A GIFT FROM THE SEA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1040, 2 August 1930, Page 29

A GIFT FROM THE SEA

A Tale of a Princess and a Fisher-Maid

111 a little cottage, close to the sea- j shore, there once lived an old fisher- j man who had one little daughter, the beautiful Elise. In a great lovely castle on the rocks above the cottage there lived a king who also had an only daughter, the Princess Hildegarde. White as a lily was the Princess, and her hair was like ripe cornfields in the sunshine, but little Elise had a mane of chestnut curls and her face and her hands and her slim, bare feet were as brown as berries. Now, one day, the Princess and her ladies were walking on the shore when tho tide was coming in, and, at a little j distance, Elise, the fisher-maid, was : watching each wave, as her father did. : to see if any treasures might be ! washed up from the depths. With her eyes on the ripples breaking at her feet, Elise never noticed that sho had drawn almost near enough to touch the Princess, who with a glance 1 of haughty disdain drew her silken robes closer about her and turned away. Just then, with a mighty splash, a great snow-cregted wave broke in glittering spray upon the shore and ran up ihe pebbles, bearing with it a small, shining object. Elise saw it and while the Princess and her ladies were stepping gingerly out of the foam she splashed in with her little bare feet and scooped the treasure deftly out of tho receding water. It was a little gold ring, set with a flashing jewel, and bearing a motto engraved in strange characters. The flsher-girl could not make ou: the words and before she had time even to spell out the quaint, oldfashioned letters, one of the Court ladies spied it and came and stood at a little distance with skirts delicately drawn up lest they should touch the poorly-clad peasant. “What have you there, girl?” she called Elise curtseyed low. “It is a ring, cast up by the tide, ray lady,” she answered. “A ring?” cried the Princess eagerly. “Above all other jewels I love a ring. I pray you, Lady Armorel, get it for me.”

Lady Armorel came a step nearer, and reached out delicate fingers toward the treasure. “Her Highness demands that the ring be brought to her,” she said. Elise stepped up to the Royal Party and, kneeling before the Princess, she showed her the ring, still glistening with sea-water. What was her surprise when Princess Hildegarde snatched tho jewel from her little brown palm and slipped it on to her own finger, turning it this way and that to catch tho sunlight on the glittering stone. Still the little fisher-maid waited, kneeling, for the ring to be returned to her, but Princess Hildegarde, stiii smiling at her prize, turned away, accompanied by her ladies. At that Elise sprang to her feet, “Your Highness,” she cried, quite forgetting her humble station, “the ring is mine.” Tho Princess laughed. “Read but the motto, child.” she cried. “Who is worthiest of me. ; I his Guardian aye will be.” “Who is worthier than I, the King s daughter? The jewel is mine.” Poor little Elise was very taken aback at this, yet what could she do? With n sad heart she turned away and enlered her father’s cottage. That night she could not but lay tossing on her bed of rushes until the mot n rose and shone through the tiny window straight on to her tearstained face. The soft light enchanted her. “Perhaps if I walk awhile on the shore, 1 shall be able to sleep,” she thought, and. wrapping a. long cloak i about her, she quietly unlatched the ■ door, and stole out into the night. I Tho sea lay softly rippling beneath ! the dreaming moon, tiny waves of ! pearl and opal crept whispering to the ! beach, and the stairs were reflected like 1 gems in the water. | Their sparkling reminded Elise o' I the beautiful ring sho had found arid j of how' the Princess had taken it away. “Ah,” sho said, sadly, “tne Princess | may have been worthier, but she could j not need tho ring so much as I. Why. j I could have sold it next market day, : and bought poor father endless com- • forts.” So saying, she covered her ; face and wept. After a moment or two sho became I aware of a faint murmuring sound mingling with the voice of the sea. and raising her tearful eyes, she saw lying in tho moonlit foam at the edge of the sea. a little company of mermaidens. They were talking together and. when they saw Elsie, they flung out their white arms and beckoned her ; close. | “Elise,” said the fairest of them all, | “we have a mission for you.” ; “For me?” said Elise, wonderingly. “Yes, indeed.” replied the mermaid. “The Magic Ring of the Sea lias been lost, and we hear that it has fallen into the hands qf a mortal who is unworthy to keep it. “The Guardian of the Ring is in terrible trouble, and so we came up to see if we could do anything toward finding the Ring. You see,” she laughed, pointing to her silvery tail, “we cannot come ashore to search, so we entrust the quest to you. The Ring has one bright stone in it, and it has a strange

I motto graven around it. When you havt I f.jund it, come to this place and call on ! tlie Guardian of the Ring, and he win return it to his Master, the Prince oi Amber Island.” “Oh.” cried little Elise. “I know ’ who has the Ring, and I will do raj very best to get it back." With cries of joy and gratitude the mermaids took leave of tho fisher maid, wreathed their arms about each other, and sank beneath the crooning waters. Elise went bAck to her father’s cot inge as the dawn broke over the hills. and for many days she plotted and planned, but could not see her wa\ ; clear to getting the Ring again, j Then, one day, when the sea wa? | 'Tev and angry, and great billows.lashed mercilessly on the shore, she : ueard cries coming from the crag.- ; above the beach. Climbing nimbly over the slippery I boulders, she reached the steepest part of the cliff where cruel, jagged rock* > eared themselves from the wildly eaping waters, and there she saw the . Princess Hildegarde and her favourite maiden clinging to a ledge of rock ; while the incoming tide heaved be tween them and safety. Quick as thought. Elise plunged Intr the water. All her life she had played on ttw shore, and she knew every rock like a friend, so, although t*.„y were under water now, she stepped confidently onward till at last she was holding out , her hands to the frightened Princess. Step by step, she supported the Roya': maiden to safety and then returned ior the weeping slave. White and trembling, b:>th mistress and maid thanked the little peasant .or her timely uid r and then set oft toward the Palace. But Elise had a tender heart. “Your Highness is sore distressed. ’ r she said, “li you would deign. Madam, to rest awhile in my poor cabin, I wiii set food and driAk before you, then yon can continue your way." Haughty though the Princess was she was cold and upset now, and she thankfully accepted the wholesomt oaten cakes and hot soup which littlv Elise brought for her refreshment. When at last she was rested anil

warmed she rose and, again thanking the girl, went on her way. As Elise turned back into the cot - age, she stepped on something sum' and hard and. stooping, she picked up —tho wonderful Ring. For a momet.r .she gazed in delight at the sparkling thing, picturing all the comforts anti luxuries she could buy for her father if she could sell the Jewel. Then she remembered the words of the mermaids. Her heart sank and for a moment she hesitated, and then, before temptation grew too strong for her. she rushed out to the shore and fought her way’ through the howling storm to the spot where the mermaids had appeared. Knee-deep she stood in the racing, -swirling tide, her hair streaming in the wind. “Oh Guardian of the Ring,” sh«* called. “I have found your treasure.” • IN ith boating heart she waited. There was no answer but the scream of the wind, the hissing splash of the waves i and the pitiful crying of storm -tossed -rulls drifting overhead. Again came the temptation to run quickly to the town and sell the rinu. “No, no.” breathed Elise. “The mermaids trusted me to return It.” Once again she called, choking hack her tears and clasping the ring tightly in her wet hand. Then. far out on the horizon, she saw a tiny point of light. like a star. Larger and larger it grew, and then Clise saw that a broad path of golden adianee was gradually spreading from he skyline across the sta toward the horo. On either sid-r of the pathway the vaves were still grey and t'nund* red .ngrUy on thq rocks, but where the light shone the water was smooth as . lake, and on its surface appeared a .ittlo boat, gliding peacefully along. Nearer and nearer crept the magic pathway of light, and nearer and toarer drifted the little boau As it reached the shore, Elise fell o her knees in wonder, for sitting in -he prow was a young man most mag- ' ificently dressed. His clothes were of loth of gold encrusted with jewels nd on his dark hair rested a curious rown of clear amber wonderfully .’rough! and set with pearls. Ho smiled at Elise as be stepped shore. “I am the Prince of Amber Island. * e said. “You have found my ring?” “Yes. your Highness,” faltered Elise. holding out the jewel. To her surprise, tlie Prince took her and, ring and all, and raised her to er feet. Who is wot thiest of me ” ne aid softly. Did you read the motto n the ring, little Elise?'* “Yes. your Highness. *• said Elise gain, too amazed to say anything else. “Ah,” said the Prince, “who js i worthier than the little maid who ful.Ued her trust so faithfu Iv. despite ;*mp!ation? Never fear. Elise. only om*> with me and you shall be • rownc l Queen • Amber Island and i' O happily nil your days.” So it happened that some time later no little boat again set sail, bearing *he Prince, El Iso and her father far way; away into the sunset, away to imber Island.