FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13286, 19 September 1906, Page 10

FOR THE CHILDREN.

THE THREE DEW-DROPS. O'xce upon a tinio there was a beautiful fairy Princes.-, as good as she was lovely. She had not always bscij a .fairy. Once she was just a lovely maiden, and so sweet was she that a powerful magician had fallen in love with her, and had changed her into a fairy in the hope that she would become his bride. But the maiden did not love the magician, and fairy .or no fairy she told him gently that she could never be. his. "Then,'' said the magician sorrowfully, "you shall remain a fairy, my beautiful otic, for there is no man on earth kind and noble, and handsome enough for you." For a long time the fairy Princess was happy enough. She found it very sweet to tend th-ts budding flowers and guide the summer birds to warm bright lands, and to perform, unseen, all the tender duties that good fairies love. But after a while she grew weary of Fairyland. She longed to be a simple maid again. "For now," said she, "1 have learnt so much about the flowers and birds and animals that I long to tell my friends all about them, and they will not easily believe my words if I ain but a fairy." So she entreated the magician to change her again into her native form. But this the magician was loth to do. , For three nights and three days he pondered over the matter. At last he said: — " Well, my. Princess, your wish shall bo granted if wo can find a Prince worthy uf you. But if not, better ii wore you should remain a fairy for ever rather than that you should wed one who could not value duly your sweet presence and fair thoughts." So the magician sent a secret messenger to all the Courts to inform the Princes that the hand of a. Fairy Princess awaited him who should prove most worthy. .Many were the Royal suitors who came to he palace of the magician to sue for the hand of the. Fairy Princess. They were permitted to see her only from a distance, but one glance was sufficient to make them eager to win so sweet and fair a maiden. At last the magician selected three suitors. Unknown to them he had read their secret thoughts towards the Princess, and had found them worthy of her. But she could marry only one. So the magician decided to test them, to find out which of the three was the worthiest. He called the three princes into his presence. " Behold," said he, " here are three dewdrops. To each of you I will give one. He among you who bestows the dewdrop where it, shall be of most service shall receive the hand of the princess." The three suitors went away wondering. The first cam© to a great city the capital of a. famous country. The land and its people were suffering grievously from drought, but in the courtyard of the Royal Palace a fountain shot, its sparkling waters high into the hot summer air. The prince was charmed with the sight of it. "How delightful it looks, and how it ccols the air," he cried. " Surely I cannot better bestow my dewdrop than by lotting it add its purity to that glittering fountain." So lie cast the dewdrop amid he thousand shining drcps that fell around. - The second suitor had wandered towards the sea shore. The sight of the magnificent ocean rolling grandly towards him filled him with strange emotion. "It is supreme?" he cried, "no hand can hinder, no King can Command it. It is a god!" he cried in his ecstasy. Then he remembered the dewdrop. "Surely," he said." "I can do the dewdrop no greater honour than io merge its existence in that of von glorious tide; surely neither of my rivals can boast a better purpose for a dewdrop!" So the second dewdrop fell into the great deep. . But the third suitor had not wandered far. He had sat clown to think, in the magician's garden, pondering how he might best put the dewdrop to use. As he. mused his eve was attracted by a tiny Rower, pale and weary with the ardour of the summer sun. lis golden eve was dim. and its petals were twisted as if it had writhed in pain. " Pcor little flower," said the prince, " how thirsty it is. I wonder where I cau get some waters" He looked round, and then, half unconsciously, opened the tiny golden phial that contained the dewdron. and poured the clear drop into the heart of the flower. At once its golden eye shone brightly, and its strained petals opened as if to welcome him, and as he looked. !o! tho'flower grew and expanded before his eyes, taller and taller, and fairer and fairer, and--the princes--, stood before him ! From some hidden retreat the magician appeared immediately. "Take her: -he iyours," he said. "Thus you gain your queen—and I, 1 'osc my fairy princess." i So the princess found lie.i prince, and they '.lived happily evei after E.G.O.