Evaleen Stein

“ As Brother Stephen's artistic eye took in the beauty of effect made by the few flowers on the brass ruler with the butterfly hovering over them, he, too, gave a little exclamation, and his eyes brightened and he smiled; for he had just got a new idea for an illuminated border.
"Yes," he said to himself, "this would be different from any I have yet seen! I will decorate King Louis's book with borders of gold; and on the gold I will [26] paint the meadow wildflowers, and the bees and butterflies, and all the little flying creatures." ”

“ When the day before Christmas came, Olaf and Astrid went out with the village folk to the forest to gather the ground-pine and juniper berries which everybody liked to twine into pretty, green garlands to brighten their homes and make gay their windows against the time for lighting the Christmas candles. For you know that when, on the blessed Christmas-eve, the dear Christ-child comes down from heaven and softly treads the earth again, it pleases him to have those who love him set candles in their windows to cheer and guide him on his way. ”

“ Now, as good luck had it, the cockatoo also had been half aroused from his sleep, and giving a faint screech, began to shift uneasily in his dreams, from one leg to the other, his chain clanking against his perch as he did so. Count Hugo hearing him, at once supposed the cockatoo responsible for that other clanking sound which had aroused him; he swore a round oath, and turned from the window, muttering to himself, “A plague on that jabbering popinjay! What with their everlasting peacocks and monkeys, and heaven only knows what, a man can not get a wink of sleep in this accursed tavern!” ”

“ When the roses were all in bloom and midsummer night came, there was a full moon, and all the young folks went to dance on the village green where the May-pole had been. It was a fine sight, the girls looking so handsome in their holiday bodices and starched petticoats, and their gay flowered kerchiefs and embroidered aprons; and the young men in their velvet jackets and knee breeches with silver braid and buttons. ”

“ If you want to wish again, you may."
"Oh, ma'am," cried Biddy eagerly, "I wish I was back in the Cabin again, and—and 'tis barefooted I'm wanting to go, and to be tending of Peter and feeding of the pig, and playing in the meadow with Pat—and never, never to be a Princess again so long as ever I live!"
And, of course, the good fairy made Biddy's wish come true, and she became a ragged, happy little girl as before; and, when they grew up, she forgot all about the King's son she had once wanted to marry, and married Pat instead; and of course, too, they lived happily ever after. ”

“ Never in all their lives had they felt so glad. The fir tree, too, seemed filled with joy; for its soft whispering had changed to a flute-like, silvery singing, high and sweet and thrilling with gladness, and all its little icy cones were clapping together with a tinkling music.
Wonder-struck, the children crept out a little way from beneath its boughs, so they could look up at it; for the most marvelous things were happening. As the lovely white light poured over it, they saw that the snow on its topmost branches had turned into a glittering golden star ”

“ Children, come, it is time to eat!
[64]
THE RASH LITTLE SPARROW
Rash little sparrow
Up in the nest;
Feathers not long enough,
Wee wings not strong enough!
Poor little sparrow!
Poor little breast!
[65]
WHAT IF?
When I see the new moon lightly
Through cloud ripples slip,
Then I'm sure that shining brightly
It's a fairy ship!
What if in it we were sailing
Far and far away,
With a wake of silver trailing,
Till the golden day?
Why, we'd fly back home together
Safely from the sky,
For the moon's a fairy feather
When the sun is high! ”

“ Whenever he did anything especially nice, Brother Stephen would seem almost as much pleased as if Gabriel were his own boy; and hugging him affectionately, he would exclaim:
"Ah, little one, thou hast indeed the artist soul! And, please [62] God, I will train thy hand so that when thou art a man it shall never know the hard toil of the peasant. Thy pen and brush shall earn a livelihood for thee!" And then he would take more pains than ever to teach Gabriel all the best knowledge of his art. ”

“ As they drew near the door of the house, Elsa hastened to explain to her how she had come, and how she hoped to learn the rune from the lips of the aged peasant Ulricborg. At this the old woman, who had listened attentively, shook her head.
“Ah, little one,” said she, “thou little knowest how feeble he hath grown! He hath strange fancies, too, and I doubt if he will wish to let thee learn it. He hath never been willing to teach it to any one. But,” she added, “thou canst at least ask, if thou wishest.”
By this time they had reached the threshold of Dame Ulricborg’s home, and stepped within. ”

“ It is all right for you to make the grass and trees sparkle on autumn mornings and to paint the window-panes in winter, but you know very well you have no business to show yourself when the April sand is running in my hour-glass, and you shall not spoil my village people's fruit-trees! Now go away!' And with that he shook him again, and then putting him down, he swayed his hour-glass so the April sand was stirred, and at once a cloud came and a warm rain began to fall, and Jack Frost ran away as fast as he could, for fear he would melt, and he dared not show himself again till autumn. ”

“ For everybody knows that fairies are very fond of fresh milk.
After supper, when Bridget was sound asleep, Nial quietly slipped out of bed, and unbarring the door, ran swiftly down to the meadow and hid in the hazel bushes as before. By and by, when the moon came up, sure enough, out crept the little people to dance and frolic again. When they saw the preparations Nial had made for them, they were mightily pleased. ”

“ Within the cottage the good dame, the Misè Michaud, with wide sleeves rolled up and kirtle tucked back, was hard at work making all manner of holiday sweetmeats; while in the huge oven beside the blazing hearth the great Christmas cakes were baking, the famous pompou and almond pâtés, dear to the hearts of the children of old Provence.
Now and then, as the cottage door swung open on the dame’s various errands, one might hear a faint “Baa, baa!” from the sheepfold, where little Félix Michaud was very busy also. ”

“ Is telling all the world how fair
Are apple-blossoms now;
The honey-dew its sweetness spills
From cuckoo-cups, and all
The crocuses and daffodils
Are drest for festival!
Such pretty things are to be seen,
Such pleasant things to do,
The April earth it is so green,
The April sky so blue,
[12] The path from dawn to even-song
So joyous is to-day,
Up, little ones! and dance along
The lilac-scented way!
[13]
DANDELIONS
Hey-a-day-a-day, my dear! ”

“ The more she gazed at the overflowing hay, the more she wished that he might lie there, if only for a little while till he grew warm and she could rest; the stone floor was so cold, and her arms were so tired. Surely, she thought, Mother Mary would not forbid her, she looked so loving and compassionate; and the white-winged angels, had they not all come down from the sky? So perhaps they would pity little brother and would take him with them when they flew back to heaven where everything was bright and happy. ”

“ That afternoon a very wise old woman had chanced to come hobbling along the road by the cabin and had stopped to rest, and Biddy had brought her a drink from the spring and had fallen to talking with her. It was she who told Biddy that there were five kinds of herbs which, though just ordinary plants at other times, became magical on Midsummer Eve; and, if their flowers were gathered then under the light of a full moon, a bunch of them offered to the fairies would please them so that they would not fail to grant any wish. ”

“ As little Jean (for this was his name before he joined the monks, when one's own name was always changed) grew up, he took the solemn vows which bound him to [11] the rules of the brotherhood without realizing what it all would mean to him; for Brother Stephen was a born artist; and, by and by, he began to feel that while life in the Abbey was well for most of the brothers, for him it was not well. He wanted to be free to wander about the world; to paint pictures of many things; and to go from city to city, and see and study the work of the world's great artists. ”

“ Then he told Nial to pick from the chest the handsomest torques and bracelets for himself and Bridget, and he commanded the court tailors and dress-makers to set to work on the finest clothes for them; and when these were finished he ordered a grand feast, and Nial and the Princess were solemnly betrothed. The Princess wore a gown of white velvet sewn with pearls, and carried a bouquet of the wonderful yellow flowers from the meadow; and while the betrothal was going on, the two cuckoos came and perched, one on her shoulder and one on Nial's, and sang as if they would burst their throats. ”

“ And then he told him of his little daughter, the Lady Elinor, and how she would play with Félix and show him the castle, and how on the morrow they would see about sending him home to Sur Varne.
And all the while the count was talking they were trotting briskly onward, till by and by they emerged from the forest and saw towering near at hand the castle of Bois Varne. The tall turrets shone and shimmered in the moonlight, and over the gateway of the drawbridge hung a lighted cresset—that is, a beautiful wrought-iron basket, in which blazed a ruddy torch of oil to light them on their way. ”

“ Where else do such wonderful sweetmeats grow?—
Its tasseled horns and its pop-corn strings
And all its myriad marvelous things!
O-ho! and ah-ha!
And a hip hurrah!
For our dear and beautiful tree, because
It grew in the gardens of Santa Claus
[109]
And he brought it here in his reindeer sleigh
From ever and ever so far away!
So, children, come, let us make a ring
And all clasp hands as we dance and sing
To the blessed tree and the blessed night
When the Christ-child walks in the candles' light!
Hurrah! Hurrah! ”

“ Colder and wearier and weaker she grew with every step; and though poor little brother lay very quietly, his eyes closed in a kind of stupor from cold and hunger, his thin, tiny body seemed a leaden weight in her tired arms. At last, when almost ready to faint, she had come to the cathedral, and seeing the open door and the lights within, had slipped in, as I have told you; and there she was, sunk on the floor before the altar. ”

“ Indeed the sun behaves very oddly in Finland; it was then circling round the sky in its autumn course, never setting, as in our country, but staying up a little way all night, and all the while weaving its spiral rings lower and lower down the sky. By and by it would hide altogether and not show itself for many weeks. So while the light lasted every one was making the most of it.
Elsa was astir early; breakfast had long been over; she had swept the house with the broom of birch twigs, and was now outside the cottage helping her mother churn. ”

“ It was right in our village, which happened, to be just underneath his cradle."
"Did you see him?" inquired Olga.
"No," replied Grandfather. "Didn't I tell you that he had on a cap that made him and his scythe and glass invisible to everybody but babies? You know babies always like each other, and so little New Years always smile when they see one. You just watch Hilda tomorrow and see if you don't find her looking into the air and laughing as if she saw another baby. ”

“ SLEEPY TIME
Hey, baby! Ho, baby! here upon my knee,
See the firelight flicker over you and me!
See the tiny people basking in the glow,
Peering through the ruddy little coals, and so
How they dance and scamper! Merry fairy folk!
Little sparks for spangles, little wings of smoke!
Come baby, come baby, nestle in my arms;
Hear the purring flames now sing their sleepy charms.
All the firelight fairies, all the drowsy elves,
In the downy ashes cover up themselves. ”

“ Now at this time, in one of the smallest of the wattled houses, lived a poor woman named Bridget, and her only child, a bright-eyed boy called Nial. They had no torques or bracelets, and their clothes were old and ragged; but they had a little bee-hive, and a cow, and a tiny bit of ground where they raised a few oats for porridge. A peat bog was near, so they always had a fire on the hearth; and that contented they were, Bridget would sing over her work and Nial whistle as merrily as if he were a king's son.
Every day Nial took the cow to pasture ”

“ Indeed, everything was ready and waiting for the holy hour. Green Christmas garlands wound the fluted pillars and decked the walls between the lovely stained windows, and twined about the altar where a wonderful little scene,—or "creche," as it was called,—had been made in memory of the place in Bethlehem where the little Jesus was born. ”

“ But when he thought it over, and reflected that it was out of sheer kindness that Gabriel had made the request, his heart strangely warmed toward the lad. Indeed, through all his life in the Abbey, no one had ever really cared whether he was happy or unhappy; and so poor Brother Stephen had had no idea how [52] very pleasant it would be to have even a little peasant boy take an interest in him. And as day after day went by, he began to love Gabriel, as he had never before loved any one. ”

“ Count Hugo came once or twice to see that the man-at-arms had properly beaten him, and even meditated putting him to some torture to make him disclose at once the whereabouts of the sword. But he scarcely dared, as he feared an uprising of the people of the inn, who, he saw, were very fond of Geoffrey; so he contented himself with cruelly striking the lad once or twice, and determining to deal summarily with him when he should take him away from Dives.
For at that time powerful noblemen did very much as they pleased. ”

“ Over an old city of Europe—never mind which—the Christmas-eve stars were twinkling faintly as the north wind drove the gathering clouds across the sky. Soon the snow began to fall, drifting whitely over the steep brown roofs of the ancient houses and covering the cobble-stones of the winding streets with a soft fleece. ”

“ When the lad was brought into the palace, the King commanded that a large chest be placed before him, and then told him to lift the lid. When Nial did so, he opened his eyes wide, for it was filled with the finest golden torques and bracelets, besides bags of gold and jewels. "Nial," said the King, "if you free me from my promise to betroth the Princess, the chest is yours. But I will tell you plainly, lad," and here the King frowned, "if 'tis the Princess you are set on having, not a penny goes with her, and 'tis only a wife to support you will be getting." ”

“ Indeed, perhaps never before had so marvellous a feast been spread under a peasant roof in Normandy! All were beside themselves with delight; and while the younger children were dancing round and round in happy bewilderment, Gabriel snatched up a basket, and hurriedly filling it with some of the choicest of the sweetmeats, started off at a brisk run for the Abbey; for he wanted to share some of his [160] Christmas happiness with Brother Stephen. ”

“ When the sun shone too hot, The Good Year shook his hour-glass till showers came, and there was no burning drought as in the bad years before. In the autumn, when everything from all the fields and orchards was gathered, and the village folk trimmed the church for the harvest festival, never were seen such golden sheaves or such red-cheeked apples; and everybody thanked the good God for sending them such a wonderful year. And not only was there plenty for the village, but plenty for the forest creatures, too ”

“ But she hushed her whisper, as suddenly the old peasant began to sing in a weak, quavering voice that seemed to grow stronger as he sang, the beautiful lines telling how the ancient Wainamoinen fashioned the first harp, and how he sang till all the birds forsook their nests, the fishes their deep sea homes, and all the creatures of the woods, nay, the very trees themselves, trooped forth from the forests that they might listen to his enchanting music. ”

“ Why, lad, our bees must be bewitched!"
Nial, who had roused up, laughed to himself, but said nothing of how near the truth she had guessed.
"Why," went on Bridget, "'tis honey fit for a king!" Then, her words putting an idea into the good woman's head, "Bedad, now," she said, "'tis just stepping up to the King's palace I'll be to carry a bit for the porridge of the young Princess!" For all the Irish folk knew that the Princess was exceedingly fond of honey. ”

“ He told her further, how, for many years, the great scholars of Finland had been certain that a great and wonderfully beautiful song-story, a story of heroes and wizards and fairies, had become broken up and scattered among the people, just as if some beautiful stained-glass window should come to pieces, and the different fragments fall into the hands of many different persons, and be scattered about so that no one could make out the first picture unless all the pieces could be found and fitted together again. ”

“ All at once Elsa’s quick ears caught the sound of wheels.
“See, mother!” she exclaimed, “there is Jan of the Ohlsen farm; but who, thinkest thou, is the stranger beside him?”
Fru Sveaborg shaded her eyes with her hand, and sure enough, saw, jogging up the road, a pony dragging one of the odd two-wheeled carts of Finland. As she looked, it turned into the narrow lane of birch trees leading to the cottage. ”