The Girl's Column. UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2054, 5 September 1885, Page 6 (Supplement)

The Girl's Column. UNKNOWN UNKNOWN

By Hon\'U> I'u.e. in Ua>;i> * Yowti 7V-;//^, D,>Mi; Muv.i <.\ Tvisr, of T<wrtook town, wai p. gooij, go "ipuij., chs'tcniiß^old poul, whose hen nevtr hatched n chick bat all of the neighbors knew of it, aa the saying goes. Tne poor old craaturo ha:l only one c.>», how ehr> lost tho other you eb"ll pn.s?ntly h^sr, and aldo how her wonderful tulip jaHcn becamo like anybody else's tulip garden. Dame Mirgery Twist lived all alone with a great tabby cat. She dwelt in a little ottageUhat stood back from tho road, and just across the way from the butcher's fihop. AH* within wa<s as neat and aa bright ai a new pin, so that it was a d luht just to look upon the row of blue dishes upon the dreader, the pewter pipkins aa bright as silver, or the nut dad floor ai clem S3 your mother's table. 0 /erthe cottage twined sweet woodbi>rs, so that tho air"waa laden with their fragrauco in th 2 Eummer time, when the busy yellowlegged bees droned amidst the blossoms from \he two hivoa that stood ag-iinst the wall. But the wonder of the garden was the tulip bed. for there were no tulips in all England like them, and folks oame from far and neai •,oly to look upon them and smell their ,fragranoe. Now iVu waa the secret of tho dame's fine tulip bed: tho fairies dwelt amongst 'the flowers, and she often told her gos'iups how that she could hear the fairy mothers singing their babies to sleep at night when the moron waa full and the evening was warm. She had nover seen the little forks herself,~for few moitala are allowed to look upon them, and Dime Mirgery 's eyes were not of that nature. Nevertheless she heard them, and that, in ray opinion, is the next best thing to seeing them. D^me Margery Twist was the best nurso in all of Tavi^tock town. She was always ready to bring a sick body into good health again, and was always paid well for the nursing. One evening the dame was drinking her tea by herself with great comfort. There came a knock at the door. " Who is it ? " ssid Dame Margery. " It's Tommy Lamb, please, ma'am, paid a little voioe. ' What is it you want, Tommy? " said the dame. "If you please, ma'am, there's a little gentleman outside, no taller than I be ; he gave me this box, aad told me to tell you to rub your eyos with the s&lve, and then to come out to him." The dame looked out of the window, but never a body stood there that she coald see. " Where is the dearie ? " said she. " Yonder he is, with a great white horse standing beside him," aaid Tommy Lamb; and he pointed with hia finger as he' spoke. The dame rubbed her eyes and looked again, but never a thing did she see but the green gate.'the lilac-bushefl, and thj butcher's shop opposite. "Well," said Dame Margery fc herself, " this is etrango, for sure I I see no little old gentleman in green." Then she op«ned the box that ehe held, and looked into it, and saw that it was filled with a green salve. " I'll rub some of it on my eyes, at any rate," said she , whereupon she did so. Then she looked again, and, lo and behold 1 there stood a little old man no taller than Tommy Lamb. His face was as brown and as withered and as wrinkled as a wiater's crab-apple left on the bare tree when the frost is about. He was dressed all in green from top to toe, and on his head was a tall, green oap with a bell at the peak, which tinkled at every movement of hii head. By his side stood a great, tall, milk-white horse, with a long tail and mane tied with party-colored ribbons. Dame Margery went out to the little old gentleman in green, and asked him what he would have with her. He told the dame that his wife was sorely sick, and that he wanted her to come and nurse her for the night. At this D.ime Margery hemmed and hiwed and Bhsok her head, for she did not like the thought of going out at night, she knew not where, and with nuoh a strange little body. At last he persuaded her to go, promising her a good reward if she would nurae his wife back into her health again. So the dame went back into the cottage to mako ready fot her journey. After this she came out again, and climbed up behind the little man in green, and so settled herself upon the pillion -saddle for her lide. Then the little man whistled to his horae, and away they went. They seemed to fly rather than ride upon the hard ground, for the hedges and cottages and orchards flew past as though in a dream, s But fast as thoy went, the old damo saw m:\ny things which she had never dreamed of before. She saw all of the hedge rows, the by-ways, the woods and fields, alive with fairy folk. Each little body was busy upon his or her own business— laughing, chatting, talking, and running here and there like folka on a mnrket-day. So they came at last to a place which the dame knew was the Three-tree Hill ; but it was not the Three-tree Hill which she had seen in all of her life before, for a great gateway seemed to open into it, and it was ioto this gateway that the little man in green urged the great white horse. After they had entered the hill, Dame Margery climbed down from the pillion and stood looking about her. Then she saw that she was in a great hall, the walls of which were glistening with gold and silver, whHe bright stones gleamed like so many stars all over the ro»f of the place. In the corner of the room was a bed all of pure gold, and over the bed were spread coverlets of gold and silver cloth, and in the bed lay a beautiful little lady, very white and ill. The dame nursed the fairy lady all that night, and by cock-crow in the morning the little woman had ease from her pain. Then the little man spoke for the first time since Darno Margery had left horn* 3 . " Look'ee, Dame Margery," said he, " I promised to pay you well, and I will keep my word. Come hither." So the dame went to him as he had bidden her to do, and the little man filled her reticule with black coals from the hearth. After this she climbed up on the great horse again, and behind thy little man, and they rode out of tho placp, aud home, where they were, safe and sound, ere the day had fairly broke. But before the little man had left her, he drew cut nnoth^r little box, just like the one that Tommy L-iirib had brought her the evening before, only this time the box was filled with red ointment. "Rub your eyes with this, Dame Miigery," said he. Now Dame Margery Twist knew butter from cheese, as the saying is. She knew tVut the green salve was of a kind whioh very few people have had rubbed over their eyes in this world ; that it was of a kind whioh poets would give their ears to posses*, even were it a lump no laiger than a pea. So when she took the box of led^oiutmcnt she only rubbed one eye with it— her left eye. Her right eye she pretended to rub, but in truth sho nover touched it at all. Then the little man got upon ht3 horse again, and rode away to his home on the hill. After he had gone away, Dime Margery thought that sho would empty her retioule of tho dirty black coals. So she turned it topsy-turvy, and Bhook it over the hearth, and out tumbled— blaok coals/ No; great lumps of pure gold that shone bright yellow like fire in the light of tho candle. The good dame could soarcoly believe her eyes, for here was wealth enough to keep her in comfort for all tho rest of her days. Tno next night was full moon, and Ddme Murgery came and looked out over the fine bed of tulips, of which she was very proud. "llej day 1" ehe cried, and rubbed her eyes, in doubt as to whether sho was asleep or awake, for tho whole plaoe was alive with little folks. But oho was awake, and it was oertain that che saw them. So tho dame leaned out of the window, watching them with great delight, for it ia always a delight to watoh the little folks ftt their sports.

A f ier a while zh? paw where ono hid himn J. uuJJtr n l"af, vhilst the others, who were to seek lui>\ looked tip and down and high I u'jd losr, but ao.nl J find bj-n nowhere/ Then the old dame. called O'J.t, in a loud voice, 11 L-x>!i under the leaf, Black cap." Tv« woitls were no sooner out of hex mouth IW, whibkl whin 1 oif they Fcir.ip a red, out cf the narden r.nd away— fathcis, mothers, children, babies, all— cijiog, in their plirill voice*, "Sho Hee3 us! she see^ u<s?" For fp/ricb are very timid folk, and dread nothing more than to have mortals sco them in their own shape?. ' Se they never came back again to the dame's garden, a.id from that day to this her tulips have been like everybody else's tulips. Now, about twelve months after the time that the dame had-narsed the fairy lady, the gteatjair was held atTavistook. All the worjd nnd his Wife were there, so, of course, Dame Margpry went also. In the great tent the country people had spread out their goods— butter, cheeae, eggi, honey, and the like, making as qoodlj a show as you would want to see. l)ame Margery was in her glory, for she had people to gossip with everywhere i ao ahe went hither and thither, and at last into the great teat whore these things of whioh I have spoken were all spread oujb for show. Then, lo and behold ! whom Bhould she see, gliding here and there amongst the crowd, but the little man in green whom she had seen a year ago ? She opened her eyes mightily wide, for she saw that he was doing a strange thing. By his side hung ft little earthenware pot, and in his hand he held a little wooden scraper, which he passed over the rolls of butter, afterwards putting that whioh he scraped from the rolls into the pot that hung beside him. Dame Margery peeped into the pot, and saw that it was naif full; then she could oontain herself no longer, " Heyday, neighbor," cried she, " here be pretty doings, truly I Out upon thee, to go scraping good luok and full moasure off of o.ther folk's butter 1 " '"■^When the little man in gr^en heard the dame sjpeak to him, he was so amazed that 'he nearly dropped his wooden scraper. " Why, Dame Margery can you pee me, then? " 1 ' Aye, marry can I, aud what you are about doing also. Out upon you, say I." " Which eye do you see me with?" said he. " With this eye, gossip, and very clearly, I would have you know ;" and she pointed to her right eye. Then the little man swelled out his cheeks until they wera like two little brown dumplings. Puff I he blew a breath into the good dame's eye. Pnff 1 he blew, and if the dame's eye had been a candle, the light of it coald not have gone out sooner. The dame felt no smart, but she might wink, and wink, and wink again, but she would never wink sight into the eye upon which the little man had blown his breath. Dame Margery Twist never jreatly missed the sight of that eye, but, all the sarao, I would give both of mine for it. All of these thinga are told at Tavidtook town even to this day, and if you go thither you may hear them for yourself.