“The old King unhesitatingly pronounced Prince Minio the victor. For he acknowledged that, beside the great strength the Prince had displayed in lifting the stones from Fire Mountain, the Sun people had never before witnessed such a glorious sight as the star-studded heavens; and even the suitors, though much disappointed, consented in a manly way that he should take Princess Kuldah as his bride, saying he had fairly won her. “Shortly afterward a marriage of magnificence and splendor followed, and Prince Minio and his charming wife came to the Earth to spend many years. The Earth, owing allegiance to the Sun, never loses sight of him, and though she continues to rush through space at a terrible rate, yet the Sun King always sees her. “Out of the white mist on the Earth came trooping a wonderful band of little creatures to greet the Sun people. They were very tiny; their skirts of silver glistened like the moonlight, and their jewelled wands sparkled like the dew. These little creatures were fairies, and ever after dwelt among the Earth children, helping to beautify the world. They wander about us in the moonshine and are sometimes caught in the mist, but they can never come out in the sunlight. One of the laws in Fairyland is to be in bed before the dawn. From dusk until dawn the fairies lead a gay life. They hold their revels, they dance, and they travel the world over, frolicking like mad sometimes, but only the Moon’s white light shines on their silver dresses. “Many other charming people adopted the Earth as their home, for it was beautiful to live upon. The Sun Princess and her husband did not object to others coming to their home at all, only, as the strangers came in great numbers, they finally decided to set apart a great space for themselves alone. They reserved, therefore, a charming bit of country for the Prince’s workshop, otherwise there would have been so many interruptions Prince Minio could never hope to accomplish his scientific work. Charming as the Earth people were, they interfered with the Prince’s heart’s desire. Therefore, he and his friends from the Sun chose a wonderful valley which lay in the heart of a great range of mountains. The valley covered many miles of ground, and it had the most sublime scenery in the world. Rivers ran through it, and big mountains rose suddenly in its midst. Small silver lakes also shone like crystal mirrors. Wonderful springs abounded there; boiling water came out of one, while from the next shot up cool and deliciously sparkling drops. They called the bubbling, spouting springs geysers, and people come from all over the world to see and study them.