FOR THE TINIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20472, 25 January 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOR THE TINIES.

LOST HAPPINESS.

By M.H,

Onco upon a time there lived besido a huge forest a most beautiful maiden. Endowed' with every gracious and charming virtue a fair young maiden could possess, the,, fairies had named her Felicia, for happiness. Now, a youth called Odis, handsome, gallant, and good to look upon, loved Felicia passionately.

With wealth, position, beauty, and love there should have been nothing in the wide world to mar their happiness, but unfortunately Odis possessed a cruelly jealous temperament, and though he was assured that his lovo for Felicia was returned he nevertheless" displayed a very ugly passion whenever the maiden showed affection for anything apart from himself. One day they were walking together in the forest when they came upon a lovely fawn whose foot had been caught in a snaro that had be>en set for foxes. As Felicia fondled and petted the pretty, frightened creature the face of Odis grew blacker and blacker, and soon his rage was so great that ho drew his sword and stuck it through the fawn's heart. Now the fairies were so incensed at this deed that they determined to punish tho youth, so they caused Felicia to become invisible to the eyes of Odis. The maiden's gentle heart had been terribly hurt at the cruelty of.her lover, and now this calamity made her thoroughly miserable. She retired to a little house in the forest, where she lived very sadly with her one maid.

Odis was in despair. All his wild entreaties to tho fairies were in vain. They would not relent.

"It was not <v jealous, selfish youth who would wed tho lovely Felicia," -was all ho was, told.

So ho betook himself to the cities where he engaged in trado and prospered, but ho never forgot what ho had lost. His trouble made him kinder and more considerate for others, and he went out of his way to do many a kind deed. And so ho grew to man's estate, but in spito of success and a change of heart Odis was never happy. • His love for Felicia did not waver. He thought of her by day and night. Above all the sounds of tho cities, he constantly thought he could hear tho voico of Felicia calling, calling for him to come to her. At last his torment became unbearable, and 1m determined to seek his love and not rest till she should be restored to him. So he came back to live in the forest.

Now, in the depths of the wood, was a deep bog of dark slime, green, foul, and horrible. Anything coming on to this was hungrily sucked down, down, till far out of sight. One day when near this spot Odis heard a piteous whinny as of an animal in great distress. Parting the bushes he saw to his horror a beautiful fawn, like to that which ho had stabbed, caught on tho edge of tho mire. But now his heart was filled with a great pity for tho terrified creature. Reaching down, ho tried to pull it toward him, but could not move It, so, taking his lifo in his hands, he. stepped to the edge of the bog and grasped the fawn. Exerting all his strength, he gradually freed the animal, but by the time tho fawn was released ho felt his own foot sinking into the shine. He grasped tho branches near, but they were willow and did not help him. A horrible fear clutched at his heart as he felt himself sinking deeper, drawn down by iron chains—terrible, irresistable. Just, then, to his immense astonishment and infinite relief, he felt himself being lifted, and looking up ho marvelled to find tho wood full of light, and straight ahead, coming toward him down the path, Felicia, radiant-eyed, and arms extended in joyous welcome. In utter renunciation of self ho had found happiness—Felicia.