A MISCHIEVOUS FAIRY 191 



father, Philip and Grandmother were all in the 

 room when I began. 



" It all happened long ago when flowers had 

 tongues, and fairies had not been frightened away 

 from the earth. There was then a beautiful 

 young fairy who used to come each evening and 

 sit in the woods and sing. She didn't always sing : 

 sometimes she danced, and sometimes she sat on 

 Pyxie stools and pushed the toads away with her 

 toes. She was the most mischievous of all the 

 fairies, and she loved to tease the flowers and 

 birds. 



" Once an old crow that had hurt his wing was 

 resting on the ground, and up the fairy jumped 

 on his back. The poor crow couldn't shake her 

 off and how he was ever to fly home with his hurt 

 wing and the fairy on his back he didn't know. 

 But when she had teased him until he nearly lost 

 his wits she got off of her own accord. 



" Some days she used to come to the woods 

 dressed exactly like Columbine, and nod and jump 

 around the rocks. This made Columbine angry, 

 for Ruby-throated Humming-bird would fly about 

 her so much. Other days she dressed herself like 

 Wild Rose, and danced so gracefully that Rose 

 just pined to leave its thorns and leaves and dance 

 too. 



" She used to pick the flowers and wear them 

 for caps and slippers and she made petticoats out 

 of their petals. All these things made the flowers 



