200 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

stew to pay any heed to strangers. Restlessly
moving to and fro, she constantly reared her
head to gaze into the kettle, to see if the stew
were in nee of burning.

= ©), co me! deary me! if it should catch

on again to-day!”
murmured the poor
cook, in a helpless,
dazed sort of way.

One of the pecu-
liarities of Fairyland
is, that those who
enter there can un-
derstand the animal
language, and Wassa was surprised to find
how easily she understood the rattlesnake.
The fear she had first felt now vanished as
she watched the feeble-minded cook, and her
hunger increased as the savory odors of the
stew grew more and more fragrant.

“Oh, deary me! if it should catch on again
to-day!” again murmured the poor cook, after
another peep into the kettle. “And I wonder
if I have forgotten to put the salt in to-day.
Can any one tell me if I have forgotten to put
the salt in to-day ?”