Princess Ruby- Throat. 



Ruby-Throat had found it out one day 

 when the sun was unusually warm and she 

 had flown to the woods for shade. While 

 she fluttered round the beautiful spot en- 

 joying keenly all its beauties, now bending 

 over the golden moss, and now caressing 

 the shy white violets, she heard a voice 

 speaking so sweetly that she thought it 

 must be the flowers talking. 



" Beam of the Sun," said the voice, "come 

 here, I will not harm you. Ah, do not think 

 it; I will only love you." 



Ruby-Throat glanced around suspicious- 

 ly. Where could that voice come from? 

 The flowers seemed to be listening, too, as 

 though they heard strange tones. 



At last Ruby-Throat espied a brown- 

 faced, brown-haired, brown-eyed little maid 

 standing back among the shadows, and 

 stretching timidly out a tiny brown palm. 



And the voice belonged to her, for she 

 kept repeating all the while, "Beam of the 

 Bright Sun, come hither and let me teach 

 you to love me." 



Ruby-Throat fluttered her wings uneasily. 

 This was evidently an earth child; she had 

 heard of such creatures, but would it be 

 safe to make her acquaintance? Perhaps 

 she would prove more dangerous than the 

 Gray Giants. 



But at last, won by the sweet voice and 

 gentle eyes, she ventured nearer and nearer 

 to the little maid, until she could look deep 

 into the brown eyes, and then all fear van- 

 ished, for she saw that they were as pure 

 and guileless as the white violets at her 

 feet. 



The earth child smiled. " Rose of Noon," 

 she said, addressing the fairy in her sweet- 

 est tone, "tell me, do you know Nita, who 

 went away last year while the strawberries 

 were ripe?" 



" Nita? who is Nita?" asked Ruby-Throat, 

 more and more charmed with this winning 

 creature, who called her such flattering 

 names. 



"Nita was my little playmate," answered 



the child; "and she died last year just as 

 the strawberries turned reddest. But I 

 thought perhaps she had come to you, for 

 our people say that when we die we become 

 like you." 



This was such great news to Ruby-Throat 

 that she was silent with amazement. 



"I think it must be beautiful to become 

 one of you," the child went on. "Perhaps 

 after I die I shall be your sister; how would 

 you like that?" 



Ruby-Throat gave a little cry of joy. 



"Nothing could be more delightful," she 

 said; "you are so very amiable, and you 

 would no doubt turn into a beautiful fairy." 



The child seemed pleased at this and 

 looked at Ruby-Throat admiringly, and 

 from that time their friendship progressed 

 rapidly. 



It was to this friend that Ruby-Throat 

 flew after her adventure with the Gray Gi- 

 ant, for her feelings had been sadly outraged 

 by the encounter, and she wanted to hear 

 the child's pleasant voice, which always 

 sounded as sweet to her as the song of the 

 thrush in the dewy morning. She flew 

 round and round the little shady nook, but 

 the earth child did not appear, and she was 

 just going to start off home again when she 

 heard the well-known voice. 



" Queen of the Day Star," come hither; I 

 have brought you some sweets;" and there 

 stood the child with a vial of golden honey 

 in her hand, which she was offering to her 

 little friend. 



Ruby-Throat flew to her, and caressed 

 her lovingly, and then took long draughts 

 of the delicious honey which the child told 

 her was gathered all from the dainty snow- 

 drops and pretty crocuses which grew in 

 her own little garden. 



And Ruby-Throat never ceased until she 

 had sipped the very last drop, and was not 

 then satisfied until the child promised her 

 more on the morrow. 



Then she hovered around her little dark 

 friend, who petted and caressed her and 



