Fairy Book   By: Sophie May (1833-1906)

FAIRY BOOK.

BY

SOPHIE MAY.

BOSTON: LEE AND SHEPARD, (SUCCESSORS TO PHILLIPS, SAMPSON, & CO.) 1866.

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by LEE & SHEPARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

[Illustration: CRISTOBAL. Page 32.]

THIS BOOK OF FAIRY TALES IS DEDICATED TO LITTLE BESSIE.

LITTLE PRUDY SERIES.

BY SOPHIE MAY.

I. LITTLE PRUDY.

II. LITTLE PRUDY'S SISTER SUSY.

III. LITTLE PRUDY'S CAPTAIN HORACE.

IV. LITTLE PRUDY'S COUSIN GRACIE.

V. LITTLE PRUDY'S STORY BOOK.

VI. LITTLE PRUDY'S DOTTY DIMPLE.

CONTENTS.

PAGE INTRODUCTION 9

CRISTOBAL 19

WILD ROBIN 35

THE VESPER STAR 53

THE WATER KELPIE 59

THE LOST SYLPHID 74

THE CASTLE OF GEMS 100

THE ELF OF LIGHT 117

THE PRINCESS HILDA 137

GOLDILOCKS 160

FAIRY BOOK.

INTRODUCTION.

While Prudy was in Indiana visiting the Cliffords, and in the midst of her trials with mosquitoes, she said one day,

"I wouldn't cry, Aunt 'Ria, only my heart's breaking. The very next person that ever dies, I wish they'd ask God to please stop sending these awful skeeters. I can't bear 'em any longer, now, certainly."

There was a look of utter despair on Prudy's disfigured face. Bitter tears were trickling from the two white puff balls which had been her eyes; her forehead and cheeks were of a flaming pink, broken into little snow drifts full of stings: she looked as if she had just been rescued from an angry beehive. Altogether, her appearance was exceedingly droll; yet Grace would not allow herself to smile at her afflicted little cousin. "Strange," said she, "what makes our mosquitoes so impolite to strangers! It's a downright shame, isn't it, ma, to have little Prudy so imposed upon? If I could only amuse her, and make her forget it!"

"Oh, mamma," Grace broke forth again suddenly, "I have an idea, a very brilliant idea! Please listen, and pay particular attention; for I shall speak in a figure , as Robin says. There's a certain small individual who is not to understand."

"I wouldn't risk that style of talking," said Mrs. Clifford, smiling; "or, if you do, your figures of speech must be very obscure, remember."

"Well, ma," continued Grace with a significant glance at Prudy, "what I was going to say is this: We wish to treat certain young relatives of ours very kindly; don't we, now? certain afflicted and abused young relatives, you know.

"Now, I've thought of an entertainment. Ahem! Yesterday I entered a certain Englishman's house," here Grace pointed through the window towards Mr. Sherwood's cottage, lest her mother should, by chance, lose her meaning, "I entered a certain Englishman's house just as the family were sitting down to the table, festal board , I mean.

"They were talking about mistle toe boughs, and all sorts of old country customs; and then they said what a funny time they had one Christmas, with the youngest, about the mizzle , as he called it: do you remember, ma? do you understand?"

"You mean little Harvey? Oh, yes."

"Pray do be careful, ma! Then Mr. Sherwood said to his I mean, the hat said to the bonnet , that there were some wonderful ahem legends, about genii and sprites and and so forth; not printed, but written , which the boy liked to hear when he was 'overgetting' the measles. A certain lady, not three inches from your chair, ma, was the one who wrote them; and now"