THE FAIRY CIRCUS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21866, 20 August 1936, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE FAIRY CIRCUS

(By J. J. Stroud)

It was just one of those lovely autumn nights when the moon neeps in through the window and you feel magicky all Over. I really did mean to go to sleep, but I had to jump out of bed and have a look out at the enchanting night. The sky was curtained with big fleecy white clouds that raced under the twinkling stars and sometimes hid for a moment the golden autumn moon. ; I was watching, one of the very billows, and thinking how -lovely it would be to ride past .the moon, high up in the sky op such a beautiful cloud, when a wonderful thing happened: A ship—a magic ship, O, so lovely! came out of the silver cloud and floated down, down, down, to rest on the meadow right in front of rrtybedroom window. : .' " I watched it entranced; and; ,as I watched, a thousand little lamps twinkled in its gossamer rigging. Its snow-white decks were, - alive with merry,' dancing elves; and to my ears came the music of -bOUs-T----(•sweet,' tiny, tinkling bells. Goblin sailors ran un and down the [rigging and merry laughter trilled out in the magic night. . While I feasted my eyes on [the fairy ship, jewelled gangways were lowered from its sides, and the fairy passengers tripped down them to play and sport on the meadow. And, wonder of all wonders, a circus grew up before my very eyes. Fairy tents of snowy whiteness, tiny elephants, camels, giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, and all kinds of jungle animals promenaded in a wonderful precession on the meadow. Dainty little ladies, all spangled with tiuy stars,, rode on cream-white steeds that pranced gaily in the moonlight, and from every direction came goblins, elves, gnomes, pixies, and fairies to 1 the Fairy Circus. The meadow was alive with merry music and laughter. Everywhere elves, pixies, and gnomes were swinging on the dandelion stalks and dancing ■ in the moonlight. A goblin band, before the biggest tent, played jolly music. My heart throbbed with delight. “Oh,” I exclaimed to myself, “I must—simply must go to that fairy circus.” - > I dressed quickly in my pretty frock and, slipping on my Cinderella slippers, opened the window wide and stepped through it on to the meadow. I tiptoed quietly toward the biggest of the tiny tents. And just as I was near enough to see two funny ~ little clowns, at the entrance to the’tent, jumping over each other and making all the folk: laugh; I sneezed. “ ’Tchoo! ’tchoo!” and when I opened my eyes,- after the-second sneeze,* would you believe it, the beautiful fairy circus and the magic ship had vanished, simply gone. How disappointed I was! I ran to the spot where I had seen the snow-white tents, the procession of tiny animals and the star-spangled ladies, and all 1 found was three big rings of snow-white mushrooms. Mother was surprised • when she saw the mushrooms. * “Darling,” she said, ‘ “Wherever ■did you get them?” I' told her about the fairy circus, and. she laughed with a sweetv .understanding smile. “I am glad the fairies didn’t wait to. take you. with , them ■oh their wonderful ship,” she ■ said. But I do wish 1 could have seen inside that Fairy Circus. ■:,,