seeds, which, she said, would bring him much good fortune.

Then Fritz rubbed his eyes again, for he found himself alone on the hillside. The fairies, the wonderful cave, the rich jewels were nowhere to be seen. He would have thought it all a dream, but there in his hand were the tiny blue flowers and the measure of seed. Surely, the fairies must have given them to him.

When he reached home and Gretchen heard the story, she was bitterly disappointed. "O foolish Fritz," she said, "why did you not ask for a ruby or a diamond? That would have been good fortune indeed. But those blue flowers, of what use are they?"

This made poor Fritz sorry enough, you may However, he would sow the seeds, he thought, and so make the best of a bad bargain.

be sure.

Soon the fields were green with the young plants, and Fritz was very happy. How he liked to gaze upon them from the cottage door in the early morning, and at night when his work was done! Had not the fairy said his choice was a wise one?

Even Gretchen was pleased when she saw the

Copyright, 1906, by the Taber-Prang Art
Company.

dainty blue flowers nodding with every breeze. These soon faded and fell, and then the little seeds appeared. In due time the harvest was ripe. Fritz gathered the stalks and combed out the long silky fibers.

Then Gretchen learned to spin them and to weave them into linen. This she spread upon the

grass and the sun made

it as white as snow. When people heard of this linen, they came from far and wide to buy it, and this was good fortune for Fritz and Gretchen.

Every year after that they were as busy as they could be with the sowing and the reaping, the spinning and the weaving. They and their children had enough and to spare. They lived to a good old age and I hope we may all be as happy as they

were.

THE FAIRIES OF THE CALDON-LOW "And where have you been, my Mary, And where have you been from me?" "I've been to the top of the Caldon-Low, The midsummer night to see!"

"And what did you see, my Mary, All up on the Caldon-Low?"

"I saw the blithe sunshine come down, And I saw the merry winds blow."

"And what did you hear, my Mary, All up on the Caldon Hill?"

"I heard the drops the water made,
And I heard the corn-ears fill."

"Oh, tell me all, my Mary-
All, all that ever you know;
For you must have seen the fairies
Last night on the Caldon-Low."

"Then take me on your knee, mother,
And listen, mother of mine:

A hundred fairies danced last night,
And the harpers, they were nine.

"And merry was the glee of the harp-strings,

And their dancing feet so small;

But oh! the sound of their talking,

Was merrier far than all.

"Some of them played with the water, And rolled it down the hill;

'And this,' they said, 'shall speedily turn The poor old miller's mill;

"For there has been no water,

Ever since the first of May;

And a busy man shall the miller be
By the dawning of the day!

666

Oh, the miller, how he will laugh,
When he sees the milldam rise!

The jolly old miller, how he will laugh,
Till the tears fill both his eyes!'

"And some they brought the brown linseed,

And flung it down from the Low;

'And this,' said they, by the sunrise,

In the weaver's croft shall grow!

"Oh, the poor lame weaver!
How he will laugh outright,

When he sees his dwindling flax-field,
All full of flowers by night!'

"And then up spoke a brownie,

With a long beard on his chin;
'I have spun up all the tow,' said he,
'And I want some more to spin.