cooks and scullions busy with brooms and pots, just 
 like cooks at the present time. 
 
 " The rear of the building is like a fortress, with a rampart 
 and moat, and no windows. There is a round tower overlook- 
 ing the moat, where Jacques Cceur had an office ; and above the 
 office was a vaulted strong room, secured by an iron door, and 
 a wonderful lock, that still works after centuries of use. There 
 he kept his money-bags. There were no safes or police then, 
 and the burglars were armed bands of rude soldiers. 
 
 " More than four hundred years ago Jacques Cceur stood in 
 this little office, looking through the narrow window out on the 
 roofs and chimneys, which were ornamented with gilded cockle- 
 shells and statues of monks. His thoughts must have wander- 
 ed beyond the moat and the level meadows of the province of 
 Berri to the blue Mediterranean, where every breeze was waft- 
 ing along his ships freighted with wealth from the rich ports 
 of the East. He would serve his king, Charles VII., faithfully; 
 but the wicked monarch would pay the debt by arresting the 
 merchant and casting him into prison. 
 
 " Jacques Cceur belonged to the people. His father was a 
 merchant before him, but the son had greater industry. He 
 sent out travellers in every direction ; he regulated the mint of 
 Paris ; he went on a mission to the Pope. When he erected 
 this palace, he said to himself : 
 
 " ' This house shall be my tomb, and tell the story of my life 
 and age. I have earned my gold by working hard — yet it is not 
 safe for me to be rich; so I must make iron doors and secret 
 passages, as well as drawing-rooms and chapels, decorated by 
 
Nip begins a Story. 1 1 3 
 
 Italian artists. Every one shall know that here lived a great 
 merchant, with wife, sons, and a daughter. lie loved Bourges, 
 
 and Bourges loved him, for he paid his workmen well. My 
 motto is a good one — " To a brave heart nothing is impos- 
 sible." ' 
 
 " Here I stand and still tell the story," said the picture, and 
 became silent. 
 
 Queen Puff was working with all her tiny might. 
 
 " Dear Job, I must finish the children's dreams for Christ- 
 mas Eve," said the good little thing. " I have a story to tell 
 when I get through with the thread." 
 
 " Take your own time," interposed Nip, swinging his heels 
 on the pin, as if it had been a cross-bar. " I will give you 
 some of my own experience. I went last year to see a fairy 
 regatta, and will tell you all about it." 
 
 H 
 
ii4 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 THE FAIRY REGATTA. 
 
 " I believe that you are all aware of my place of residence. 
 I live in the Berkshire Hills, behind a blackberry- bush ; and 
 you may always leave word if I am wanted with the grasshop- 
 pers near by, for my trade as pedler naturally keeps me ab- 
 sent a good deal. 
 
 " Well, I thought I knew the country pretty well, but last 
 summer I made a discovery. To tell the truth, I had been 
 teasing a blackbird, and I told him if I could discover his nest 
 I would frighten his wife into fits. This was only talk, as my 
 heart is in the right place, after all ; still I must peer about 
 in search of the nest, to torment the bird. 
 
 " Suddenly I found myself at the mouth of a cave — that was 
 my discovery. I never saw the cave before. The entrance 
 was so high and wide that it seemed as if a ship might pass in 
 without touching the lofty arches. I walked in and soon found 
 that the cavern narrowed more and more ; at the farther ex- 
 tremity there was a mere crack, through which I slipped, and 
 groped my way onward. It was very dark until a turn in the 
 passage showed a ray of light in the distance, and I also heard 
 the murmur of water trickling along a rocky bed beside me. 
 The light increasing, I soon found myself on the brink of a 
 small lake, and on the margin where the rushes grew was 
 moored a little boat of silver, with two oars just large enough 
 
On the Enchanted Lake. 
 
 115 
 
 for my grasp. Could anything have been more delightful ! 
 The boat seemed waiting for me. Whether it was or not, I 
 lost no time in jumping aboard, and pushing off from the shore. 
 I have a great deal of curiosity, and I like to see every place 
 with my own eyes. No guide-books of travel for Nip, if you 
 please ! 
 
 " The radiance resting on the lake was like moonlight, and 
 as my boat floated along I noticed that the water was quick- 
 silver, and the lilies on the surface large pearls with emerald 
 leaves. I rowed swiftly in one direction, and then concluded 
 to change my course ; but when I attempted to turn the boat 
 around, I discovered that it was drawn straight on as a steel 
 obeys the magnet. This surprised me, but I was not afraid. 
 ' I suppose I must be going to the opposite shore for some 
 
ii6 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 good purpose, whether I wish to or not,' I reflected. The boat 
 was borne along by the current to an island in the middle of 
 the lake, where stood a single tree covered with scarlet blos- 
 soms of great beauty. Out I skipped to examine the strange 
 tree, and immediately my boat vanished. A winding staircase 
 of polished brass led around the trunk of the tree, and I climbed 
 it, as there seemed nothing else to do. When I gained the top, 
 one of the scarlet blossoms unfolded into a red -velvet arm- 
 chair ; and I had no sooner seated myself in it than the whole 
 island began to sink slowly below the surface of the lake, car- 
 rying me down miles into the depths of the earth. When we 
 stopped, the scarlet blossom puffed me away with a breath of 
 wind like a feather, and I landed on my feet. Here was an- 
 other cave, only one altogether splendid, for the walls were 
 veined with rough gold ore, and a diamond chandelier sparkled 
 in the dome. Purple-velvet curtains, fringed with gold, shaded 
 the entrance, and two curious vases stood on each side. I was 
 greeted by an old magician, with a white beard, who had a 
 skull-cap on his head. 
 
 " ' I own all this region,' he said. ' Have you come to join 
 in the Fairy Regatta, little man ?' 
 
 " ' I suppose so, since I am here,' I replied. ' I can never win, 
 though, I fear.' 
 
 " ' We shall see ;' and the magician led me awav from the 
 cave down to the bank of a stream, where a multitude of little 
 boats were darting about, some fashioned like swans, others like 
 dolphins and crabs, guided by the Nixies' tiny water-spirits. 
 
 " ' The Nixies have an annual regatta at this spot,' explained 
 the kind mao;ician. ' Their Oueen is seated under a rose-leaf 
 
The Dragon- Fly Boat. 
 
 1 1 
 
 pavilion over yonder, and she will give as a prize the magic 
 drum.' 
 
 " He then took from his snuff-box a boat made in the form 
 of a dragon-fly, with outspread wings, winch was cut from a 
 single sapphire. He launched me in this boat, first giving me 
 three grains of snuff to use if I found it necessary. Away I 
 sped in my lovely dragon-fly boat to form in line with five oth- 
 ers; and the Nixy boatman could not object to my trying my 
 luck with the rest, as the powerful magician had sent me to 
 join in the race. 
 
1 1 8 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 " The first boat was a ruby grasshopper, on the wherry model ; 
 the second, a pearl snail-shell, of the dory style; the third, a 
 crystal spider ; the fourth, a miniature ebony shark ; and the 
 fifth, a goldfish. 
 
 " The Nixy Queen, seated beneath her rose-leaf pavilion, 
 bowed to the magician on the opposite shore, and gave one tap 
 on the magic drum, as a signal for the race to begin. Away 
 shot the little boats, the oars flashing through the water, and 
 made for the goal, a cork anchored in mid -stream for a buoy. 
 
 " The grasshopper boat was named the Dauntless, and its 
 colors were green. 
 
 "The pearl snail -shell was christened Vixen, with a white 
 badge. 
 
 " The crystal spider had Mermaid written on the stern, and 
 sported pink. 
 
 " The ebony shark was Sea Foam, with dark blue. 
 
 " As for my dragon-fly, I dubbed it Nip the Second, with or- 
 ange colors, as I am so fond of yellow. 
 
 " At the tap of the magic drum we got off in good order, the 
 Dauntless leading, Mermaid second, Vixen and Sea Foam in 
 line. The Nixies showed s;ood training, and their Oueen was 
 delighted with their fine appearance. As for me, it was plainly 
 to be seen that they considered me of no great account, and 
 not likely to prove a rival. I thought, ' It is a good old prov- 
 erb that says let him laugh who wins.' 
 
 " The Daiintlcss had got the lead, which is an advantage, 
 and meant to keep it ; but I made a fine spurt, and drew along- 
 side of the Nixy fleet. I could never have kept pace with them 
 had I not scattered the three snuff-grains given me by the ma- 
 
Nip Wins Ike Match. 119 
 
 gician. This had a very curious effect on my companions — 
 each Nixy rested on his oars, bowed his head, and sneezed. 
 
 " I pulled away while this happened, and gained the cork in 
 advance of the Dauntless by two boats' length. That was a 
 victory! And the contest was most exciting. 
 
 " I received the magic drum, which was no larger than a 
 thimble, and could be slung over the shoulder with a chain. 
 What do you suppose I did with it ? Why, I beat one smart 
 tune on it, and sold it to the Nixies, who were anxious to keep 
 it in their possession. Heigh ! I almost wish that I had kept 
 it, for I believe I could have got more for it above ground, if 
 only as a curiosity. 
 
 " I went back to the magician, who entertained me very 
 handsomely, for he was pleased with my success. He wish- 
 ed me to remain with him down there in the gold cave, and 
 promised to tell me half of his secrets, which were written on 
 parchment in a great book fastened with a steel lock ; but I 
 missed my dear home behind the blackberry-bush. I sang 
 ' Home, sweet home,' to the magician ; and after that he made 
 no objection to my departure, partly because I sang it out of 
 time, I believe. 
 
 " He took his large pipe with the porcelain bowl, and when 
 he had lighted it he told me to step into the pipe, and he 
 
 would blow me up to the earth's surface. 
 
 4 
 
 " ' I am afraid of getting burned,' I objected. 
 
 " ' I would not hurt you for the world,' said the magician ; and 
 I must say he was as good as his word. 
 
 " He rubbed some sweet ointment over me to keep my skin 
 from scorching, and while he was doing it he picked my pocket 
 
i 20 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 of the sum I had received from the Nixies for the mao-ic drum. 
 I did not discover this until I was home ; but I call it mean, 
 as it was a fair trade. So I was popped into the porcelain bowl 
 of the pipe, the magician blew a cloud of smoke, and away I 
 went up to the earth's surface and daylight again." 
 
 Job was much amused at the idea of Nip rowing a match. 
 
 " Do you believe you would have won without the snuff?" 
 
 " I daresay I could with practice," said Nip. " You should 
 have seen the Fairy Regatta in line, though !" 
 
 " I wish you had kept the drum," said Job. 
 
 " So do I. Perhaps I will go to the match next year. I 
 don't mind telling you that I practice every spare moment in 
 a walnut-shell which I keep in the horse-trough." 
 
 Fairies may have plans for the future, just as mortals say 
 " I will go to a new school in the spring." Queen Puff had 
 finished her dream-thread by this time, and set aside her wheel. 
 
 " The last of it will serve for morning dreams just before the 
 children awake to look into their stockings," she said, smooth- 
 ing her apron and folding her hands in her lap. 
 
 Then all kept silence while she told the following story. 
 
Queen Puff begins a Story. 
 
 121 
 
 THE DOVE MAIDEN. 
 
 
 !« 
 
 "A little boy and girl were 
 trudging home from school, 
 swinging their luncheon has- 
 ket between them. The little 
 girl's face was pretty and good- 
 i humored ; the boy had an ugly 
 habit of frowning and shutting 
 his mouth firmly when any- 
 thing did not please him. The 
 sister had only to find the larg- 
 est slice of buttered bread in 
 the luncheon basket to bring this ugly scowl ; and the good 
 schoolmistress said that Otto would make neither a kind nor 
 generous man if he did not mend that troublesome temper of 
 his own. 
 
 "The evening was clear and beautiful. You never saw a coun- 
 try like that through which these children walked, Job. The 
 land was very level, and protected by dikes from the overflow 
 of the sea. The meadows were rich with grass and wild flow- 
 ers, where large herds of sleek cattle fed ; and canals wound in 
 and out among these fields, with barges floating along on their 
 clear waters. If you were not an ignorant boy, Job, you would 
 know at a glance that this country was Holland, where the first 
 
1 2 2 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 Dutch settlers of New York came from, even as Nip's Yankee 
 giant landed on the coast of New England. The boy and girl. 
 Otto and Sophia Snyder by name, had entered the wide 
 meadow which alone separated them from their home. 
 
 " ' Let us rest awhile,' said Otto, throwing himself on the 
 ground ; and Sophia followed his example. 
 
 " The grass rose like a green sea all about them. Over against 
 the sky was the neat village where they lived, the red-roofed 
 houses shaded by willow-trees. Otto knew Aunt Katrine would 
 expect him to feed the hens and pigs, as well as to drive the 
 cows home ; still he sat in the grass. 
 
 " They talked about the beetles toiling at their feet, the bus- 
 tling, hurrying ants, and Otto tried to catch a pretty field-mouse 
 that darted past him to hide in the ground. 
 
 " ' If I could find the nest, what fun it would be to take the 
 baby mice !' exclaimed the boy, crawling along on his hands 
 and knees to the spot where the mouse had disappeared. 
 
 " Three storks were roaming by the water-side, among flags 
 and osiers, in search of frogs. 
 
 " ' Oh, Otto ! look up there !' cried Sophia, pointing to the sky. 
 
 " Otto forgot the hunted mouse in a moment, and sprang to 
 his feet to gaze in the direction indicated by his sister. High 
 up in the air were two doves, with feathers of dazzling white- 
 ness, that soared along unconscious of danger. A large black 
 hawk was winging its swift flight in keen pursuit of the pretty 
 doves. At last the birds seemed to become aware of their peril, 
 for the hawk darted above them, prepared to swoop down on 
 the helpless mates. The children, who had watched their move- 
 ments with breathless interest, now saw them circle nearer and 
 
i-f w<m sm 
 
The I lawk and the Doves. 125 
 
 nearer to the earth in their terror of the cruel enemy in pur- 
 suit. 
 
 "'Dear little birds, I will shelter you,' cried Sophia, holding 
 out her apron in her eagerness to save them. 
 
 " The cloves sank into the apron, exhausted with fatigue and 
 fear, and the girl clasped them in her arms. The hawk dashed 
 down until his sharp beak and glittering eyes were close to 
 Sophia's face ; and she screamed with terror, but she did not 
 drop the doves. 
 
 " Now came the ugly frown on Otto's face ; he seized a stick, 
 and aimed a blow r at the bold hawk. 
 
 " ' The doves belong to us ! Let me see you touch them !' he 
 shouted, angrily. 
 
 " The hawk gave a hoarse shriek of rage and disappointment. 
 then rose slowly in the air, and flew away in search of other 
 game. The children cautiously uncovered the birds to admire 
 them, and Otto held one while Sophia carried the other. Never 
 were such lovely birds seen ! Their plumage was snowy on the 
 wings, and shaded to crimson and emerald green on the breasts. 
 Around each slender neck was fastened a gold chain studded 
 •with jewels, which flashed in the sun like a circlet of fire. 
 
 " The captives were restless to resume their flight after the 
 danger was over ; but the children had no idea of losing such 
 charming pets, so they carried them home in spite of their fran- 
 tic efforts to escape. 
 
 " The village was as clean as constant scrubbing by the tidy 
 housewives could make it. You should have seen Aunt Ka- 
 trine, rain or shine, polish the door-step, just as they do still 
 in the city of Philadelphia. The village people were already 
 
126 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 drinking tea, after the days labors, and the children passed 
 open doors, which afforded glimpses of tables, shelves, and 
 earthenware, all spotlessly pure. 
 
 " Aunt Katrine was surprised to see the prizes the children 
 had captured at the expense of being late to supper. She put 
 on her spectacles, and held up her hands. ' I never saw doves 
 with chains around their necks,' she declared. 
 
 " ' I shall take mine off,' said Otto, resolutely. 
 
 " He untwined the chain, and the dove immediately changed 
 to a little girl, with soft brown hair, her dress of some delicate 
 fabric, like a cobweb, embroidered with silver stars, with silver 
 shoes on her feet, and a cap of silver on her head. She was 
 unlike any one that Aunt Katrine had ever seen, and the 
 children thought her an angel. 
 
 " The other dove no sooner beheld the transformation of its 
 mate than it gave a loud note of alarm, and, slipping through 
 Sophia's fat fingers, soared high in the air. Sophia was staring 
 so earnestly at the stranger child that she did not recover her 
 wits until her pet was out of reach. 
 
 " The dove child, remaining below, gazed about wonderingly 
 for a moment, then sprang up into the air, and tried to snatch 
 the chain from Otto's grasp. She nearly succeeded in doing 
 so, but the boy was larger and stronger, and held it in his grasp. 
 
 " ' This belongs to me, and you do, too,' he said, frowning. 
 1 When I am a man I shall take the chain to Rotterdam, and 
 sell it for a pot of money.' 
 
 " Aunt Kate and Sophia were very kind to the stranger. 
 They stroked her fair hair and admired her dress, while greedy 
 Otto ran away to hide the precious chain in a particular nook 
 
The Dove Child. 127 
 
 behind the beam, where he kept a bird-trap and fishing-rod. 
 When supper was served, the dove child peeked daintily at the 
 coarse bread, but she could not talk beyond making little coo- 
 ing sounds quite like a dove. 
 
 "Aunt Katrine took off her star-spangled robe, and laid it 
 away carefully for holidays; then she was dressed just like So- 
 phia in a woollen petticoat and apron, yet she seemed a prin- 
 cess beside the honest little peasant lass; and you could have 
 made nothing else of her, she was so delicate and pretty. The 
 children both learned to love her after their own fashion. Otto 
 considered that he owned her, and he scolded her as he did 
 Sophia when she displeased him ; yet he would not allow 
 others to be rude to her, especially in the school, where all 
 the village children met together. 
 
 " A long time passed, and the dove child appeared to have 
 grown quite contented with her new life ; she never tried to 
 find the chain which Otto had concealed so cleverly. One day 
 she paused in the meadow, and the other dove hovered down 
 to alight on her hand. She received it with delight, cooing 
 over it in her own tongue, just as if she had never learned 
 another language. 
 
 " Otto found them talking together, and bade her catch the 
 dove ; but this she would not do, so the bird flew above the 
 boy's reach. 
 
 " ' If it comes again I will shoot it with a gun,' cried Otto, 
 shaking his fist angrily. 
 
 " Then the dove child wept, and told her mate what the 
 naughty boy had said ; and the clove went away, not daring 
 to return. The little girl begged Otto to restore her chain. 
 
128 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 
 
 "'No, indeed,' said he. 'Your father must be a great king 
 or prince from your appearance. When he comes to take you 
 away in a gilded chariot drawn by splendid horses, he must 
 give me ten chests of silver to make me rich. Then he may 
 have you, and the chain also.' 
 
 " The dove child looked at him sadly. 
 
 " ' You seem to care more' for money already than your own 
 good.' 
 
 " ' I wish to have my own way,' cried Otto. ' Yes, and I will 
 have it always !' 
 
Aunt Katrine Finds the Chain. 129 
 
 "She ran to Aunt Katrine, who always petted and soothed 
 her, entreating her with many tears to find the chain which 
 Otto had concealed so long- ago. 
 
 " ' What strange enchantment binds you, poor child ?' asked 
 the good woman, hoping to hear a story of magic. The stran- 
 ger only shook her head sorrowfully, and looked away into 
 the clear sky where the other dove had flown. After this 
 she grew discontented and unhappy. Often would she watch 
 for her mate, but the other never dared to appear, for fear 
 Ottos bullet should pierce its tender breast. 
 
 " Aunt Katrine decided to find the chain, and release the 
 child, whatever the result mioht be. She was an amiable old 
 lady, and she rather dreaded Otto's ill-temper, so she asked 
 him nothing about the matter, because she feared he would 
 only hide the chain somewhere else. Besides, he was already 
 growing to be a tall, stout lad, and would soon become master 
 of the house. Accordingly, she chose an hour when the baking 
 and sweeping were done for the day, the children away at 
 school, and, putting on her spectacles, deliberately began the 
 search. 
 
 " First she examined the chamber where Otto slept, but there 
 she found nothing besides a few playthings. Then she remem- 
 bered that the boy came down the ladder from the attic after 
 he had run away with the chain on the day when the dove 
 child was found; so up the creaking ladder went Aunt Katrine, 
 and it was not long before she placed her hand directly on the 
 chain as it lay coiled up snugly on the beam behind the bird- 
 trap. She returned to the kitchen with the treasure, and, seat- 
 ing herself by the open window, admired the delicate chain, pol- 
 
 I 
 
I 10 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 ishing the jewels on her sleeve the while, just to make them 
 sparkle and glitter. 
 
 " A tiny black dwarf crept through the window like a spider, 
 and perched on the back of Aunt Katrine's chair, without her 
 being aware of his presence. The dwarf nedded and chuckled 
 as he peered over her shoulder. After a while he drew a bit 
 of folded paper from his girdle, which grew in size to a large 
 fan, ornamented with strange figures and smelling of sweet per- 
 fume, and began gently to fan Aunt Katrine. The perfume was 
 
 thus wafted from the paper, and presently she bobbed her head 
 twice, and sank back in the chair fast asleep. Oh, dear! she 
 had done more harm than good with the best intentions. Down 
 hopped the dwarf to the floor, and snatched the chain from 
 her lap. She opened her heavy eyes just as he reached the 
 
Malicious Skimp. i 3 1 
 
 door, where he took the chain in his mouth ; then wings un- 
 folded from his sides, and lie flew away in the shape of the 
 large black hawk which had first pursued the doves. 
 
 "There was no end of mischief done! Aunt Katrine wrung 
 her hands over her folly in taking the chain from the safe hid- 
 ing-place, and now some evil fairy had made off with it. 
 
 " The children were crossing the meadow at that moment. 
 
 " ' See the hawk up yonder with something in its mouth,' 
 said Sophia. 
 
 " ' It must be a frog or a snake,' returned Otto, not dreaming 
 that the precious chain was gone. 
 
 " Aunt Katrine said not a word, like the cowardly old body 
 she was. What was the use ? Otto would sulk for a month, 
 and the dove child weep herself to death to think that she could 
 never be restored to her own people, wherever they might be. 
 
 " Now the hawk was a wicked fairy, Skimp by name, who 
 felt malice towards every one. When the fairy king's third 
 wife died, leaving him an interesting widower, Skimp expected 
 to be asked to marry him. Instead of that he chose her young 
 maid-of-honor, and Skimp's temper was soured ; so she went 
 about in many shapes, not only tormenting the other fairies, 
 but any chance mortal besides. In this way she made the 
 acquaintance of all the giants and hobgoblins in the universe. 
 
 " ' Before I hide the chain where it cannot easily be found, I 
 must do a trifle more mischief,' she thought, and paused near a 
 great city where the smoke could be seen curling up from the 
 chimneys, and the church spires were outnumbered by the masts 
 of the shipping in the harbor. Here she changed her hawk 
 dress to the costume of a country girl ; a broad hat shaded a 
 
132 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 rosy, innocent face ; she carried herself shyly and awkwardly ; 
 and no one could have believed that the simple lassie was 
 shrewd, wicked Skimp, so perfect was her disguise. 
 
 " She entered a dingy building, where young men were busy 
 counting money and writing in books. She wished to see their 
 master the broker, and soon she was showing the wonderful 
 chain, which she declared she desired to sell. Of course the 
 broker wanted it ; he would give his head for the diamond 
 clasp alone ; but he did not say so — oh no, he only shut one 
 eye, and sighed that he could not offer more than two gold 
 pieces for it — such a trifle ! Skimp had been inside his brain, 
 and whisked around twice to discover his thoughts, although she 
 seemed to stand opposite all the while — a simple country girl. 
 
 " ' I will take twenty gold pieces,' she said, firmly. 
 
 " The broker shook his head in horror ; he would give four 
 gold pieces, and no more. Then the fairy led the greedy broker 
 a merry dance. Twice she gathered up the chain, and went 
 out the door prepared to leave without completing the bargain, 
 and twice the broker called her back, adding another coin to 
 the pile on the counter. Finally he paid the full sum, pre- 
 tending to shed tears at his own folly; and all the clerks 
 paused with quills behind their ears to cry also, because 
 their great employer did. 
 
 " Skimp departed with the money, leaving the broker delight- 
 ed to have obtained the chain so cheaply. 
 
 " Fairies have no need of real money, so Skimp hid hers by 
 the steps of a cathedral, where a good man found it and dis- 
 tributed the gold to the poor, which the broker would never 
 have done. 
 
Another Theft of the Dove Chain. 133 
 
 " That night a large rat, with bright eyes like two beads, crept 
 into the chamber where the broker slept. lie had the chain 
 in a stout oak box beneath the bed, and his door was barred, 
 as he feared robbers. He could not keep out a rat, especially 
 when that rat was Madam Skim}). 
 
 "She gnawed up a quantity of bank-notes to a soft pulp, 
 which she had adroitly slipped from between the leaves of a 
 pocket-book. With this she rolled two little balls, and popped 
 them into the sleeper's ears, so that he could hear nothing. 
 Then she attacked the box under the bed ; gnaw, gnaw, went 
 her sharp teeth until a tiny hole was made, through which she 
 dragged the clove chain, and away she went with it. 
 
 " ' That was well done,' said Skimp, changing into a hawk. 
 
 " We must now return to Aunt Katrine's house. The chil- 
 dren all grew up. Sophia, a blooming maiden of eighteen, mar- 
 ried a wealthy mill-owner, and went away. 
 
 " The dove child was tall and fair in appearance. She had 
 long since outgrown the star-spangled robe and tiny shoes she 
 first wore. The dove mate had never returned to visit her. 
 
 " Otto did not miss the chain from the hiding-place, for soon 
 after Aunt Katrine had lost it the cottage caught fire from a 
 smoking chimney, and the whole building was destroyed. Otto 
 carried out the furniture, but he supposed the chain must have 
 been lost in the flames. Aunt Katrine still kept silent, but she 
 was very kind to the dove child, trying to repair the injury she 
 had done her. 
 
 '"After all, she is better off here in a Christian home,' thought 
 poor Aunt Katrine, and then she looked at the spangled dress, 
 wondering where the dove maiden really had lived. 
 
134 
 
 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 " Otto had grown to be a handsome young man. He was 
 faithful, industrious, and honest, and rebuilt the cottage with his 
 own hands. Still he must always have his own way. He 
 wished to marry the dove maiden. Aunt Katrine thought the 
 girl could not do betters-after she died there would be no one 
 left to care for her unless she married Otto. So the dove 
 maiden went into the new cottage as Otto's wife, although she 
 wept many tears that this should be her lot instead of finding 
 her dove companions once more. Aunt Katrine still scrubbed 
 and polished, for in that lay her chief happiness, and the dove 
 maiden was too delicate for such hard work. One fine morn- 
 ing the good aunt put on her spectacles to admire a pretty 
 baby which lay in the cradle, as white as milk, with sapphire 
 eyes. Otto made a good husband enough, and he was proud 
 of his wife and child, but he was surly and ill-tempered if any 
 little matter went wrong, even with them. The dove maiden 
 
The Dove Maidens Story. 
 
 do 
 
 was now cheerful and happy ; she called the child Snowdrop, 
 and they gathered flowers together in the meadow, while Aunt 
 Katrine scrubbed. When the little girl had grown sufficiently 
 large she was dressed in the star-spangled robe, shoes, and sil- 
 ver cap which her mother had worn before her. Aunt Katrine 
 was very much pleased with Snowdrop in this becoming cos- 
 tume. The dove maiden led her to the meadow, where she 
 loved to sit near the spot where she had been captured. The 
 Snyders had never heard a word of her story, but now she de- 
 cided to tell it to Snowdrop, who listened with bright, intelli- 
 gent eyes. 
 
 " ' I dreamed about my sister last night,' she said. ' Per- 
 haps if we wait patiently here she will come and pay us a visit.' 
 
 " ' But how will she come ?' asked Snowdrop. 
 
 "'She will fly here with her beautiful white wings, just as I 
 did,' returned the dove maiden with a sigh. ' Attend, my child, 
 while I tell you about your grandfather and relatives in the 
 East. The King of Selgrobia is my father. He has a brilliant 
 court thousands of miles away from here, where the palm-trees 
 grow. I have a brother who is a Crown Prince, and will some 
 time be king. My sister and I were the only daughters, and 
 we were twins. We were born with little gold chains about our 
 necks, studded with jewels, and clasped with a diamond button. 
 These were gifts of the fairy king at our birth, and would en- 
 able us to become doves whenever we wished to fly away. The 
 Queen, our mother, considered this a very dangerous gift; and, 
 fearing we would avail ourselves of the chance thus granted us, 
 she carefully hid the two chains away in a casket. We were 
 brought up in the palace, yet seldom visited the state apart- 
 
136 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 ments. Ah, that was a happy life ! We played in rose-gardens 
 with our maids, and bathed in marble fountains. 
 
 " ' One day there was a grand reception, in which a Prince 
 of Ethiopia, black as ebony, and wearing a turban of yellow 
 satin wound with chains of pearls, was presented to the King. 
 The Crown Prince, our brother, was present at the ceremony ; 
 but we were too young, although our maids ran away to peep 
 through the lattice at the wonderful stranger. Left alone, we 
 rambled into our mother's magnificent apartments, and began 
 to examine every rare, costly article of furniture with childish 
 curiosity. Presently we found a casket in an alcove which con- 
 tained our chains, and we at once recognized the fairy gifts. 
 
 " ' " Let us go out on the balcony," urged my sister. 
 
 " ' So we stepped out, disobeying our mother, and tried our 
 wings as doves. We flew into the audience -hall, where the 
 King sat in royal robes, and that was the last time I ever saw 
 him. We sped up into the clear sky, and after a journey of 
 many days reached this place, It is a cold region after my 
 home.' 
 
 " As the mother ceased speaking, the dove sister came dart- 
 ing down to visit them. The dove maiden caressed the bird, 
 shedding warm tears of joy upon its snowy feathers, and even 
 Snowdrop stroked it with her fat little hands. 
 
 " ' I have been to the fairy king,' said the clove. ' He says 
 that the workman who made the chain is dead, and the art 
 died with him, so we can never have another. The fairy sent 
 this pearl ring to your daughter. No one can take it from her 
 finger, and it will grant her wishes.' 
 
 " The mother and child returned to their humble home, 
 
Snowdrop Takes a Journey. 
 
 o/ 
 
 where Otto no sooner beheld the pearl ring than he tried to 
 wrench it off; but the ring held as firmly as steel. 
 
 " ' The value of the pearl would make me a rich man, and 
 I will have it,' he scolded. 
 
 "The dove maiden was afraid he would hurt the child, and 
 secretly made up her mind to send her away in search of her 
 grandfather's kingdom. When Aunt Katrine saw the ring she 
 was much excited, wishing to know where it came from ; and 
 little Snowdrop told her that a beautiful dove brought it from 
 the skies. Then the old lady told the dove maiden the truth 
 concerning the disappearance of the dove chain on the day 
 when she had taken it from Otto's hiding-place under the eaves. 
 
 " ' Never let him know,' she said, earnestly ; and the dove 
 maiden promised. 
 
 " ' I will go and find the chain for you,' said Snowdrop to 
 her mother. ' Then we can travel to the beautiful country you 
 have told me about.' 
 
 " So the mother kissed Snowdrop ; and the little girl, wearing 
 the silver cap and the ring, started forth in search of the dove 
 chain. She tripped along, humming a gay song to herself. 
 She had left her dear mamma and Aunt Katrine looking sadly 
 after her, yet she would soon return. A little robin flew on a 
 twig, and sang — 
 
 " ' Don't get into the boat' 
 
 " ' What do you say ?' asked the child, puzzled. 
 
 " Then a toad hopped across the path, and croaked — 
 
 " ' Don't get into the boat' 
 
 '"I do not know what you are talking about,' laughed Snow- 
 drop, and found herself on the brink of the canal. Directly be- 
 
138 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 fore her was a boat, with gilded bows, the inside a soft pink- 
 and-cream color, like the lining of a conch -shell, and the sail 
 was like fine white silk. Of course, the little girl forgot the 
 words croaked by the toad and sung by the robin, as warning, 
 and stepped into the boat. 
 
 "'I will not move the anchor; I can just pretend to be sail- 
 ing on the canal — that is all,' she said. 
 
 " A large white hand glided along under the boat, and slipped 
 the chain which held it fastened to the shore. Snowdrop was 
 
 delighted ; the boat slid along 
 without the sail being hoisted. 
 Had she but known it, two large 
 white hands were pushing it 
 steadily away from the bank. 
 
 " She enjoyed the sail, and 
 she was also a trifle frightened, 
 the current of the river seemed 
 to be so very strong. A hawk 
 came skimming close to the 
 boat, holding a crystal bubble in its beak, which the bird drop- 
 ped on Snowdrop's head. Crack went the bubble, scattering 
 fine fragments all about, like diamond splinters, and a fragrant 
 liquid flowed over the little girl's face. This bath made the 
 young voyager feel exceedingly queer; she rubbed her eyelids 
 wearily, her arms drooped, and she sank down into the bottom 
 of the boat asleep. 
 
 " The hawk had a famous trick of putting people to sleep, as 
 we have seen. 
 
 " The motion of the boat rocked her gently, like the softest 
 
A City under the Sea. 1 39 
 
 cradle, as she glided along more rapidly than ever. The two 
 strong white hands pushed her past towns and hamlets straight 
 onward; and if Snowdrop had been awake to peep over the 
 side she would have seen not only the hands, but two fair arms, 
 and a head covered with long, floating hair, like tangles of sea- 
 weed. 
 
 " ' I have caught a pretty mouse — a new toy,' gurgled a soft 
 voice down under the waves. 
 
 " When the little girl awoke and raised her head to gaze 
 about her, there was wide, rolling sea extending from one side 
 of the sky quite around to the other. The frail cockle-shell of 
 a boat was tossed high in the air by the rough billows, and 
 Snowdrop shrieked with terror every time she mounted a crest 
 to plunge down the other side. Oh, how silly it was to get into 
 the boat, and go to sleep ! How she wished she was safe at 
 home with her dear mamma and Aunt Katrine ! She never 
 once thought of her fairy ring, although it was on her finger 
 all the time. 
 
 " A large wave towered high before the frightened child ; the 
 boat was upset, and she was caught in the white arms waiting 
 to receive her, then borne swiftly and safely through the rush- 
 ing waters. 
 
 " Before the bewildered traveller knew what she was about, 
 she stood at the gates of a city. What surprised her most 
 was the fact that her starry dress and silver cap were perfectly 
 dry, although she was in the water all the while. This would 
 not have been the case had not her fairy ring been on her 
 finger. 
 
 " At first the city seemed to be precisely similar to cities on 
 
140 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 land : there were shops, squares, and palaces ; and the wall was 
 thickly crusted with oysters and barnacles, like a ship which has 
 been in the water a long while. On closer inspection Snow- 
 drop discovered the difference : the avenues were sand, the rows 
 of buildings large shells. It would be easy to find the residence 
 of a friend here if one was a stranger. There was a street com- 
 posed wholly of cowries, another of clam-shells, another of scal- 
 lops, a fourth of periwinkles, and so on, through all the king- 
 dom of shells. Snowdrop was not surprised, therefore, to read 
 on sign-boards — " Clam-shell Terrace," " Cowry Place," or " Peri- 
 winkle Avenue." She w r alked dry-shod through the streets, but 
 she noticed that the inhabitants darted about swiftly and noise- 
 lessly, for they all had fish-tails. The city was very bright, 
 almost as if illuminated with gas, and Snowdrop discovered that 
 this light was shed from a sun -fish hung on a pole in a large 
 park of sea-weeds. The sun-fish was phosphorescent, and at 
 night the watchman w r as obliged to draw a blind over it, in 
 order that the people should sleep a wink. 
 
 " In the centre of this sea-weed park was a building made of 
 the bell of a jelly-fish, which was like the most beautiful crystal, 
 or blown-glass, with pink-and-blue tints on the walls. Snow- 
 drop could see people moving about inside this palace, and she 
 approached it. Two sword-fish policemen hovered about the 
 entrance. 
 
 " ' This is a prison,' they said, very fiercely. 
 
 " Snowdrop ran up the steps, and entered the first hall, where 
 a group of mermaids were playing on coral harps with draped 
 sea-lettuce. One of these took Snowdrop's hand — ' I caught 
 you, little maid, and I shall keep you for a pet' The second 
 
Queen Kornor. 
 
 141 
 
 hall was spacious and beautiful ; at the farther end was a throne 
 of rock, upon which sat a woman who was turned to stone, ail 
 except her head, and bound with iron chains to her seat. 
 
 " Before her were open coffers and curious relics of all sorts, 
 with piles of silk fabrics, jewels, bars of gold, and coins, such as 
 are lost in shipwrecks. 
 
 " A number of young men and maidens, robed in dazzling 
 white, who were evidently her subjects, sorted the treasure into 
 chests ; but the Queen did not seem to find any amusement 
 in their employment. 
 
 " Snowdrop approached, and was kindly received. 
 
 " ' Have you seen my mother's dove chain ?' asked the child. 
 
 " ' I am Queen Kornor,' said the lady. ' This large city was 
 once located on a beautiful plain, surrounded by hills. The 
 
142 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 Giant Drubb became angry with me because I neglected to 
 invite him to a Christmas dinner, and he made an earthquake 
 to sink us beneath the sea, while I was chained to the rock. 
 Nothing but a blow from his iron dagger will release me.' 
 
 " ' I may be able to help you,' said Snowdrop. 
 
 " ' If you do, I will take you to a wise woman who lives on 
 the mountain-side, and she must know all about the dove chain. 
 The Giant Drubb lives on the borders of the Arabian Desert. 
 Pause by the well under the palm-tree.' 
 
 " It was not easy to escape from the mermaid who had caught 
 Snowdrop. She wished to present her to Neptune, she said, 
 and she could not afford to lose her. Then Snowdrop clasped 
 her arms about the neck of the lovely mermaid and kissed her, 
 entreating that she might be released. 
 
 " ' I must find the dove chain for my mother, who is watch- 
 ing for me all this long time,' she pleaded ; and the mermaid 
 made not another word of objection, but carried her up to the 
 shore. The mermaid was only frolicsome. 
 
 " How astonished the clove mother would have been to see 
 her child carried in a mermaid's arms, with her star-robe crisp 
 and dry ! 
 
 " For the first time Snowdrop remembered to use her ring 
 by wishing herself at the palm-tree, and she found herself there 
 sooner than any steamboat could have taken her. She saw 
 nobody, and looked down into the well. A rose-colored bubble 
 came up to the surface from the cool depths. 
 
 " ' Don't pause to eat in the grove,' said a voice, and the 
 bubble sank. 
 
 " Next a blue bubble appeared. 
 
Blinding Giant Drubb. 145 
 
 " ' Throw water over Drubb's heads,' and the second bubble 
 sank. 
 
 " Then up came a green bubble. 
 
 " ' Carry the enchanted waters of this well.' 
 
 " ' What shall I carry it in ?' 
 
 " ' In me,' replied the green bubble, and popped out of the 
 well upon the grass — a beautiful flask. 
 
 " Snowdrop walked through the grove, thinking she would 
 soon finish the matter. Stately trees arched overhead to form 
 a cool, green vault; the turf was velvet smooth, and along the 
 paths were spread tempting fruits. 
 
 " Snowdrop recalled the words of the rosy bubble, and walked 
 on, turning neither to the right nor left. 
 
 " Giant Drubb was seated in an immense arm-chair, hewn 
 out of granite, which commanded a fine view of the surround- 
 ing country, so that he should know what was going on. Just 
 as Snowdrop .crept near, an ostrich ran in front of the giant 
 and paused. Drubb stared at the ostrich with all the eyes in 
 all his heads, because it was unusual to see an ostrich there. 
 
 " ' Come a step nearer, and I will catch you in my hand. 
 You would make me a dainty breakfast,' cried Drubb. 
 
 " Snowdrop climbed behind him, and sprinkled his first two 
 heads on the right with the enchanted water. This blinded his 
 eyes ; and always hiding behind the heads already sprinkled, 
 she contrived to anoint the whole ten. 
 
 "'Dear me! — is it night?' growled Drubb. 'I thought the 
 sun was still hours high. How short the davs are growing !' 
 
 " Snowdrop slipped the dagger from its sheath at his side, 
 and wished herself away from the terrible monster. The mer- 
 
 K 
 
146 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 maid had waited for her on the shore, amusing herself by sing- 
 ing sweet songs to bewitch the fishermen. 
 
 " Down they went through the rushing waters, and this time 
 Snowdrop was not afraid. It was an easy matter to use 
 Drubb's dagger on the cruel chain which bound the lady, but 
 Snowdrop was surprised when the whole city rose to its place 
 on the blooming plain, the houses marble and stone, instead of 
 clam-shells and cowries. 
 
 " You see Giant Drubb had made a sort of off-hand earth- 
 quake to immerse the city ; no one ever heard of a town 
 coming back that had been swallowed by a real, terrible earth- 
 quake. The Queen was very grateful. She lost no time in 
 leading Snowdrop up the steep path to the wise woman on 
 the mountain. They found her in a hut perched on a crag, 
 where a goat might climb — and, indeed, she was as nimbie 
 and sure-footed as any goat. She liked to live near the stars, 
 where the thunder crashed and the lightning seemed to leap 
 from rock to rock. 
 
 " The visitors entered her hut, where an owl was perched on 
 one side of the hearth, and an eagle on the other. 
 
 " ' Who have we here ?' she muttered, peering at Snowdrop. 
 
 " ' I will give you my ring if you tell me where the dove 
 chain is,' said Snowdrop, eagerly. 
 
 " The wise woman smiled, and smoothed the little girl's hair. 
 
 " ' I live nearer the clear heavens than those below. The 
 stars are my jewels,' she said. 
 
 " ' This dear child has rescued me from prison, and in re- 
 turn she desires to find her mother's clove chain,' said Queen 
 Kornor. 
 
The Wise Woman. 
 
 '47 
 
 "' Yes, yes — I know. Madam Skimp did all that mischief 
 because she could not marry the fairy king ; and it was his 
 gift. I hear all the news from my two friends here.' 
 
 " ' I saw Skimp fly away with the chain in the form of a 
 hawk, 1 said the eagle. 
 
 " The wise woman sprinkled some dried herbs on a brazier, 
 and a white cloud rose in the hut, so that the two visitors could 
 not see her at all. When the smoke cleared, she shook her 
 head. 
 
 "'Go to the fairy king. Perhaps Skimp will tell you, aft- 
 er all.' 
 
148 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 " The eagle offered to carry the guests down the mountain 
 on his back, and they found the ride very pleasant. Snowdrop 
 could only think of her lonely mother now, who must watch 
 anxiously for her return, and so decided to seek the fairy realm 
 at once. * 
 
 " Everything was in confusion ; the fairy queen had been 
 stung by a gnat, which caused her death, and the king was 
 again a widower. 
 
 " ' That comes of marrying beneath his rank. She was only 
 Skimps maid of honor,' cried the gossips. 
 
 " Snowdrop heard them, for she stood behind the bluebell 
 in which they were swinging. 
 
 " ' Bless me !' exclaimed one, raising her eye-glass, which was 
 made of the eye-hole of a cambric needle set in steel; 'who 
 comes here ? It is Madam Skimp, and no other !' 
 
 " Sure enough, it was Skimp, who had heard of the queens 
 death, and decided to return to the court, in hopes of winning 
 the seat on the throne beside the kino;. 
 
 " Skimp was lovely. She had bathed her face in flower-dew ; 
 her robe was sewed out of gold leaf, with a boddice formed of 
 a single ruby, and trimmed with diamond dust. Her hair was 
 combed into a high waterfall ; her hat was made of a beetle, 
 and her fan was dandelion down. Never was a more charming- 
 toilet seen ; the other fairy ladies nearly died of envy when 
 she minced along, waving her fan in a fashionable manner ; 
 and in kneeling before the king she showed two little gold 
 boots, with red heels, to great advantage. 
 
 " The king thought he had never seen Skimp look so pretty ; 
 and when he bade her rise from her knees, he proposed to drink 
 
The Dove Chain Recovered. 149 
 
 her health in amber honey, which was served in beech-nut 
 cups. Although he was still dressed in mourning (a sable 
 moth's cloak), as a token of respect for the departed queen, 
 he had not sipped all of the honey before lie made Skimp an 
 offer of marriage. 
 
 "The honey sweetened her temper wonderfully — that or pros- 
 perity — and she began to feel ashamed of her naughtiness. 
 
 " Snowdrop made her presence known, for the little people 
 were so much absorbed in their own affairs that they had 
 not noticed her. 
 
 " The king invited her to be seated on the soft moss, as his 
 chair was too small for a mortal ; and you have no idea how 
 big and clumsy she appeared among the Fairies, quite as great 
 a contrast as Giant Drubb was to herself. 
 
 '" Dear, good Fairies, I have been all over the earth to find 
 my mothers dove chain, and I need your assistance.' 
 
 " ' I should be ashamed of my subjects if they did not help 
 you,' replied the king. ' Every fairykin must hold up a hand 
 in token of willingness to aid Snowdrop.' 
 
 " Each one held up a tiny fist, and Queen Skimp raised 
 hers with the rest. Why not? She was willing to restore the 
 chain since she had been sweetened with the honey. 
 
 '"Let by-gones be by-gones,' she said. 'If I was not the 
 fourth w r ife, I am the fifth.' 
 
 " She flew away on her gauze wings, and returned in a trice, 
 carrying the chain, which she gave to Snowdrop, and kissed 
 her in the bargain. 
 
 " Snowdrop left the Fairies in the midst of wedding gayeties, 
 thankful that Skimp's ambition had been at last gratified, since 
 
150 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 this had led her to give up the chain, as well as to become 
 a good sprite at last. 
 
 " Danger was not over for the dove mother's little daughter. 
 Scarcely had she quitted the fairy kingdom when she heard 
 behind her a rumbling like distant thunder. This sound was 
 caused by Giant Drubb, who was tramping after the bold girl 
 who had robbed him of his iron dao-o-er to release Oueen Kor- 
 nor from her enchantment under the sea. 
 
 " Snowdrop, with the aid of her ring, changed herself into a 
 lily, which held the chain in its cup securely, and the giant 
 strode on without noticing the flower trembling on its stalk. 
 Afterwards she resumed her journey, and walked behind the 
 giant, keeping out of range of his many eyes, that looked 
 in all directions. 
 
Queen Puff ends her Story. I 5 i 
 
 "When Snowdrop reached the canal and the meadow, Giant 
 Drubb was still striding forward, looking before him, like a 
 great many other big people; and perhaps he is still marching 
 around the world, for Snowdrop saw him no more. 
 
 "How quickly she ran across the meadow to the village! 
 How gladly the dove mother and Aunt Katrine welcomed her ! 
 Otto was still cross over Snowdrop's long absence, of whom lie 
 was fond in his way. 
 
 " Next morning he went to his labor in the fields, and Aunt 
 Katrine stood all the copper pots of the kitchen in a row to be 
 freshly scoured. At that moment Snowdrop pulled her mother 
 gently away through the door. Hastily throwing the chain 
 around the dove mother's neck, she wished to become a carrier- 
 pigeon at the same moment, and they rose in the air together. 
 
 " Otto was binding sheaves, and did not notice that two 
 birds hovered overhead. A ring fell before him, and he dis- 
 covered a pile of gold. He missed wife and child, but the pile 
 of gold remained. 
 
 " They then flew towards the sun and their kindred. 
 
 " Aunt Katrine and the village people thought that they 
 were dead, and had gone to heaven." 
 
 Queen Puff was in high good -humor with herself and the 
 rest of the company when she had finished her story. 
 
 " It comes from the Old Country, and is all the better for 
 that, to my fancy. Let me hear what your Indian and Yankee 
 Fairies have to say after the ' Dove Maiden." " 
 
 " Hoighty-toighty ! I could make up a better story with my 
 eyes shut," retorted Nip. 
 
152 The Cat skill Fairies. 
 
 Then Queen Puff grew quite red in the face, and was about 
 to reply, when the attention of all was diverted. 
 
 In Job's picture-gallery there was a small print of an oasis 
 in the desert, where one slender palm-tree towered aloft, shad- 
 ing the well which afforded refreshment to a company of 
 Arabs and camels. ' This palm-tree began to rustle and sway 
 gently, as if disturbed by a breeze, as indeed it was — the breeze 
 of Nip's influence. 
 
 " A great deal has been said about America this evening," 
 said the tree. " Let me describe how the first cocoa-nut was 
 discovered. 
 
The Afflicted Rajah. 153 
 
 THE FIRST COCOA-NUT 
 
 "A Prince once lived in the East, who fell ill, just like the 
 poorest of his subjects. The Prince in those countries was 
 called a Rajah, which means much the same thing. There was 
 no help for it; disease had entered the Rajah's house of stucco, 
 with the teak-wood balconies, as if he were a humble laborer, 
 living in a hut, and eating a handful of rice a day. 
 
 " What was the matter with him ? Nobody knew, and wise 
 doctors came miles and miles to consult over the mysterious 
 malady and discover a remedy, but all to no purpose. The 
 wise doctors, as well as all the subjects, believed that Maha- 
 Laka, a great demon, had thus afflicted the Rajah because he- 
 was a good man. 
 
 " There was really nothing more to be done, since the physi- 
 cians were at their wits' end. 
 
 " The Rajah did not forget to say his prayers, however great 
 his sufferings ; so he went to the temple, offered a whole pyra- 
 mid of sw r eet flowers on the altar, according to the formula 
 of the Buddhist religion, and repeated the Buddha-Sarana. 
 
 " Then he came home to the teak-wood palace, laid down on 
 his mat, and slept for seven days. Slaves hovered about him, 
 burning perfumes in braziers, and waving fans of peacock 
 feathers to cool the chamber, yet none dared to disturb his 
 slumbers. 
 
154 The Cat ski 11 Fairies. 
 
 " The Rajah was dreaming a wonderful dream all this while. 
 He saw a beach, and water beyond. Waves broke on the 
 strand, and a thousand dazzling lights shifted over the sparkling 
 blue surface. It seemed a curious fact that when the Rajah 
 dipped his hand into the clear, cool-looking water to drink, the 
 flavor was salt and disagreeable. 
 
 " Gazing around on the strange scene, he discovered a grove 
 of trees, rooted on the very brink where land and water met 
 — the spray clashed over their trunks. These trees rose in slen- 
 der columns, like mine, with a crown of graceful foliage at the 
 top. Yes, it was wonderful ! While the Rajah marvelled, a 
 cobra-de-capello, the snake sacred to the Buddhists, glided to 
 his side, raised its spectacled hood, thrust out its blue, forked 
 tongue, bowed its head three times, and lapped water from the 
 leaf reserved for the Prince's private use. Then the cobra dis- 
 appeared in the jungle. This was proof enough of Buddha's 
 favor. 
 
 " A cloud gathered close about him, which the Prince tried 
 in vain to pierce, growing darker and darker until it was night. 
 He was afraid of this cloud, and fixed his eyes anxiously on a 
 rift which clove the vapor like sunshine. Out of this splendor 
 grew an old man, whose face was calm, like the moon, and he 
 sat on the mist with his feet crossed. The Rajah knew that 
 this must be Maha-Sarana, the father of Buddha; so he fell 
 on his face, pressing his forehead to the ground in the way 
 his own subjects did when approaching him. 
 
 "'This is a sacred tree,' said the old man, pointing to the 
 grove by the sea. ' You have failed, through ignorance, to 
 show it the respect due to all created things. See ! The deeply 
 
The Rajah" s Dream. 155 
 
 serrated leaf distinguishes it as the favorite of Buddha. The 
 snake was kind to Buddha while he was on earth, and there- 
 fore, since the cobra has drank from your leaf, you shall re- 
 cover health by obeying my commands. 
 
 "'In the South lies your remedy. A journey of one hun- 
 dred hours will bring you to the trees seen by you in this 
 vision. Eat of the fruit, which must be your sole diet until the 
 Great Moon has twice given and refused her light. Disease 
 shall leave thee, but forget not sweet sacrifice to that Brahma 
 of all Brahmas to whom even demons pay homage. The fruit, 
 which is partly a transparent fluid and partly innocent food, 
 grows on the top ; by fire alone can it be obtained.' 
 
 "A sound as of a thousand tomtoms broke on the Rajah's 
 ear, and he awoke. 
 
 " The pious Prince at once arose, placed the palms of his 
 hands on his forehead, and bowed himself in prayer to Ossah 
 Pollah Dewyo, the ruler and creator of all gods and demons, 
 and of the flat earth besides. 
 
 " Next an offering of fruits, betel-leaves, and flowers was left 
 under a Bogaha-tree ; and it was proclaimed that the invalid 
 would make a journey. 
 
 " Forth came the retinue of warriors and slaves — forth came 
 the wife from her zenana, wrapped in shawls and veiled with 
 gauze, through which twinkled the jewels of a princess, attend- 
 ed by troops of dancing -girls and waiting -women. 
 
 " The Rajah climbed a silver ladder to the velvet howdah 
 on the elephant's back ; the Princess was seated in her litter 
 of ivory and fragrant woods, and the royal procession moved in 
 obedience to the command of the old man seen in the dream. 
 
156 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 
 
 ''• Through rivers, forests, valleys, and the tangled jungle our 
 Rajah made his way to the South. 
 
 " At last he saw the wide expanse of sea, the blue waters ; 
 and on the margin the trees with slender pillars of trunk and 
 feathered crown. This crest served as a parasol to shade the 
 fruit from the vertical rays of the sun, and directly beneath , 
 hung the purple and yellow clusters. No human being lived 
 on this wild shore ; only leopards, elephants, lions, and sloths 
 roamed about. Who could climb the tree ? No one, sure- 
 ly. The Rajah had a fire built ; flames girdled and sapped/ 
 its life with intense heat, until the crown trembled, wavered, 
 and fell. Out ran innumerable creatures that had found a 
 home in its branches — large blue scorpions, brown centi- 
 pedes, black and green beetles, tarantulas, the polonga, and 
 rat-snake. 
 
 " Descending from the elephant, the Rajah approached the 
 
The Raj 'a If s Gratitude, 157 
 
 beach, and tasted the water. It was salt and bitter to the pal- 
 ate, like it had been in his dream. 
 
 " The first cocoa-nut was broken, and forth gushed the milk, 
 as pure and deliciously cool as crystal. The Rajah's life was 
 saved by this food. 
 
 " In his gratitude he made known to all the world that he 
 had discovered a tree the fruit of which was renewed health, 
 the leaf adapted to making- huts, mats, fans, and thread, the sap 
 a refreshing liquor, and the pith a nutritious meal." 
 
 In the picture the Arabs watered their camels, and prepared 
 to cross the desert; but they got no farther in their move- 
 ments, because they were taken in those attitudes. 
 
 " I can't make out all that you say," Job remarked, looking 
 at the palm-tree. " Who was Buddha ?" 
 
 " If you have heard of the heathen you know what I mean. 
 The Rajah was a heathen, and worshipped the god Buddha, as 
 a great many people do in the East. The missionaries go to 
 those lands to teach them better, and tell them about Christ." 
 
 Then the palm-tree became part of the picture again. 
 
 The tiny visitors grew restless; as for Nip he appeared and 
 disappeared continually, now climbing among the old blue ware 
 of the open cupboard, now dancing on Grandfather's spectacle- 
 case, now seating himself in the steel thimble on the shelf as if 
 it were a tub. However, Job and the Fairies did not expect Nip 
 to behave well. The Angora cat gave a leap in the air, and 
 came down with her fur standing on end. 
 
 " It must be time for the Fairy of the Cascade," she purred. 
 
 "Bang! bang!" went the old clock, as if in answer. 
 
158 The Cat ski II Fairies. 
 
 Then it seemed to Job that the kitchen wall melted away, 
 and he saw the fall, framed in the ravine, with the hollowed 
 space below where he had crept many a time to catch the 
 spray. The banks were crusted with snow, dazzling and pure ; 
 every tree and shrub sparkled with frozen drops ; and the water 
 did not leap over the crag as in summer, but formed a sheet of 
 ice, as if Nature had fashioned out of the rocks a great organ, 
 and these were pipes for the winds to play. 
 
 Two hands linked together by an ice chain opened the doors 
 of the cascade — it seemed the most ordinary thing possible to 
 Job just then — and he looked into the recesses of the hills. 
 There sat the lovely Fairy of the Cascade bewailing her im- 
 prisonment by cruel Winter. 
 
 " He says it does me good, and makes me value my free- 
 dom in the spring all the more," she moaned. " How I love 
 the sun for coming to release me ! At present he is busy 
 in other parts of the world, you know. Winter is the most 
 suspicious tyrant. He would not allow me to visit you with 
 the other Fairies, because he did not trust me that I would 
 not run away and make myself a new channel in some other 
 ravine." 
 
 Job longed to ask for his present, but was too shy. 
 
 Then a little voice behind him — it sounded like Nip's — 
 inquired : 
 
 " Where is Job's Christmas gift ?" 
 
 The Fairy looked kindly at the boy. 
 
 " My gift is the magic pole, to help one leap ravines and 
 over the largest locks. I shall save it for some other child, 
 now, because you already own it." 
 
Voices from the Outside World. 159 
 
 " Oil, no I don't — not even a stick," protested Job. 
 
 " My dear Job, the magic pole is cheerfulness, which helps 
 
 mortals to jump over trials and sorrows, forgetting their own 
 selfish pleasure. This you already own.' 1 
 
 Job was puzzled beyond measure. The chained hands closed 
 the ice door of the cascade, and the wall of the kitchen was in 
 its proper place. 
 
 "Bless me! The children will not get their dream -thread 
 in time," said Puff, bustling about. 
 
 " A merry Christmas to you, Job," piped nil the little 
 voices. 
 
 The Summer Fairies mingled with winter's frosty elves ; 
 Puff and the Laurel Sprites rose in a brilliant cloud. It made 
 Job giddy to watch them — red and green and pink in circles 
 like a dissolving rainbow — until he shut his eyes tight to es- 
 cape the dazzling radiance. Hark ! Who called ? 
 
 Job was sitting in Grandfather's chair, which was drawn up 
 to the hearth, where the log still flickered ; and the friendly sun 
 was not only peeping in the window-, but streaming across his 
 face. Evidently it was day — Christmas-day. Where were Nip 
 and Queen Puff? Gone. 
 
 The Angora cat stood at Job's feet, staring at him with all 
 her eyes ; the shell lay on the shelf, the clock ticked in its 
 corner. 
 
 Job roused himself, and went to the window. Snow had 
 ceased to fall; the sky was blue and clear. He raised the sash. 
 Outside a white field stretched almost unbroken by line of 
 fence or bush ; the flakes had fallen all night. 
 
 "Holloa!" came the sound again, echoed by all the hills. 
 
i6o 
 
 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 Jobs heart began to beat hard. They were calling him ! 
 Was he to be dug out of the drift safely? He put his hands 
 to his mouth, shaped them like a trumpet, and sent a cheery 
 shout ringing back. Then he danced around the kitchen ; 
 and, because he must do something in his joy at hearing 
 voices again, he snatched up the cat, and hugged her until 
 pussy yelled aloud with wrath. 
 
 How about the poor cow and the chickens ? Job strove to 
 trace the path he had made with so much labor the day before, 
 but the snow had covered it. The cow must wait longer for 
 her breakfast than on the previous day. In the meanwhile Job 
 was a hero without knowing it. The night before news had 
 spread from the village to farm after farm that the boy was 
 alone on the mountain, and when the snow ceased all were 
 
Grandfathers Arrival. 161 
 
 ready to turn out with sleighs and ploughs to force a way 
 through to rescue him. 
 
 Grandfather could neither sleep nor eat for thinking of what 
 evil might have befallen Job in his absence. Perhaps he had 
 left the shelter of his home to seek help at some distant house, 
 and had perished in the storm! The old man's fears grew with 
 the drifts, as it were. Many hands make light work; the farm- 
 ers toiled with a will, and cheered up Grandfather. They found 
 an unexpected ally where the task seemed most difficult. The 
 still cold which nipped Job's toes as the fire went down per- 
 formed for him a better service — it froze the crust of the snow- 
 so that a sleigh could pass over it. This was the party whose 
 call Job heard. 
 
 There never was a boy quite so glad to see faces again as 
 Job was, and to have Grandfather among them too. All the 
 farmers laughed as if it were a great joke, and shook Job by 
 the shoulders; that was their way of expressing satisfaction. 
 Grandfather felt of the boy carefully to judge if he were frost-, 
 bitten or hurt ; then he sank down into his chair, and ex- 
 claimed : 
 ," Wal, this never happened to us afore !" 
 
 You may be sure that the cow and the chickens were 
 reached in a trice, with all those strong arms to clear the way : 
 and by the time that was done the tea-kettle sang merrily, 
 the table was spread, and Grandfather was engaged in making- 
 some of his famous pancakes. The neighbors stayed for a 
 while, and the Angora cat felt herself quite in the shade with 
 so many visitors. 
 
 Job stood at the window when the sky had assumed the 
 
 L 
 
1 62 The Catskill Fairies. 
 
 green tinge of a cold twilight. He was thinking of his fairy 
 visitors, and wishing that they would return. 
 
 The Lady of the Cascade was in her winter prison — one knew 
 exactly where to rind her; but roguish Nip and busy Puff, with 
 her endless spinning, were gone. 
 
 " The Fairies came to see me last night — because I was lone- 
 ly, I guess," said the boy, gravely. " They told me, oh, such 
 wonderful things, if I could remember 'em all." 
 
 Grandfather looked at Job over the rim of his spectacles. 
 To tell the truth, he was afraid that his grandson was a little 
 cracked. 
 
 " There was Nip from the Berkshire Hills, and the Indian 
 Fairies who live here still — they told about the witch child, 
 and — " 
 
 " Pooh !" interrupted Grandfather, looking down again at the 
 open pocket-book where lay the money he had brought. " You 
 were asleep and dreamed it." 
 
 Job was so astonished and indignant that he could not utter 
 one word. What did Grandfather know about it? Perhaps. the 
 shell and the cat had not talked ! He would be saying that 
 next. 
 
 After Grandfather had gone to bed, our hero stole into the 
 kitchen to see if there were an elfish company gathered around 
 the hearth. No, the fire blazed and flickered, and had the chim- 
 ney all to itself. That was all. 
 
 ' You know about the Fairies, don't you ?" job whispered to 
 the old clock. 
 
 " Tick, tick, tick I" said the clock, which might mean any- 
 thing, or just nothing at all. 
 
Conclusion. 
 
 16 
 
 " Pussy, what did Nip say?" 
 
 The Angora cat lay curled in a white ball on the chair. 
 "Miouw!" she answered, blinking stupidly. 
 Job crept away slowly. Was Grandfather right, after all, when 
 he said it was a dream ? 
 
 This is our story. If any little boy or girl who visits the 
 Catskills next summer will look for Job, not many miles from 
 the Mountain House, he may be found, shy and barefooted, 
 wearing the jacket made out of Grandfather's old plum-colored 
 coat. If he should not be recognized by this description, the 
 chances are ten to one that the Angora cat will be close be 
 side him. 
 
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 Sheep, $8 50; Full Roan, $9 00; Half Calf or Half Morocco extra. $10 00. 
 
 The Geographical Distribution of Animals. 
 
 With a Study of the Relations of Living and Extinct Faunas as Elucidating the Past 
 Changes of the Earth's Surface. By Alfred Rcssel Wallace, Author of the " Malay 
 Archipelago,'' &c. In Two Volumes. With Maps and Illustrations. 8vo, Cloth, $10 00. 
 
 The First Century of the Republic. 
 
 A Review of American Progress. Svo, Cloth. $."> 00 ; Sheep. 8"> 50 : Half Morocco, 87 'J">. 
 
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