Clara and the Fairies.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1813, 18 July 1891, Page 2 (Supplement)

Clara and the Fairies.

Little Clara Sheldon lived with her father and mother in a pretty cottage on the bunks of the Paramatta. They had a beautiful flower-garden in the front of the house, filled with all kinda of flowers, such as violets, suilpa, roses, etc, and 6very morning Clara would rise with the Bun and gather a little bouquet freeh with tho sparkling dew, to give so her father to carry to town with him, for he iiad to go lo Sidney every day to attend to business. One beautiful morning, while gathering she bouquet, she espied a large white rose, all covered with little diamond-like drops of dew : with an exclamation of delight Bhe hastened toward it to pluck it; but just as her hand touched the stem, a tiny voioe, whioh seemed to come from the rose, said, — 11 Please don't I" and looking down she saw standing on the rose the smallest thing imaginable, who continued: "Please don't pluck the rose, it is my bed." "Your bed?" said Clara, surprised, "who are you, beautiful little thing?" "lam a fairy," replied the little thing, " and my name in Fragranoe, and my grandmother Mab, the queen of the fairies, is angry with me, and has banished me from fairyland; but I cannot live here— l must take one more look at my dear home, although my grandmother said if I ever came baok Bbc would kill me." " Why, what a wicked old fairy she must be 1" said Clara. The little fairy only sighed, and, shaking out her rose'eaf wings, sailed away and was soon out of Bight. Clara went on playing, and, thinking tbe dewdrops would make beautiful jewels, she took from her pocket a little vial to secure them in. Juat then she happened to glanoe upward, and saw the little fairy hurrying toward her, chased by a large blue fly. As soon as the tiny thing was near her it cried out : " The fly is my wicked grandmother going to kill me 1" and with these words she fell oa. a rose, panting for breath. Clara held up tha vial to ward off the fly, but ie was coming so swiftly that it never heeded it, and so flew right into it. Clara clapped in the cork and had it f&st. "What shall I do with this wicked old fly?" she asked the fairy, as soon as the little thing had somewhat reoovered from its fright. " Keep her fast in tbe vial, and do not let her out until she promises to be good," was the little fairy's answer. So she placed the vial in her room and went to breakfast. The next morning, when she looked at it, Bhe saw on the vial, in golden letters, these words : " Let me out, and I will grant you everything you wish." She ran to the little fairy and asked what to do ; and she answered : " Don't let her out until she promises to be good," The next morning she saw again in gold letters these words : " I will always be good if you will let me out." So she ran to the fairy and asked her what to do, and the answer waß : " Let her out ; a fairy never breaks her word." So she went and opened the vial and the fly flew out on the window sil ; it rubbed its wings with its hind feet, and immediately it beoame a beautiful fairy, who thus addressed her : " Because you have kept me from doing any evil in my anger, and have been kind to my granddaughter, I will give you virtue, happiness and a long life ; may you be the means of reforming mortals as you have me." She then flew to her granddaughter and kissed her, and after the granddaughter had thanked Clara, they flew off to Fairyland. And Clara was happy, for who is not when they have made others so 1