6 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

No sooner were the giant’s eyes closed, than
from behind every bush and tree sprang hun-
dreds of little creatures with sturdy forms,
long, peaked beards, and comical little caps
that ended in a peak. Their faces were brim-
ful of mischief, and they silently gathered

 

about the sleeping giant cook. After watch-
ing the sleeper for a while, and laughing at the
foolish expression of his face, as he sat with
his great head nodding forward, the king of
the gnomes, Rondo by name (and a rosy,
good-natured looking monarch he was, who
loved good cheer and mischief), jumped upon a