The Magic Circle.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21136, 19 March 1932, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Magic Circle.

Maid Marion Has been missing since morning, and there was a fine to-do at the old farmhouse. " Robbers have taken her away!" wailed her mother. " She may have fallen down the well," ventured Tim. " Op into the river," suggested sister Ruth tearfully. But the old farmer himself voiced the suspicions of every ono when, wringing his hands, he cried: "Nay, nny; it is the good people, the fairies, who have taken away my child. They have bewitched her, and will keep her for seven years, even as I heard they kept Farmer Marshland's duughtcr a twelvemonth or more ago." A sympathetic murmur ran round the little crowd, for this seemed only too true. Most of all these did tho farmer's words impress little Juck Cano, tho playmate and constant companion of the missing Marion. Jack knew there was one way in which the fairies' power to hold the object of their impish designs could be broken, and that was to recover some article worn Ipy the missing person without discovery by the. fairies. Then the spell was broken, and the lost ono returned homo again. The moon shone yellow and at tho full Unit night, when Jack cautiously opened the door of his mother's cottage and gazed towards the distant wood. A golden light shimmered through tho trees and over tho tall grass, making the landscape all round look as if bathed in glowing fire; tho little twinkling stars could scarce be seen through the blaze of yellow mystery that filled earth and sky. Siuoiy this was a night on which the fairies might bo expected to hold their revels —it is such nights as these that fairies love. Gently he closed tho doors behind him, and, his heart beating with fear, he made his way along the little pathway that led to the wood. The pathway narrowed as it reached the wood, and soon Jack was swallowed up in the darkness of the overhanging trees. At last, after what seemed hours of aimless wandering, his feet led him to a clearing, or circle. 011 which the moonlight played uninterruptedly. " This," whispered Jack to himself, " is certainly a fairy ring. I'll lie down here in the shadow of this bush and watch." Some unbelieving people might think that Jack fell asleep and dreamed what followed. Be that as it may, the fact remains that he had lain there onlv a short tirue when a strange hut beautiful strain nf music, was borne to his cars. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, the better to see what might happen. And something did happen. Hound the smooth trunk of a giant beech came a throng of shouting, singing elves and fairies. And in the midst of them walked Marion.' In her hand she carried the large linen sun-bonnet she always .wore, and as tho company trooped away into tho darkness of the wood she dropped tho sun-bonnet close by where Jack sat.

The snn was shining brightly when ho awoke. To his amazement, Marion's sunbonnet. filled with ttild flowers, lay at his feet. He picked it up. "Hurrah!' he shouted, "I am hound to find her now." And there, sure enough, lying asleep nil the other side of the bush, was—Marion. " I lost myself, and lay down and fell asleep." she said. She knew nothing of the fairies or the magic circle. And Jack knew that, because thoy could not keep her. the little people had taken all memory of tho night away from her.