Violet: A Fairy Story

by C. S. Guild

  "Mabel's work was not over now; she climbed half way up the hill, founda beautiful shady place, where the grass was long, and the roots of agreat tree had coiled themselves into a seat, which was cushioned overwith moss.

  "She threw aside her sun bonnet, and began to pick off the green hullsfrom her fruit, while the broad oak leaves overhead kept fanning her,and lifting the matted curls from her warm forehead.

  "But then came a great mosquito, and then another, and another; theywould whirl around her head, buzzing and buzzing, and fly from herforehead to her nose, and from nose to hand, and hand to shoulder, andthen creep into the curly hair, and buzz so close to her ear itfrightened her.

  "Twenty times she had a mind to throw her berries into the brook and runhome; but then she thought of the violets--how splendid it would be tohave them all to herself; she should not give away one flower, not one,she had worked so hard for them.

  "Throwing the stems away lowered the contents of her pail so much thatMabel had to go out in the hot field and pick again, and then back tothe wood where the mosquitoes were, and work another hour. She never hadsuch a long, hard task before.

  "But the little girl travelled home at last with her pail brimful in onehand, and a splendid great bunch of lilies in the other. This lastserved as a parasol till she reached the gardener's gate.

  "Then, taking her violets, Mabel hurried home. There were more of them,and they were larger and sweeter, than she had even hoped. She hardlytook her eyes from them until she reached her mother's door.

  "While she was placing her flowers in water, a woman came up the hot,dusty road, with a young child in her arms. She looked tired and warm,and said she had eaten nothing all day long. Mabel looked in the closet;there was plenty of bread, but she dared not give it without hermother's leave. She looked in all the rooms; but her mother was not tobe found; and when the poor woman had rested a little, Mabel watched hercreep out into the blazing sun again, dragging the little child afterher. She could not bear to think that while she had every thing to makeher happy, others must go hungry and tired; and 'Suppose it were mymother,' Mabel thought; 'I _must_ do something for her; yet I havenothing in the world to give.'

  "'Except the violets,' whispered something inside of Mabel's heart.Snatching them from the table, she ran after the beggar, and said,--

  "'There, I gave a whole pail of strawberries for these; perhaps you cansell them for a loaf of bread.'"

  The poor woman looked so pleased, and thanked Mabel so heartily, thatshe felt the violets could never have caused her so much joy as it haddone to give them away.

  CHAPTER II.

  "Not many days after these events, Mabel went again to the field wherethe lilies and strawberries grew, played about in the sun until she wastired, and then seated herself under a shady tree to rest, and hear thebirds and rustling leaves, and watch the brook glide through the grass.

  "The grass about her was long, and fine, and soft as any bed; it wascool too, and Mabel, listening to the quiet murmur of the brook, fellfast asleep; but all the while she thought herself wide awake, andwondered why the sound of the rippling of water changed to somethinglike the tread of tiny feet; and then there came the sweetest, mostdelicate music; and all at once--could it be?--she saw a multitude oflittle beings marching through the very pathway her footsteps had madein the grass, and approaching her. They were hardly taller than agrasshopper would be if he could stand up like a man, and had formedthemselves into the drollest little procession.

  "First came the musicians; there were flute players, using each a jointof grass stem for instrument, bell ringers, jingling lilies of thevalley, and trumpeters tooting through white lilac blossoms. Then camethe guards, dressed in uniform, and bearing each a fern leaf for bannerat once and parasol. With these leaves they shaded a group of littlewomen, who marched along as dignified as nuns until they came to a bunchof fennel leaves that grew near Mabel's resting-place. Towards this theyflew, for the tiny people had wings; they climbed the stems and clung tothe feathery leaves, and then all at once, espying Mabel, troopedtowards her, and ranged themselves upon a platform of plantain leaves.

  "They were funny little women--tall, and prim, and slim, wearing greenmantles and such big purple hoods. They were more polite than somelarger people, and did nothing but bow, and courtesy, and smile toMabel, who asked them who they were and whence they came.

  "They shook their heads, and laughed, while the air was filled withsweetest odor. At last one said,--

  "'We are flower spirits. Every year we come to earth and live in someblossom, which we fill with beauty and fragrance; but when it withers wego back to Fairyland until another spring. We have, besides our fairyqueen, a queen whom we choose every year among mortals, and serve herfaithfully. We have just returned from working in her service.'

  "'Are you not hungry?' asked Mabel. 'I have brought luncheon. Won't youeat some of my gingerbread?'

  "The fairies laughed again. 'We live,' they said, 'upon flower dust anddewdrops; we should not relish mortal food.'

  "Then they called from the attendants who lingered among the fennelleaves their steward and butler; and it was Mabel's turn to laugh whenshe saw how queerly they ate.

  "Some blossoms from the elder bush, little ivory urns, served them forgoblets. These were set upon a mushroom, and some red clover blossomswere rolled around the table for seats. The little men had tried in vainto break these blossoms off; so they caught a caterpillar, whipped himalong with grass blades, and made him use his teeth for a knife. Thenthey had caught a toad, and heaped his round back with the blossoms,which rolled off as fast as they could be picked up again; and by thetime they reached their mistresses, the fairy servants were warm and redin the face as any hay makers.

  "The fairies grew so hungry with waiting that they even tasted a crumbof Mabel's gingerbread; but not liking this very well, they took outfrom among the provisions that were packed in a wild rose, the petalsnicely fastened together with cobweb threads, some poppy and carawayseeds, upon which they began to gnaw with their little white teeth.

  "'You must have lived in violets,' said Mabel. 'Every time you shakeyour bonnets and laugh, the air is full of their odor. Can't you smellit?'

  "'Yes, for we were violets once ourselves, and all blossomed in the samegarden; some of us grew from the same root, and a queer life we have ledin the last few days. One hot day this very week the gardener's wifepicked us in the greatest haste, and tied us together so tightly we wereall but smothered for a while. The woman gave us to a little girl, whowas just putting our stems in some cool water, and we half dead withthirst, when she must needs give us away to a beggar woman.'

  "'Why,' exclaimed Mabel, 'were you _my_ violets?'

  "The fairies only laughed.

  "'The woman held us in her hot hands until we were all but wilted, andshe gave one or two of my sisters to the poor tired child that followedher through the dust.'

  "'What is the matter?' asked Mabel; 'your eyes are full of tears.'

  "'I am thinking of my sisters, whom we shall never meet again;' and thetears ran down the fairy's little cheeks. 'The child was overtired, andso warm that when they came to a resting-place, and she lay down tosleep, she never awoke again. A lady who had taken pity upon her laidthe little body out for burial, and finding those few violets stillclinched in the dead hand, would not remove them; so my sisters wereburied in her grave, and must remain there no one knows how long; forwhile we live on earth we must take care of these bodies, frail flowersthough they be. If we omit this, all our happiness and usefulness aregone. The kind lady who buried the beggar child bought us from thewoman, all wilted as we were. In her shady parlor we soon grewrefreshed, lifted our heads again, and in gratitude breathed forthodors, till the room was all perfumed. A lovely girl came to visit thelady, and said so much about our sweetness, that, to our joy, we weredivided with her. She took us to her home, a splendid place, all light,and gilding, and flowers, curtains, and cushions, and velvet carpets,and marble stands. Upo
n one of these last we were placed, in a whiteParian cup, but hardly had time to regain our breath when one of themaiden's lovers came, selected me from among the rest, and twirled mearound his finger as he talked, until my stem was broken, and I all butdead. In a lucky hour he let me fall, and, lame as I was, I caught bythe leg of a great fly, who whizzed me out of the window in a second,buzzing so all the while that he almost stunned me. I have just found myfriends here, and have not had time to ask about their adventures.'

  "The little woman, tired with talking so long, sank into her seat on theplantain leaf, and taking a caraway seed from her pocket, begannibbling, while her companions finished the story.

  "'We have had less trouble,' they said. 'The benevolent lady took us toa dismal prison, to be sure, and we were shut up for a while with a manwho had murdered another, and was waiting to be hung. He had forgottenhis own mother and his early home; but when he looked at us, the pastcame back to him. He remembered the little garden by his father's house,and felt for a moment like an innocent boy again. From that hour he grewpenitent, and he may be forgiven in consequence by God.'

  "'But didn't the jailer forgive him?' asked Mabel.

  "'No; he was hung. We belonged to no one then, so we caught ourwithering bodies under our arms, and flew away through the iron gratingsof his cell. But, Mabel, what are you thinking about?' ended the fairy.

  "'Thinking,' said Mabel, 'how much better it was to give away my violetsthan to keep them. I little dreamed they would do so much good in theworld. But, fairy, what is the name of the earthly queen you told meabout?'

  "'Mabel,' answered all the little voices; and the fern leaf bannerswaved, and violet odors filled the air again, while the tiny flutes andtrumpets made sweet music at the mention of their queen.

  "'Why, that is my name,' said the little girl.

  "'And you are our queen,' said the fairies. 'It is a kind and lovingheart that gives one power like a fairy wand, and can win all goodspirits to serve its owner. This will change selfishness intobenevolence, and sin to penitence, and hatred to forgiveness; it willtransform--haven't you done it?--a prison into a dewy garden, and putlove and penitence into a murderer's heart. Whoever uses us to bestpurposes is our queen; and _this_ summer our queen is Mabel.'

  "Mabel reached forward to take her little subjects from the leaf; butlo, it was only a handful of violets. In her surprise, she awoke, with adim feeling still that she had watched the little procession wind awaythrough her foot tracks in the grass, the fern leaf banners waving overit, while mingled with violet odors came back triumphant music from thetiny flutes and timbrels. Low but clear were the fairy voices; and Mabelnever forgot the words they sang, which ended,--

  'All of us, whoe'er we be, May carve us out such royalty.'"

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