path: root/78083-0.txt

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 78083 ***




[Illustration: YELLOW DWARF SERIES

FAWN IN THE WOOD

MᶜLOUGHLIN BROTHERS, N.Y.]




THE

FAWN IN THE WOOD.

[Illustration]


Once upon a time, there lived a King and Queen, who were very
unhappy, because they had no children. But one day, when the Queen
was walking out, she saw an immense crab, which said to her, “follow
me, great Queen, and you shall have your wish.” The Queen was very
much astonished at being thus addressed by the wonderful crab, and
for a time hesitated as to what she should do. Her desire to have a
child of her own, however, was so great, that it overcame her fears
at last, and she determined to risk everything to gain her end. She
therefore followed the crab through a secret path, until they reached
a palace built of diamonds and pearls, in front of which stood six
lovely fairies, who each presented her with a flower made of gems.
There was a rose, a tulip, a lily, a pink, a camellia, and a dahlia.

[Illustration: Threat of the Fairy Crab.]

[Illustration: The Princess in her Secret Palace.]

“Madam,” said they, “you will soon have a daughter, whom you must
call ‘Desired.’ As soon as she is born, summon us by repeating the
name of each flower, and we will make her a miracle of grace and
goodness.” The happy Queen returned home, and in due time, a little
Princess was born. The fairies were sent for, and after kissing the
infant, they endowed her with wit, beauty, virtue, and every good
quality they could think of. The grateful Queen was just thanking
them for their kindness, when there entered a crab, so large that it
could scarcely get through the door. “Ah, wicked Queen,” it said,
“you have forgotten the service I rendered you, in guiding you to
my sisters; you have called _them_, and neglected _me_.” The Queen
asked her pardon for the oversight, and her sister fairies joined
their prayers to hers, but in vain. “I will not do _all_ the harm I
intended,” said the crab, “but I warn you, if the Princess sees the
light of day before she is fifteen, it will, perhaps, cost her her
life!” Her parents were much alarmed at this threat, and at length
determined to build a palace, without windows, and there to keep her
until she was past the fatal age. This was done, and the Princess
grew in knowledge and beauty until she was within a few months of
being fifteen, having never seen any light, except that from wax
candles which burned night and day. As the time grew near for her
release, her portrait was painted, and a copy sent to every court in
the world. All who saw this picture admired it, and many high and
mighty Princes asked the hand of the young Princess in marriage; but
_one_ of them fell so deeply in love with her as almost to lose his
reason. His name was Warrior, and he was the son of a great King,
whose court was not far from the country of the Princess Desired.
Prince Warrior begged his father to send an ambassador to the
Princess, and an eloquent nobleman, called Silvertongue, was selected.

As soon as he arrived at the court of the Princess, he requested to
see her, but to his great surprise, that favor was denied him. “Do
not be offended, Lord Silvertongue,” said the King, “at our refusal
of a request which you are perfectly justified in making,” and he
then related to the nobleman the whole of the wonderful story.
Silvertongue then took leave of the King, and returned to his own
court. Great was the anguish of Prince Warrior when he found that
he could not see the Princess for three long months--for she still
lacked that much of being fifteen years old.

The King, his father, was in despair, and Lord Silvertongue was sent
back at his utmost speed, to assure the parents of Desired that
Prince Warrior would surely die if they refused him their daughter
any longer. Now, the Princess had seen Prince Warrior’s portrait,
and was as much in love as he was; so when her mother went to see
her, and told her of the illness of the young Prince, she was very
much affected, and said: “Dearest mother, could not I go in a coach
so tightly closed that I couldn’t see daylight, and so reach my dear
Prince Warrior in safety?” The King and Queen were well pleased at
this idea, and Lord Silvertongue immediately returned with the news
to Prince Warrior.

A coach was built, lined with pink and gold brocade, but without
glass windows, and a great nobleman was given charge of it. Then
the Princess was locked up in the coach, in company with her two
ladies-in-waiting--Clove-Flower, and Long-Nails--and at once set out,
with a strong escort, for the court of Prince Warrior.

Now, you must know that Clove-Flower was very fond of her mistress;
but Long-Nails, who was very much in love with Prince Warrior
herself, from having seen his picture, was determined to destroy her
mistress if she could, and try to gain the Prince for herself. So on
the last day of the journey, when they were near the court of the
young Prince, Long-Nails suddenly cut open the roof of the coach,
with a large knife, and for the first time in her life, Princess
Desired saw the light of day! The moment the light touched her, she
sprang from the coach with a sad cry, and in the form of a beautiful
white Fawn, bounded into the forest, and hid herself in a dark and
gloomy thicket!

[Illustration]

The wicked old Crab-Fairy, who had caused all this, seemed bent upon
the destruction of the world. The thunder and lightning was so
terrible; that all the attendants ran away in their fright, except
Long-Nails and her mother; and Clove-Flower, who ran after the
Princess. Long-Nails then dressed herself in the Princess’ richest
clothes and jewels, and followed by her mother, set out for the city,
and were soon met by the King and his son. But the moment Prince
Warrior saw her, he fell back with a loud cry: “What do I see?” said
he. “Sire,” said Long-Nails’ mother boldly; “_this_ is the Princess
Desired,” (pointing to her wicked daughter,) with letters and
presents from the King and Queen.

The Prince, with his eyes still fixed upon Long-Nails, who was as
ugly as Desired was beautiful, cried in a loud voice: “I am betrayed;
this is not the Princess Desired.” Then waving his hand, two of the
soldiers seized upon the false Princess and her mother, and locked
them up in one of the strong castles of the city. Prince Warrior
was so overcome by the shock, that he determined to leave the court
secretly; and with no companion but his faithful Silvertongue, spend
the remainder of his life in exile. They left the court at once, and
the next day found themselves in a vast forest, where the Prince
dismounted, while Silvertongue went to look for food.

We must now return to the unhappy Fawn. Clove-Flower, as you know,
pursued her; and as soon as the Fawn saw her, she ran up eagerly
and caressed her, while the tears flowed from her lovely eyes.
Clove-Flower saw at once that the Fawn was her dear mistress. Just
then the fairy Tulip, who had been at the birth of the Princess,
and pitied her sad condition, appeared on the scene. Clove-Flower
entreated the fairy to restore the Princess to her natural form. “I
cannot do _that_,” said she, “but I can soften her punishment. When
night comes, she will regain her form, until the morning, when she
must again roam the fields and forests. Proceed by this path till you
come to a cottage where you can get food and shelter.”

They followed her directions, and soon found the cottage, where a
nice old woman gave them an inner room, in which were two pretty
beds. As soon as night came, Desired ceased to be a Fawn; and they
lay down in each other’s arms, and slept with many tears. But as soon
as it was daylight, the Princess became a Fawn once more; and at once
left the cottage, and fled into the woods. Meanwhile, Silvertongue
had arrived at the cottage, in search of food, where the old woman
not only filled a basket for him, but offered them a shelter for the
night, which he accepted.

The Prince slept badly, and as soon as it was morning, _he_ also went
out into the wood; and after wandering about sadly for a long time,
began to feel weary, and lay down under a tree to rest. He soon fell
asleep, and began to dream of the lost Princess. Just then the White
Fawn came to the same spot, and as she looked at the sleeping Prince,
(whom, of course, she knew at once from his picture;) she could not
help heaving a deep sigh of love and despair! The Prince was awakened
by the sound, and springing up with surprise, fitted an arrow to his
bow; and as the frightened Fawn flew swiftly away in the wood, he let
fly the arrow from the string; which wounded her slightly in the leg,
and brought her panting and bleeding to the ground.

[Illustration: Prince Warrior Wounding the Fawn.]

[Illustration: The Prince Captures the Fawn.]

The Prince soon came up, and when he saw the look of fear and pain
in her soft eyes, his heart was moved to pity; and he was sorry
for what he had done. He caressed her tenderly, and gathering some
herbs, bound them around her leg; and then making her a soft bed of
leaves, he went to look for Silvertongue, to assist him in getting
the Fawn to the cottage. As soon as the Prince was out of sight,
Clove-Flower, who had been looking for her mistress, came up in great
distress, and was trying to get the Fawn upon her feet, when the
Prince and Silvertongue returned, and claimed her as their own. “My
lord,” said Clove-Flower, “this Fawn belonged to me, before she did
to you; and I would sooner lose my life than her;” and upon this,
the Prince at once gave her up to Clove-Flower, and assisted her in
carrying the Fawn to the cottage.

Silvertongue then told the Prince that he had seen Clove-Flower at
the court of, and in attendance upon, Desired. The Prince was amazed,
and to satisfy himself, made a small hole in the wall, and looked
through. It was now after dark, and the Princess had regained her
form. She lay on the bed weeping sadly, and saying with many sighs:
“Alas! must I become a Fawn again, and see him whom I love, without
being able to speak to him.” This was enough. They knocked gently
at the door, and in a moment the Prince was at the Princess’ feet,
declaring his love and devotion. Just then the noise of trumpets was
heard without, and the King, who was searching for his son, entered
the cottage.

All this was brought about by the fairy Tulip. _She_ was the old
woman, and the cottage was _hers_. The Princess was carried to the
court of Prince Warrior in a close carriage, and kept in darkness
until she reached the age of fifteen, which was now close at hand.
The marriage was then celebrated with great splendor, and was
rendered more brilliant by the presence of the six fairies who
had presided at her birth; and by the wedding of Silvertongue and
Clove-Flower, who were married at the same time.




         =AMUSING AND INSTRUCTIVE PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.=


                         THE CALDECOTT SERIES,

                 Comprising the diverting Histories of

  =John Gilpin’s Ride to Ware.=
  =The House that Jack Built.=
  =The Mad Dog.=
  =The Babes in the Wood.=

4to., 32 pages. Beautifully Illustrated in colors in the popular
style of the Georgian Era known as the “Eastlake.” Price, 25c. each.


                      HALF HOURS WITH THE BIBLE.

                  New Edition--Enlarged and Improved.

Twelve kinds, embracing a carefully-written and very superior series
of Bible Histories. They contain a large amount of Bible information
in a very small compass, and are admirably adapted as preparatory
books for Bible study. Their simplicity brings them within the
comprehension of very young people. Elegantly Illustrated by H. W.
HERRICK. Cap quarto, 32 pages. Pictorial cover, in gold and colors.


                              COMPRISING

                            =PACKAGE ONE.=

  =The Creation of the World and the Deluge.=
  =Stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.=
  =Joshua and the Mighty Men of Old.=
  =Kings of Israel and Judah.=
  =Good Children of the Bible.=
  =Moses and the Wanderings of the Children of Israel.=


                            =PACKAGE TWO.=

  =Joseph and His Brethren.=
  =Jesus Our Example.=
  =Jesus Our Saviour.=
  =Story of the Apostles.=
  =Story of the Prophets.=
  =Mrs. Barbauld’s Hymns.=

Price 12½c. each, or in one volume royal 16mo., 350 pages, handsomely
bound in cloth, $1.50.


                      =IN PRESS--Ready in July.=

                       NEW PANTOMIME TOY BOOKS,

                              COMPRISING

  =The Sleeping Beauty.=
  =Blue Beard.=
  =Puss in Boots.=
  =Cinderella.=
  =Aladdin.=

We desire to call particular attention to these unique and elegant
Toy Books. For quaintness of design, brilliancy of color, and the
perfect precision and harmony of the changes, they have never been
equaled. Each book contains _five_ scenes, and _nine_ perfect
changes; gradually developing the story to the end, and presenting
with each change a new scene in the Pantomime. Large 8vo. Price, 25c.
each.


                       TRANSFORMATION TOY BOOKS,

                              COMPRISING

  =Mother Goose.=
  =Naughty Children.=

Large 16mo. These books are handsomely Illustrated in colors, with
original designs by HOWARD. Each picture will make four different
changes. Must be seen to be appreciated. Price, 25c. each.


                       THE YELLOW DWARF SERIES,

                              COMPRISING

  =The Yellow Dwarf.=
  =Beauty and the Beast.=
  =The Fawn in the Wood.=
  =Goody Two Shoes.=

8vo., 16 pages. New and improved editions of these time-honored
stories. Handsomely Illustrated by HOWARD, in the latest style of
Art. Price, 8c. each.

                MᶜLOUGHLIN BROS., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.




Transcriber’s Note:

Three misspelled words and nine punctuation marks were corrected.


*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 78083 ***