The Village
of Youth
And Other Fairy Tales
BY
BESSIE HATTON
Author of "Enid Lyle," etc.
With Numerous Illustrations
BY
W. H. MARGETSON
London, 1895
HUTCHINSON & CO
34 PATERNOSTER ROW
Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury.
CONTENTS.
| PAGE | ||
| I. | The Village of Youth | 1 |
| II. | A Child of the Winds | 31 |
| III. | The Flower that reached the Sun-lands | 72 |
| IV. | The Garden of Innocence | 96 |
| V. | A Christmas Rose | 124 |
| VI. | The Windflower | 144 |
I.
There was a young King who ought to have been the happiest monarch inthe world. He was blessed with everything a mortal could desire. Hispalace might have been designed by the Divine architect Himself, soperfect was it in all its parts; and it stood amidst gardens with itsdependent village at its gates, like a dream of feudal beauty in a storyof romance. Notwithstanding his good fortune, the King was oppressedwith what he conceived to be a great trouble. From the happy ruler of ahappy people he gradually became grave and anxious, as if an intensefear had taken possession of his soul; and[Pg 2] so it had. It was the fearof Age. He could no longer bear to meet old people, and eventually grewto hate the hoary heads and time-worn faces of his venerable subjects.He therefore divided his kingdom into two parts. The elders lived in onehalf of the realm, under the government of his mother,