“What do you look like?” queried Ruth. “Can’t see me? How extremely provoking. I’m sitting right here on the arm of the settee, and I look just like a fairy—what would you have me look like?” The voice sounded the least bit impatient. Rose, who was nearest to it, started back a trifle. She wasn’t exactly frightened,—but it was a little—well, startling—to hear a fairy and then not be able to see it! Rose had never expected that sort of adventure. “I—I can hear you,” she said, politely. “Perhaps if you got right in front of the fire we could see you.” “The fire won’t help. Why, I have a shine of my own. Come now, look hard.” Both girls looked hard at the sound of the voice. But they couldn’t see it a whit better than they could see the bang of a door or the creak of a board. They felt very sorry and embarrassed, for they could tell the fairy was trying her hardest to be seen. “It’s too bad,” said Rose, at last. And Ruth echoed her sadly. “To think that there is really a fairy here with us, and we can’t see you!” “It’s ridiculous,” remarked the voice, “but I suppose it can’t be helped. You’ll have to get along without seeing me, that’s all. Anyhow, you seem to be able to hear me, and that’s something. And there’s no knowing; you might be disappointed if you did see me, and that would hardly be pleasant.” “Indeed we shouldn’t!” exclaimed both girls at once. “No one was ever disappointed in a fairy.” “Tut-tut,” said the voice, and then gave a little laugh, so sweet and mellow that it made Rose and Ruth laugh too. “But come, how about that Magic Gate?” “Where is it?” asked Ruth, who liked to get straight to essentials. “You can find it easily enough with me,” returned the fairy. “It’s near enough—and it’s far enough. Would you really like to go through it?” “Can we get back again? We couldn’t leave the ranch for too long,” answered Rose. “Marmie might miss us, and every evening we play games with Dad.” “Oh, yes, you can get back. In fact, you can’t stay inside the Magic Gates beyond a certain length of time. There are rules that have to be kept, you see.” “Oh, Ruth, I’d like to go, wouldn’t you?” breathed Rose, excitedly. “Yes,” replied Ruth, clutching her sister’s arm. “But where does it go, Fairy?” “It will lead you to other little girls—little girls who only live inside the Magic Gates and can’t be reached any other way. All sorts of little girls, in all sorts of places and all sorts of times.” “Will they like us to come?” Again the fairy laughed her silver laugh, that sounded like drops of rain falling on the roof of an enchanted palace.