A NIGHT IN THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



A FAIRY STORY. 



The day had passed and the sun had that to-night the Fairy Queen was to 

 gone to sleep in a bed of crimson and come to the garden and would give a soul 

 gold. The wind blew softly, at which the to some flower ; which one they did not 

 leaves on the great trees in the garden be- know but hoped it would be to them, 

 gan to murmur; though it was evening A little Humming Bird had brought 

 they were not sleepy like some of the the news and had told it only to the 

 flowers who thought it time to go to Sweet Peas, so they thought it must be 

 sleep when the sun did. Sometimes the for them that this beautiful change was to 

 leaves were awake all night ; you could come. Had they not heard that years ago 

 hear them moving gently in the breeze, a sweet flower called Narcissus had been 

 The clover leaves were folded close in changed into a beautiful youth, <who could 

 sleep long ago and the Poppies declared wander where he wished? What delight 

 they could not sit up a moment longer, that would be ! And had they not also 

 But the tall white Lilies, who loved the heard of Pansies changing into little chil- 

 night, were wide awake; they could not dren, and Larkspurs into larks that 

 sleep when the garden was full of moon- soared away into the bright blue sky ? Of 

 light. They said the Crickets were so Water Lilies changing into maidens, who 

 noisy and the Katydids so quarrelsome made their homes under the green waves ? 

 that it disturbed them,, so they stood fair And they had always thought that 

 and white gathering the dew in their sil- myriads of brilliant flowers were changed 

 very cups which filled the soft night air into the daintiest of all things. The little 

 with sweet perfume. The Roses were Humming Birds must have been flowers 

 looking pale and sad in the moonlight ; at one time, for they were always hover- 

 they reveled in the golden sunshine and ing around them, kissing them and mak- 

 grew brilliant in the heat of day. But ing love to them. Oh 1 if the Fairy Queen 

 they were languid now and sometimes a would only change them into birds, or 

 little breeze would send their velvet petals velvet bees, or, better still, into the beau- 

 floating to the ground to fade and die. tiful butterflies, that came to them so 



The Pansies nestled low with closed often and fluttered like a cloud around 



eyes. You would not have known where them. Yes, they would rather be butter- 



the Mignonette and Heliotrope were had flies than anything else, 

 you not breathed their sweet perfume, Slowly the moonlight faded from the 



for they were fast asleep. The Nastur- flowers, the shadows of the night deep- 



tiums, Hollyhocks, and Marigolds were ened and the soft dew fell like a bene- 



still as bright and gay as if the sun, whom diction. A Fairy form floated over the 



they loved, could see them and they felt sweetest of blossoms, then disappeared, 



like sitting up with the Four O'Clocks and all was dark and silent save a gentle 



and Evening Primroses, who never went flutter, as of wings, 

 to sleep until very late. But in the morning when the sunbeams 



But of all the flowers in the garden, the had awakened the sleeping blossoms, a 



Sweet Peas were the widest awake. There flight of bright-winged Butterflies floated 



they stood in rows, dainty and fair, never in the air or lighted for a moment on the 



thinking of going to sleep, but trembling flowers, but the Sweet Peas had all disap- 



with excitement. You could see them peared and were nowhere to be seen, 

 whispering together, for they had heard Fannie Wright Dixon. 



36 



