XXV
THE FAIRIES OF THE KITCHEN
In early ages, there came into Belgic Land, a new set of people, called the Romans. For awhile, there was war, but the Belgians were brave and loved their country so dearly, that the Romans admired their courage, and they afterwards helped the very men, with whom they once fought battles. Indeed, Cæsar, their great general, wrote in his book, “The Belgians are, of all peoples, the bravest.” Yet this was largely because they did not live, crowded together in the cities, but in the country they were hardy and strong, because they had plenty of sunshine, pure water, and fresh air.
The Romans brought into Belgic Land many good things to eat and new kinds of clothes. They built wonderful bridges and roads. They showed the people how to rear more comfortable houses and to have farms and gardens, with cows, and sheep, and chickens, ducks and geese.
But most wonderful of all, these Romans brought in, from Oriental countries, spices and [[236]]things that smell and taste good, and gold-colored fruit, called oranges and lemons. With peaches from Persia, grapes and apples and figs from the southern lands, and a variety of delicious eatables from the Orient, there was now plenty of fruit, which had been unknown before. It really seemed to the children of the Belgians that they had a new country, such as their fathers and grandfathers never even dreamed of.
Even better than all these wonderful gifts, to see and taste and smell, and the strange pets, such as peacocks, and rabbits, and song birds, with occasionally a tiger, or lion’s cub, in a cage, and the circus shows and chariot races, which delighted young and old, there came a new kind of people in the land. These told the story of the Father in Heaven, and about the best Friend human beings ever had, and how he lived on earth, in the Holy Land, and loved children, and helped the poor and healed the sick. Moreover, these men and women were like him their Master, for they too took care of the weak, and old, and ill and feeble. They taught the Belgic people to be kind and good to each other, and not fight and quarrel.
If they told the people not to believe in the Druids and the mistletoe, it was because they wanted them to know more about the good God, who made the trees and flowers, and the sun [[237]]and stars, and bade winter and summer and spring and autumn come and go, and who wanted to make us all more happy, by our being his dear and obedient children. So by and bye, the Belgians ceased to worship trees, and the mistletoe, but had plenty of fun in the woods and under the mistletoe boughs, when young men and maidens met.
When at first, the Roman soldiers made war with the Belgians, the fairies were very sorry, and hid away from the noise of battle. But now, they gladly welcomed these new people, who built churches and taught such good news from Heaven. So they called a congress, and, meeting together, talked one with the other, as to how they might help these strangers that loved the Belgians.
At first, the fairies could not decide what to do, for they were dumbfounded to find that human beings seemed actually smarter, and able to do greater things, than they. These outsiders had brought into the land many good things, such as no Belgian fairy folk had ever thought of. The Romans had, indeed, cut down many of the grand forests, in which the fairies had lived, and about this they were sorry and even angry. Yet these same people made such fine roads, and laid out such beautiful farms, and had brought in so many bright and wonderful things, [[238]]that the fairies could find no fault with them. In fact, they praised them highly.