A little boy under a tree one September evening, which was dark and dreary, playing that he saw the stars. He then heard the wind rattling in the leaves and it got darker and darker. He heard a deep sigh from the woodlands, and became so frightened that he started running on a path through the woods. As he ran he thought of all kinds of horrid things, became more excited and ran further and further into the woods and off from the right track. He thought about his father, mother, brothers and sisters and said to himself, "God help us, little one, if I was only there."

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Again there was a deep sigh from the woodland. Running in his fright the little boy finally came to a little elf's home and found himself in the midst of a group of the little people. "Tell me, tell me you beautiful little maidens: who heaves with deep sighs in the woodlands?" A fair little elf smiled a queer little smile, patted the little boy on a red cheek and said, "Don't cry pretty boy, even if you get lost and scared so badly, but sit here on the grass among the flowers of this June. Dry your tears and I will tell you who heaves those deep sighs. When night is drowning near over land and sea and the sun is stting and the waves go to rest under the island, and all the pretty stars are shining, the sky becomes mirror-like and clear, a host of good angels float through the air and cry silver tears over the earth for the sins and misdeeds of the day done by the people of the earth during the day."

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"Thanks to you, my elf queen, I'll never forget, and now I am afraid to go home. I am very poor. I have no earthly goods and praise the Lord and never for my sake shall there be so deep the woodlands."