Sandmans Goodnight Stories | Page 2

was pretty sure in his own mind that he had met Mr. Fox.

THE TELL-TALE GOBLIN
[Illustration: The Tell-Tale Goblin]
Once upon a time there was a Little Fairy who loved to wander by the river, and as the Fairy Queen does not like her subjects to go too near the water, the Little Fairy had to steal away.
Always when they held a revel this Little Fairy would fly away from the dance and wander down by the river to watch the ripple of the water as it flowed over the pebbles and stones.
One night a Goblin, who always watched the fairies, happened to be sitting under a bush and saw the Little Fairy.
"What is she doing here all alone?" he said to himself. "She has run away from her sisters, and I am quite sure the Queen does not know where she is. I'll watch her, and if she is up to mischief I'll tell the Queen. Maybe she will give me a new red coat for telling her."
Now, this little tell-tale Goblin began to watch, and pretty soon he saw a mist rise from the river; then it looked like foam, all silvery, in the moonlight.
And then suddenly as he watched, the goblin saw a handsome youth rise from the river and hold out his arms to the Little Fairy standing on the bank.
"Ah-ha!" said the Goblin. "She has a lover, has she? Well I'll tell the Queen and I guess these midnight meetings will be stopped, and I am sure now I shall get a new coat for telling."
The River Youth called to the Fairy just then, and the Goblin forgot the red coat to watch what happened.
"Come, my love," called the White Youth, "take the willow path and you will be safe from the water."
The Little Fairy flew to the willow tree beside the river and tripped lightly along a slender bough which dipped its tip into the water.
When she reached the end the White Youth was there to take her in his arms. He carried her to the middle of the river, where there was a little island, and the watching Goblin saw them sit upon the soft green grass in the moonlight, but he could not hear what they said.
"I'll run and tell her Queen and let her catch them," said the Goblin, and, forgetting that his red coat could be plainly seen in the moonlight, he jumped up and ran along the river bank toward the dell.
"Oh, oh!" cried the Little Fairy, with alarm, when she saw the Goblin, "whatever will become of me? There is a Goblin, and I am sure he has seen me and is going to tell the Queen. Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be banished."
The River Youth, who really was a River God, reached for a horn of white shell which hung from his shoulder by a coral chain, and blew a shrill blast, and the Goblin fell upon his face on the ground.
"Rise!" called the River God, "and tell me where you are going?"
"Oh! Your Majesty," said the sly little Goblin, "I was about to go to the Fairy Queen and tell her one of her fairies was being carried off, but of course I shall not do so now. I see whom she is with. I thought it was old Neptune himself and he might change her into a mermaid."
The River God knew the bad little fellow was telling him a wrong story, but something must be done, so he pretended to believe the Goblin, and said: "Well, now you know the Fairy is safe, what can I do for you if you keep our secret?"
"Give me a silver cap," said the Goblin, quickly.
"Very well. Come here to-morrow night at midnight hour and you shall have the cap if you have not told the Fairy Queen what you have seen," said the River God.
The Goblin promised and off he ran to his home in the rocks, and the River God took the Fairy back to the willow tree. "Come tomorrow without your wand, my love," he said; "we must not delay, now that the Goblin has seen us, for he cannot be trusted after he gets the silver cap."
The next night the Goblin was by the river waiting when the Little Fairy arrived.
"Where is your wand?" he asked, for he saw at once she did not have it.
Before she could reply there was splash in the middle of the river and out of the mist and foam the River God lifted his head and called to the Fairy. At the same time he held up a little silver cap to the Goblin.
The Little Fairy went to her lover by the same path as before, but she took from his hand the little silver cap and tossed it to