{"collection":"folklore-oral-tradition","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_78083/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_78083","id":"gutenberg_78083","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78083","summary":null,"tags":["Fairy tales"],"text":"[Illustration: YELLOW DWARF SERIES\n\nFAWN IN THE WOOD\n\nM\u1d9cLOUGHLIN BROTHERS, N.Y.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE\n\nFAWN IN THE WOOD.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOnce upon a time, there lived a King and Queen, who were very\nunhappy, because they had no children. But one day, when the Queen\nwas walking out, she saw an immense crab, which said to her, \u201cfollow\nme, great Queen, and you shall have your wish.\u201d The Queen was very\nmuch astonished at being thus addressed by the wonderful crab, and\nfor a time hesitated as to what she should do. Her desire to have a\nchild of her own, however, was so great, that it overcame her fears\nat last, and she determined to risk everything to gain her end. She\ntherefore followed the crab through a secret path, until they reached\na palace built of diamonds and pearls, in front of which stood six\nlovely fairies, who each presented her with a flower made of gems.\nThere was a rose, a tulip, a lily, a pink, a camellia, and a dahlia.\n\n[Illustration: Threat of the Fairy Crab.]\n\n[Illustration: The Princess in her Secret Palace.]\n\n\u201cMadam,\u201d said they, \u201cyou will soon have a daughter, whom you must\ncall \u2018Desired.\u2019 As soon as she is born, summon us by repeating the\nname of each flower, and we will make her a miracle of grace and\ngoodness.\u201d The happy Queen returned home, and in due time, a little\nPrincess was born. The fairies were sent for, and after kissing the\ninfant, they endowed her with wit, beauty, virtue, and every good\nquality they could think of. The grateful Queen was just thanking\nthem for their kindness, when there entered a crab, so large that it\ncould scarcely get through the door. \u201cAh, wicked Queen,\u201d it said,\n\u201cyou have forgotten the service I rendered you, in guiding you to\nmy sisters; you have called _them_, and neglected _me_.\u201d The Queen\nasked her pardon for the oversight, and her sister fairies joined\ntheir prayers to hers, but in vain. \u201cI will not do _all_ the harm I\nintended,\u201d said the crab, \u201cbut I warn you, if the Princess sees the\nlight of day before she is fifteen, it will, perhaps, cost her her\nlife!\u201d Her parents were much alarmed at this threat, and at length\ndetermined to build a palace, without windows, and there to keep her\nuntil she was past the fatal age. This was done, and the Princess\ngrew in knowledge and beauty until she was within a few months of\nbeing fifteen, having never seen any light, except that from wax\ncandles which burned night and day. As the time grew near for her\nrelease, her portrait was painted, and a copy sent to every court in\nthe world. All who saw this picture admired it, and many high and\nmighty Princes asked the hand of the young Princess in marriage; but\n_one_ of them fell so deeply in love with her as almost to lose his\nreason. His name was Warrior, and he was the son of a great King,\nwhose court was not far from the country of the Princess Desired.\nPrince Warrior begged his father to send an ambassador to the\nPrincess, and an eloquent nobleman, called Silvertongue, was selected.\n\nAs soon as he arrived at the court of the Princess, he requested to\nsee her, but to his great surprise, that favor was denied him. \u201cDo\nnot be offended, Lord Silvertongue,\u201d said the King, \u201cat our refusal\nof a request which you are perfectly justified in making,\u201d and he\nthen related to the nobleman the whole of the wonderful story.\nSilvertongue then took leave of the King, and returned to his own\ncourt. Great was the anguish of Prince Warrior when he found that\nhe could not see the Princess for three long months--for she still\nlacked that much of being fifteen years old.\n\nThe King, his father, was in despair, and Lord Silvertongue was sent\nback at his utmost speed, to assure the parents of Desired that\nPrince Warrior would surely die if they refused him their daughter\nany longer. Now, the Princess had seen Prince Warrior\u2019s portrait,\nand was as much in love as he was; so when her mother went to see\nher, and told her of the illness of the young Prince, she was very\nmuch affected, and said: \u201cDearest mother, could not I go in a coach\nso tightly closed that I couldn\u2019t see daylight, and so reach my dear\nPrince Warrior in safety?\u201d The King and Queen were well pleased at\nthis idea, and Lord Silvertongue immediately returned with the news\nto Prince Warrior.\n\nA coach was built, lined with pink and gold brocade, but without\nglass windows, and a great nobleman was given charge of it. Then\nthe Princess was locked up in the coach, in company with her two\nladies-in-waiting--Clove-Flower, and Long-Nails--and at once set out,\nwith a strong escort, for the court of Prince Warrior.\n\nNow, you must know that Clove-Flower was very fond of her mistress;\nbut Long-Nails, who was very much in love with Prince Warrior\nherself, from having seen his picture, was determined to destroy her\nmistress if she could, and try to gain the Prince for herself. So on\nthe last day of the journey, when they were near the court of the\nyoung Prince, Long-Nails suddenly cut open the roof of the coach,\nwith a large knife, and for the first time in her life, Princess\nDesired saw the light of day! The moment the light touched her, she\nsprang from the coach with a sad cry, and in the form of a beautiful\nwhite Fawn, bounded into the forest, and hid herself in a dark and\ngloomy thicket!\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe wicked old Crab-Fairy, who had caused all this, seemed bent upon\nthe destruction of the world. The thunder and lightning was so\nterrible; that all the attendants ran away in their fright, except\nLong-Nails and her mother; and Clove-Flower, who ran after the\nPrincess. Long-Nails then dressed herself in the Princess\u2019 richest\nclothes and jewels, and followed by her mother, set out for the city,\nand were soon met by the King and his son. But the moment Prince\nWarrior saw her, he fell back with a loud cry: \u201cWhat do I see?\u201d said\nhe. \u201cSire,\u201d said Long-Nails\u2019 mother boldly; \u201c_this_ is the Princess\nDesired,\u201d (pointing to her wicked daughter,) with letters and\npresents from the King and Queen.\n\nThe Prince, with his eyes still fixed upon Long-Nails, who was as\nugly as Desired was beautiful, cried in a loud voice: \u201cI am betrayed;\nthis is not the Princess Desired.\u201d Then waving his hand, two of the\nsoldiers seized upon the false Princess and her mother, and locked\nthem up in one of the strong castles of the city. Prince Warrior\nwas so overcome by the shock, that he determined to leave the court\nsecretly; and with no companion but his faithful Silvertongue, spend\nthe remainder of his life in exile. They left the court at once, and\nthe next day found themselves in a vast forest, where the Prince\ndismounted, while Silvertongue went to look for food.\n\nWe must now return to the unhappy Fawn. Clove-Flower, as you know,\npursued her; and as soon as the Fawn saw her, she ran up eagerly\nand caressed her, while the tears flowed from her lovely eyes.\nClove-Flower saw at once that the Fawn was her dear mistress. Just\nthen the fairy Tulip, who had been at the birth of the Princess,\nand pitied her sad condition, appeared on the scene. Clove-Flower\nentreated the fairy to restore the Princess to her natural form. \u201cI\ncannot do _that_,\u201d said she, \u201cbut I can soften her punishment. When\nnight comes, she will regain her form, until the morning, when she\nmust again roam the fields and forests. Proceed by this path till you\ncome to a cottage where you can get food and shelter.\u201d\n\nThey followed her directions, and soon found the cottage, where a\nnice old woman gave them an inner room, in which were two pretty\nbeds. As soon as night came, Desired ceased to be a Fawn; and they\nlay down in each other\u2019s arms, and slept with many tears. But as soon\nas it was daylight, the Princess became a Fawn once more; and at once\nleft the cottage, and fled into the woods. Meanwhile, Silvertongue\nhad arrived at the cottage, in search of food, where the old woman\nnot only filled a basket for him, but offered them a shelter for the\nnight, which he accepted.\n\nThe Prince slept badly, and as soon as it was morning, _he_ also went\nout into the wood; and after wandering about sadly for a long time,\nbegan to feel weary, and lay down under a tree to rest. He soon fell\nasleep, and began to dream of the lost Princess. Just then the White\nFawn came to the same spot, and as she looked at the sleeping Prince,\n(whom, of course, she knew at once from his picture;) she could not\nhelp heaving a deep sigh of love and despair! The Prince was awakened\nby the sound, and springing up with surprise, fitted an arrow to his\nbow; and as the frightened Fawn flew swiftly away in the wood, he let\nfly the arrow from the string; which wounded her slightly in the leg,\nand brought her panting and bleeding to the ground.\n\n[Illustration: Prince Warrior Wounding the Fawn.]\n\n[Illustration: The Prince Captures the Fawn.]\n\nThe Prince soon came up, and when he saw the look of fear and pain\nin her soft eyes, his heart was moved to pity; and he was sorry\nfor what he had done. He caressed her tenderly, and gathering some\nherbs, bound them around her leg; and then making her a soft bed of\nleaves, he went to look for Silvertongue, to assist him in getting\nthe Fawn to the cottage. As soon as the Prince was out of sight,\nClove-Flower, who had been looking for her mistress, came up in great\ndistress, and was trying to get the Fawn upon her feet, when the\nPrince and Silvertongue returned, and claimed her as their own. \u201cMy\nlord,\u201d said Clove-Flower, \u201cthis Fawn belonged to me, before she did\nto you; and I would sooner lose my life than her;\u201d and upon this,\nthe Prince at once gave her up to Clove-Flower, and assisted her in\ncarrying the Fawn to the cottage.\n\nSilvertongue then told the Prince that he had seen Clove-Flower at\nthe court of, and in attendance upon, Desired. The Prince was amazed,\nand to satisfy himself, made a small hole in the wall, and looked\nthrough. It was now after dark, and the Princess had regained her\nform. She lay on the bed weeping sadly, and saying with many sighs:\n\u201cAlas! must I become a Fawn again, and see him whom I love, without\nbeing able to speak to him.\u201d This was enough. They knocked gently\nat the door, and in a moment the Prince was at the Princess\u2019 feet,\ndeclaring his love and devotion. Just then the noise of trumpets was\nheard without, and the King, who was searching for his son, entered\nthe cottage.\n\nAll this was brought about by the fairy Tulip. _She_ was the old\nwoman, and the cottage was _hers_. The Princess was carried to the\ncourt of Prince Warrior in a close carriage, and kept in darkness\nuntil she reached the age of fifteen, which was now close at hand.\nThe marriage was then celebrated with great splendor, and was\nrendered more brilliant by the presence of the six fairies who\nhad presided at her birth; and by the wedding of Silvertongue and\nClove-Flower, who were married at the same time.\n\n\n\n\n         =AMUSING AND INSTRUCTIVE PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.=\n\n\n                         THE CALDECOTT SERIES,\n\n                 Comprising the diverting Histories of\n\n  =John Gilpin\u2019s Ride to Ware.=\n  =The House that Jack Built.=\n  =The Mad Dog.=\n  =The Babes in the Wood.=\n\n4to., 32 pages. Beautifully Illustrated in colors in the popular\nstyle of the Georgian Era known as the \u201cEastlake.\u201d Price, 25c. each.\n\n\n                      HALF HOURS WITH THE BIBLE.\n\n                  New Edition--Enlarged and Improved.\n\nTwelve kinds, embracing a carefully-written and very superior series\nof Bible Histories. They contain a large amount of Bible information\nin a very small compass, and are admirably adapted as preparatory\nbooks for Bible study. Their simplicity brings them within the\ncomprehension of very young people. Elegantly Illustrated by H. W.\nHERRICK. Cap quarto, 32 pages. Pictorial cover, in gold and colors.\n\n\n                              COMPRISING\n\n                            =PACKAGE ONE.=\n\n  =The Creation of the World and the Deluge.=\n  =Stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.=\n  =Joshua and the Mighty Men of Old.=\n  =Kings of Israel and Judah.=\n  =Good Children of the Bible.=\n  =Moses and the Wanderings of the Children of Israel.=\n\n\n                            =PACKAGE TWO.=\n\n  =Joseph and His Brethren.=\n  =Jesus Our Example.=\n  =Jesus Our Saviour.=\n  =Story of the Apostles.=\n  =Story of the Prophets.=\n  =Mrs. Barbauld\u2019s Hymns.=\n\nPrice 12\u00bdc. each, or in one volume royal 16mo., 350 pages, handsomely\nbound in cloth, $1.50.\n\n\n                      =IN PRESS--Ready in July.=\n\n                       NEW PANTOMIME TOY BOOKS,\n\n                              COMPRISING\n\n  =The Sleeping Beauty.=\n  =Blue Beard.=\n  =Puss in Boots.=\n  =Cinderella.=\n  =Aladdin.=\n\nWe desire to call particular attention to these unique and elegant\nToy Books. For quaintness of design, brilliancy of color, and the\nperfect precision and harmony of the changes, they have never been\nequaled. Each book contains _five_ scenes, and _nine_ perfect\nchanges; gradually developing the story to the end, and presenting\nwith each change a new scene in the Pantomime. Large 8vo. Price, 25c.\neach.\n\n\n                       TRANSFORMATION TOY BOOKS,\n\n                              COMPRISING\n\n  =Mother Goose.=\n  =Naughty Children.=\n\nLarge 16mo. These books are handsomely Illustrated in colors, with\noriginal designs by HOWARD. Each picture will make four different\nchanges. Must be seen to be appreciated. Price, 25c. each.\n\n\n                       THE YELLOW DWARF SERIES,\n\n                              COMPRISING\n\n  =The Yellow Dwarf.=\n  =Beauty and the Beast.=\n  =The Fawn in the Wood.=\n  =Goody Two Shoes.=\n\n8vo., 16 pages. New and improved editions of these time-honored\nstories. Handsomely Illustrated by HOWARD, in the latest style of\nArt. Price, 8c. each.\n\n                M\u1d9cLOUGHLIN BROS., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK.\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber\u2019s Note:\n\nThree misspelled words and nine punctuation marks were corrected.","title":"Fawn in the wood","tradition":"folklore-oral-tradition","translated_text":null,"word_count":2360}