along, and soon came
to a meadow gay with yellow buttercups.

She picked a handful and then ran on, for she could see, just over the
next wall, the red blossoms of a field of poppies.

Some of these she gathered and put among her buttercups; but she did not
stay long in this field, for she knew that a little farther on there was
a stream, beside which grew the pretty blue forget-me-nots of which her
mother was so fond.

So Mae gathered a big bunch of these, and now held in her hand
buttercups, poppies, and forget-me-nots.

But after a while she began to get tired, so she sat down on the bank to
rest, and presently she heard a soft little voice say: "Do you like
butter?"

Mae looked quickly around, and saw before her a pretty little lady, with
a crown of gold upon her head and dressed all in yellow.

She was very much surprised, but being a polite little girl, replied:
"Yes, thank you; and will you please tell me your name?"

"Certainly," said the little lady. "My name is Fairy Yellow, and I am
Queen of the buttercups and daffodils, and all the yellow flowers; here
come my sisters, Fairy Red and Fairy Blue."

And there they were, two more little ladies, one dressed in red and the
other in blue.

"Good morning," said Mae.

"Good morning," said Fairy Red. "I live among the poppies, and all the
red flowers belong to me; poppies, and roses, and the holly-berries, and
many more besides."

Then Fairy Blue said, "I am mistress of the bluebells, and hare-bells,
and forget-me-nots, and all the sweet blue flowers."

"I think you are all very pretty," said Mae, "and I shall always think
of you when I look at the flowers; but now I must go home; so good-bye."

"But we are going with you," said the fairies, and to Mae's astonishment
each crept into a flower and nestled down comfortably; Fairy Yellow in a
buttercup, Fairy Red in a poppy, and Fairy Blue in a forget-me-not.

So Mae gathered up her flowers and set off home, and all the way the
fairies sang to her the sweetest songs.

* * * * *

ALTEMUS' ILLUSTRATED
FAIRY TALES SERIES

An entirely new collection of Fairy Tales from various countries,
carefully edited for young people

Profusely Illustrated, Fifty Cents, Each

* * * * *

THE MAGIC BED
A Book of East Indian Fairy Tales

East Indian Fairy Tales are the oldest in existence; some in this book
are more than two thousand years old.

Decora