The Fairy of Spring

On a winter evening, a poor peasant woman waited for her husband, who had gone to gather firewood in the forest. He finally arrived. The man and woman returned to their gloomy home, devoid of the joyful cries of a child. This was their great sorrow and their greatest longing. A fairy, having heard their wishes, appeared to them in the guise of an old beggar woman and asked for alms. Having tested their kind hearts, she transformed the scene into a bright and sunny landscape. She summoned flowers, which gathered in her hand into a pretty bouquet. She offered it to them and then vanished. But, to their surprise, the flowers transformed into two beautiful children who brought joy and happiness with them. —Pathé catalogue supplement, August, 1906.