Howard Pyle, a chronicle by Charles D. Abbott, with an introduction by N. C. Wyeth and many illustrations from Howard Pyle's works.

"(MA GIG CASEMENTS"
blood. (Isn't there something suggestive in that, don't
thee think? )
"These nixen are magic musicians and can play upon the
violin so that the trees and stones will dance. A man desiring to learn this wonderful performance brought, one
St. John's eve, to the mill, a black cock which he threw into
the pond, he himself standing With his back to it. Soon the
nixen came and touched his hand and the man could play as
no one in the village could. He was not content with this,
however; so the next St. John's night he took a black cat
and in a like manner threw it, too, into the mill pond. Soon
the nixen came and touched his forearm, and now the
man could play as no one in the world could. But even this
did not content him; so next St. John's night he took a black
lamb and threw it into the pond. This time the nixen came
and touched the man's elbow and instantly his arm commenced to work in spite of himself and he produced the
most wonderful music that ever was heard. But when he
would cease playing he found he could not. In spite of
himself his elbow kept working and he continued playing.
All that night and all the next day and all the following
night he continued, until a swineherd who was a wise man
came, and standing behind him cut the fiddle strings across;
when he instantly ceased. From that moment, though, he
lost all power of playing on the violin. (I confess I cooked
this up a little, and with some additions, such, for instance,
as his violin making everyone dance that heard it, until the
swineherd, stopping his ears with wax, was able to cut the
fiddle strings, it might make quite an amusing, as well as
laughable, story. Don't thee think so?) I'll put in one
more and if they bore thee too much thee needn't read it.
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