The Project Gutenberg EBook of Flower Fables, by Louisa May Alcott

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Title: Flower Fables

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Release Date: June 12, 2008 [EBook #163]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLOWER FABLES ***

Produced by John Hamm and Miriam Bobkoff. HTML version by Al Haines.

Flower Fables

by

Louisa May Alcott

"Pondering shadows, colors, clouds
Grass-buds, and caterpillar shrouds
Boughs on which the wild bees settle,
Tints that spot the violet's petal."
EMERSON'S WOOD-NOTES.

TO
ELLEN EMERSON,
FOR WHOM THEY WERE FANCIED,
THESE FLOWER FABLES
ARE INSCRIBED,
BY HER FRIEND,

THE AUTHOR.

Boston, Dec. 9, 1854.

Contents

The Frost King: or, The Power of Love
Eva's Visit to Fairy-Land
The Flower's Lesson
Lily-Bell and Thistledown
Little Bud
Clover-Blossom
Little Annie's Dream: or, The Fairy Flower
Ripple, the Water-Spirit
Fairy Song

FLOWER FABLES.

THE summer moon shone brightly down upon the sleeping earth, while
far away from mortal eyes danced the Fairy folk. Fire-flies hung
in bright clusters on the dewy leaves, that waved in the cool
night-wind; and the flowers stood gazing, in very wonder, at the
little Elves, who lay among the fern-leaves, swung in the vine-boughs,
sailed on the lake in lily cups, or danced on the mossy ground,
to the music of the hare-bells, who rung out their merriest peal
in honor of the night.

Under the shade of a wild rose sat the Queen and her little
Maids of Honor, beside the silvery mushroom where the feast
was spread.

"Now, my friends," said she, "to while away the time till the bright
moon goes down, let us each tell a tale, or relate what we have done
or learned this day. I will begin with you, Sunny Lock," added she,
turning to a lovely little Elf, who lay among the fragrant leaves
of a primrose.

With a gay smile, "Sunny Lock" began her story.

"As I was painting the bright petals of a blue bell, it tol