Holiday adventures

A man dressed in green with a feather in his cap, and a gun over his shoulder stood by watching the girls at their work.

He was a forester and seemed to act as overseer. He gave the signal to stop work as the strangers (mother and Lotty) approached. The women hid their tools under the dry heather until the next day, and then strapped on the big baskets they carried on their backs, without which they hardly felt properly dressed. They then marched along together, singing a melodious song in unison. As they came to the cross-roads they parted company; some went this way, some that; all kept up the tune, which echoed farther and farther, fainter and fainter in the distance.

Before long Lottchen and her mother were alone; but they felt that the ground they stood on, was enchanted. Mother said it was like a scene from the opera. They watched the fire; how the flames leaped and crackled; yet they were dying down. The fire made a bright contrast to the dark fir-woods which formed the background to the picture. The glory died from the sky; but yet it was strangely light; darker and darker grew the woods near the fire. Suddenly Lotty espied bright sparks among the trees.

"I do believe they have set the wood on fire," said mother.

"O no, mother, don't you see; let us crouch down and hide; it is the fairies: they are coming to the fire."

The air was suddenly full of bright beings.

"There is a wood fire on the hill;

High on the heath it glimmers still.

Who are these beings in the air

With gauzy robes and flowing hair?

Is it the wreathing smoke I see

That forms itself so curiously?

Nay, they alight: they form a ring,

Around the flickering fire spring,

And from those embers burning low

They light their wands, they gleam, they glow,

Like firework stars of rainbow hue,

Green, yellow, orange, lilac, blue!

Ah what a scene, how wild, how strange!

The stars each moment break and change

In thousand colours; look on high:

Each slender wand points to the sky,

Then waves and trembles: lo afar

On lonely woods falls many a star!