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FRANK R. STOCKTON'S WRITINGS. 

 * * * * *

New Uniform Edition. 

THE BEE-MAN OF ORN, and Other Fanciful Tales. THE LADY OR THE TIGER? and Other Stories. THE CHRISTMAS WRECK, and Other Stories. THE LATE MRS NULL. RUDDER GRANGE. 

The set, five vols. , $6. 25; each, $1. 25. 

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RUDDER GRANGE. New Illustrated Edition. With over 100 Illustrationsby A. B. Frost. Square 12mo, $2. 00. 

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THE LADY OR THE TIGER? and Other Stories. 12mo, paper, 50 cents. 

THE CHRISTMAS WRECK, and Other Stories. 12mo, paper, 50 cents. 

RUDDER GRANGE. 12mo, paper, 60 cents. 

 * * * * *

A JOLLY FRIENDSHIP. Illustrated, 12mo, $1. 50. 

THE STORY OF VITEAU. Illustrated, 12mo, $1. 50. 

THE TING-A-LING TALES. Illustrated, 12mo, $1. 00. 

THE FLOATING PRINCE, and Other Fairy Tales. Illustrated, 4to, cloth, $2. 50; boards, $1. 50. 

ROUNDABOUT RAMBLERS IN LANDS OF FACT AND FANCY. Illustrated. 4to, boards, $1. 50. 

TALES OUT OF SCHOOL. Illustrated. 4to, boards, $1. 50. 

THE BEE-MAN OF ORN

AND

OTHER FANCIFUL TALES

BY

FRANK R. STOCKTON

New York1887Charles Scribner's Sons. 

Rand Avery Company, Electrotypers and Printers, Boston. 

CONTENTS. 

 * * * * *

 I. THE BEE-MAN OF ORN

 II. THE GRIFFIN AND THE MINOR CANON

 III. OLD PIPES AND THE DRYAD

 IV. THE QUEEN'S MUSEUM

 V. CHRISTMAS BEFORE LAST; OR, THE FRUIT OF THE FRAGILE PALM

 VI. PRINCE HASSAK'S MARCH

 VII. THE BATTLE OF THE THIRD COUSINS

 VIII. THE BANISHED KING

 IX. THE PHILOPENA

THE BEE-MAN OF ORN. 

 * * * * *

In the ancient country of Orn, there lived an old man who was calledthe Bee-man, because his whole time was spent in the company of bees. He lived in a small hut, which was nothing more than an immensebee-hive, for these little creatures had built their honeycombs inevery corner of the one room it contained, on the shelves, under thelittle table, all about the rough bench on which the old man sat, andeven about the head-board and along the sides of his low bed. All daythe air of the room was thick with buzzing insects, but this did notinterfere in any way with the old Bee-man, who walked in among them, ate his meals, and went to sleep, without the slightest fear of beingstung. He had lived with the bees so long, they had become soaccustomed to him, and his skin was so tough and hard, that the beesno more thought of stinging him than they would of stinging a tree ora stone. A swarm of bees had made their hive in a pocket of his oldleathern doublet; and when he put on this coat to take one of hislong walks in the forest in search of wild bees' nests, he was veryglad to have this hive with him, for, if he did not find any wildhoney, he would put his hand in his pocket and take out a piece of acomb for a luncheon. The bees in his pocket worked veryindustriously, and he was always certain of having something to eatwith him wherever he went. He lived principally upon honey; and whenhe needed bread or meat, he carried some fine combs to a village notfar away and bartered them for other food. He was ugly, untidy, shrivelled, and brown. He was poor, and the bees seemed to be hisonly friends. But, for all that, he was happy and contented; he hadall the honey he wanted, and his bees, whom he considered the bestcompany in the world, were as friendly and sociable as they could be, and seemed to increase in number every day. 

One day, there stopped at the hut of the Bee-man a Junior Sorcerer. This young person, who was a student of magic, necromancy, and thekindred arts, was much interested in the Bee-man, whom he hadfrequently noticed in his wanderings, and he considered him anadmirable subject for study. He had got a great deal of usefulpractice by endeavoring to find out, by the various rules and laws ofsorcery, exactly why the old Bee-man did not happen to be somethingthat he was not, and why he was what he happened to be. He hadstudied a long time at this matter, and had found out something. 

"Do you know, " he said, when the Bee-man came out of his hut, "thatyou have been transformed?"

"What do you mean by that?" said the other, much surprised. 

"You have surely heard of animals and human beings who have beenmagically transformed into different kinds of creatures?"

"Yes, I have heard of these things, " said the Bee-man; "but what haveI been transformed from?"

"That is more than I know, " said the Junior Sorcerer. "But one thingis certain--you ought to be changed back. If you will find out whatyou have been transformed from, I will see that you are made allright again. Nothing would please me better than to attend to such acase. "

And, having a great many things to study and investigate, the JuniorSorcerer went his way. 

This information greatly disturbed the mind of the Bee-man. If he hadbeen changed from something else, he ought to be that other thing, whatever it was. He ran after the young man, and overtook him. 

"If you know, kind sir, " he said, "that I have been transformed, yousurely are able to tell me what it is that I was. "

"No, " said the Junior Sorcerer, "my studies have not proceeded farenough for that. When I become a senior I can tell you all about it. But, in the meantime, it will be well for you to try to discover foryourself your original form, and when you have done that, I will getsome of the learned masters of my art to restore you to it. It willbe easy enough to do that, but you could not expect them to take thetime and trouble to find out what it was. "

And, with these words, he hurried away, and was soon lost to view. 

Greatly disquieted, the Bee-man retraced his steps, and went to hishut. Never before had he heard any thing which had so troubled him. 

"I wonder what I was transformed from?" he thought, seating himselfon his rough bench. "Could it have been a giant, or a powerfulprince, or some gorgeous being whom the magicians or the fairieswished to punish? It may be that I was a dog or a horse, or perhaps afiery dragon or a horrid snake. I hope it was not one of these. But, whatever it was, every one has certainly a right to his originalform, and I am resolved to find out mine. I will start earlyto-morrow morning, and I am sorry now that I have not more pockets tomy old doublet, so that I might carry more bees and more honey for myjourney. "

He spent the rest of the day in making a hive of twigs and straw, and, having transferred to this a number of honey-combs and a colonyof bees which had just swarmed, he rose before sunrise the next day, and having put on his leathern doublet, and having bound his new hiveto his back, he set forth on his quest; the bees who were toaccompany him buzzing around him like a cloud. 

As the Bee-man passed through the little village the people greatlywondered at his queer appearance, with the hive upon his back. "TheBee-man is going on a long expedition this time, " they said; but noone imagined the strange business on which he was bent. About noon hesat down under a tree, near a beautiful meadow covered with blossoms, and ate a little honey. Then he untied his hive and stretched himselfout on the grass to rest. As he gazed upon his bees hovering abouthim, some going out to the blossoms in the sunshine, and somereturning laden with the sweet pollen, he said to himself, "They knowjust what they have to do, and they do it; but alas for me! I knownot what I may have to do. And yet, whatever it may be, I amdetermined to do it. In some way or other I will find out what was myoriginal form, and then I will have myself changed back to it. "

And now the thought came to him that perhaps his original form mighthave been something very disagreeable, or even horrid. 

"But it does not matter, " he said sturdily. "Whatever I was thatshall I be again. It is not right for any one to retain a form whichdoes not properly belong to him. I have no doubt I shall discover myoriginal form in the same way that I find the trees in which the wildbees hive. When I first catch sight of a bee-tree I am drawn towardsit, I know not how. Something says to me: 'That is what you arelooking for. ' In the same way I believe that I shall find my originalform. When I see it, I shall be drawn towards it. Something will sayto me: 'That is it. '"

When the Bee-man was rested he started off again, and in about anhour he entered a fair domain. Around him were beautiful lawns, grandtrees, and lovely gardens; while at a little distance stood thestately palace of the Lord of the Domain. Richly dressed people werewalking about or sitting in the shade of the trees and arbors;splendidly caparisoned horses were waiting for their riders; andeverywhere were seen signs of opulence and gayety. 

"I think, " said the Bee-man to himself, "that I should like to stophere for a time. If it should happen that I was originally like anyof these happy creatures it would please me much. "

He untied his hive, and hid it behind some bushes, and taking off hisold doublet, laid that beside it. It would not do to have his beesflying about him if he wished to go among the inhabitants of thisfair domain. 

For two days the Bee-man wandered about the palace and its grounds, avoiding notice as much as possible, but looking at every thing. Hesaw handsome men and lovely ladies; the finest horses, dogs, andcattle that were ever known; beautiful birds in cages, and fishes incrystal globes, and it seemed to him that the best of all livingthings were here collected. 

At the close of the second day, the Bee-man said to himself: "Thereis one being here toward whom I feel very much drawn, and that is theLord of the Domain. I cannot feel certain that I was once like him, but it would be a very fine thing if it were so; and it seemsimpossible for me to be drawn toward any other being in the domainwhen I look upon him, so handsome, rich, and powerful. But I mustobserve him more closely, and feel more sure of the matter, beforeapplying to the sorcerers to change me back into a lord of a fairdomain. "

The next morning, the Bee-man saw the Lord of the Domain walking inhis gardens. He slipped along the shady paths, and followed him so asto observe him closely, and find out if he were really drawn towardthis noble and handsome being. The Lord of the Domain walked on forsome time, not noticing that the Bee-man was behind him. But suddenlyturning, he saw the little old man. 

"What are you doing here, you vile beggar?" he cried; and he gave hima kick that sent him into some bushes that grew by the side of thepath. 

The Bee-man scrambled to his feet, and ran as fast as he could to theplace where he had hidden his hive and his old doublet. 

"If I am certain of any thing, " he thought, "it is that I was never aperson who would kick a poor old man. I will leave this place. I wastransformed from nothing that I see here. "

He now travelled for a day or two longer, and then he came to a greatblack mountain, near the bottom of which was an opening like themouth of a cave. 

This mountain he had heard was filled with caverns and under-groundpassages, which were the abodes of dragons, evil spirits, horridcreatures of all kinds. 

"Ah me!" said the Bee-man with a sigh, "I suppose I ought to visitthis place. If I am going to do this thing properly, I should look onall sides of the subject, and I may have been one of those horridcreatures myself. "

Thereupon he went to the mountain, and as he approached the openingof the passage which led into its inmost recesses he saw, sittingupon the ground, and leaning his back against a tree, a LanguidYouth. 

"Good-day, " said this individual when he saw the Bee-man. "Are yougoing inside?"

"Yes, " said the Bee-man, "that is what I intend to do. "

"Then, " said the Languid Youth, slowly rising to his feet, "I think Iwill go with you. I was told that if I went in there I should get myenergies toned up, and they need it very much; but I did not feelequal to entering by myself, and I thought I would wait until someone came along. I am very glad to see you, and we will go intogether. "

So the two went into the cave, and they had proceeded but a shortdistance when they met a very little creature, whom it was easy torecognize as a Very Imp. He was about two feet high, and resembled incolor a freshly polished pair of boots. He was extremely lively andactive, and came bounding toward them. 

"What did you two people come here for?" he asked. 

"I came, " said the Languid Youth, "to have my energies toned up. "

"You have come to the right place, " said the Very Imp. "We will toneyou up. And what does that old Bee-man want?"

"He has been transformed from something, and wants to find out whatit is. He thinks he may have been one of the things in here. "

"I should not wonder if that were so, " said the Very Imp, rolling hishead on one side, and eying the Bee-man with a critical gaze. 

"All right, " said the Very Imp; "he can go around, and pick out hisprevious existence. We have here all sorts of vile creepers, crawlers, hissers, and snorters. I suppose he thinks any thing willbe better than a Bee-man. "

"It is not because I want to be better than I am, " said the Bee-man, "that I started out on this search. I have simply an honest desire tobecome what I originally was. "

"Oh! that is it, is it?" said the other. "There is an idioticmoon-calf here with a clam head, which must be just like what youused to be. "

"Nonsense, " said the Bee-man. "You have not the least idea what anhonest purpose is. I shall go about, and see for myself. "

"Go ahead, " said the Very Imp, "and I will attend to this fellow whowants to be toned up. " So saying he joined the Languid Youth. 

"Look here, " said that individual, regarding him with interest, "doyou black and shine yourself every morning?"

"No, " said the other, "it is water-proof varnish. You want to beinvigorated, don't you? Well, I will tell you a splendid way tobegin. You see that Bee-man has put down his hive and his coat withthe bees in it. Just wait till he gets out of sight, and then catch alot of those bees, and squeeze them flat. If you spread them on asticky rag, and make a plaster, and put it on the small of your back, it will invigorate you like every thing, especially if some of thebees are not quite dead. "

"Yes, " said the Languid Youth, looking at him with his mild eyes, "but if I had energy enough to catch a bee I would be satisfied. Suppose you catch a lot for me. "

"The subject is changed, " said the Very Imp. "We are now about tovisit the spacious chamber of the King of the Snap-dragons. "

"That is a flower, " said the Languid Youth. 

"You will find him a gay old blossom, " said the other. "When he haschased you round his room, and has blown sparks at you, and hassnorted and howled, and cracked his tail, and snapped his jaws like apair of anvils, your energies will be toned up higher than everbefore in your life. "

"No doubt of it, " said the Languid Youth; "but I think I will beginwith something a little milder. "

"Well then, " said other, "there is a flat-tailed Demon of the Gorgein here. He is generally asleep, and, if you say so, you can slipinto the farthest corner of his cave, and I'll solder his tail to theopposite wall. Then he will rage and roar, but he can't get at you, for he doesn't reach all the way across his cave; I have measuredhim. It will tone you up wonderfully to sit there and watch him. "

"Very likely, " said the Languid Youth; "but I would rather stayoutside and let you go up in the corner. The performance in that waywill be more interesting to me. "

"You are dreadfully hard to please, " said the Very Imp. "I haveoffered them to you loose, and I have offered them fastened to awall, and now the best thing I can do is to give you a chance at oneof them that can't move at all. It is the Ghastly Griffin and isenchanted. He can't stir so much as the tip of his whiskers for athousand years. You can go to his cave and examine him just as if hewere stuffed, and then you can sit on his back and think how it wouldbe if you should live to be a thousand years old, and he should wakeup while you are sitting there. It would be easy to imagine a lot ofhorrible things he would do to you when you look at his open mouthwith its awful fangs, his dreadful claws, and his horrible wings allcovered with spikes. "

"I think that might suit me, " said the Languid Youth. "I would muchrather imagine the exercises of these monsters than to see themreally going on. "

"Come on, then, " said the Very Imp, and he led the way to the cave ofthe Ghastly Griffin. 

The Bee-man went by himself through a great part of the mountain, andlooked into many of its gloomy caves and recesses, recoiling inhorror from most of the dreadful monsters who met his eyes. While hewas wandering about, an awful roar was heard resounding through thepassages of the mountain, and soon there came flapping along anenormous dragon, with body black as night, and wings and tail offiery red. In his great fore-claws he bore a little baby. 

"Horrible!" exclaimed the Bee-man. "He is taking that little creatureto his cave to devour it. "

He saw the dragon enter a cave not far away, and following looked in. The dragon was crouched upon the ground with the little baby lyingbefore him. It did not seem to be hurt, but was frightened andcrying. The monster was looking upon it with delight, as if heintended to make a dainty meal of it as soon as his appetite shouldbe a little stronger. 

"It is too bad!" thought the Bee-man. "Somebody ought to dosomething. " And turning around, he ran away as fast as he could. 

He ran through various passages until he came to the spot where hehad left his bee-hive. Picking it up, he hurried back, carrying thehive in his two hands before him. When he reached the cave of thedragon, he looked in and saw the monster still crouched over theweeping child. Without a moment's hesitation, the Bee-man rushed intothe cave and threw his hive straight into the face of the dragon. Thebees, enraged by the shock, rushed out in an angry crowd andimmediately fell upon the head, mouth, eyes, and nose of the dragon. The great monster, astounded by this sudden attack, and driven almostwild by the numberless stings of the bees, sprang back to thefarthest portion of his cave, still followed by his relentlessenemies, at whom he flapped wildly with his great wings and struckwith his paws. While the dragon was thus engaged with the bees, theBee-man rushed forward, and, seizing the child, he hurried away. Hedid not stop to pick up his doublet, but kept on until he reached theentrance of the caves. There he saw the Very Imp hopping along on oneleg, and rubbing his back and shoulders with his hands, and stoppedto inquire what was the matter, and what had become of the LanguidYouth. 

"He is no kind of a fellow, " said the Very Imp. "He disappointed medreadfully. I took him up to the Ghastly Griffin, and told him thething was enchanted, and that he might sit on its back and thinkabout what it could do if it was awake; and when he came near it thewretched creature opened its eyes, and raised its head, and then youought to have seen how mad that simpleton was. He made a dash at meand seized me by the ears; he kicked and beat me till I can scarcelymove. "

"His energies must have been toned up a good deal, " said the Bee-man. 

"Toned up! I should say so!" cried the other. "I raised a howl, and aScissor-jawed Clipper came out of his hole, and got after him; butthat lazy fool ran so fast that he could not be caught. "

The Bee-man now ran on and soon overtook the Languid Youth. 

"You need not be in a hurry now, " said the latter, "for the rules ofthis institution don't allow the creatures inside to come out of thisopening, or to hang around it. If they did, they would frighten awayvisitors. They go in and out of holes in the upper part of themountain. "

The two proceeded on their way. 

"What are you going to do with that baby?" said the Languid Youth. 

"I shall carry it along with me, " said the Bee-man, "as I go on withmy search, and perhaps I may find its mother. If I do not, I shallgive it to somebody in that little village yonder. Any thing would bebetter than leaving it to be devoured by that horrid dragon. "

"Let me carry it. I feel quite strong enough now to carry a baby. "

"Thank you, " said the Bee-man, "but I can take it myself. I like tocarry something, and I have now neither my hive nor my doublet. "

"It is very well that you had to leave them behind, " said the Youth, "for the bees would have stung the baby. "

"My bees never sting babies, " said the other. 

"They probably never had a chance, " remarked his companion. 

They soon entered the village, and after walking a short distance theyouth exclaimed: "Do you see that woman over there sitting at thedoor of her house? She has beautiful hair and she is tearing it allto pieces. She should not be allowed to do that. "

"No, " said the Bee-man. "Her friends should tie her hands. "

"Perhaps she is the mother of this child, " said the Youth, "and ifyou give it to her she will no longer think of tearing her hair. "

"But, " said the Bee-man, "you don't really think this is her child?"

"Suppose you go over and see, " said the other. 

The Bee-man hesitated a moment, and then he walked toward the woman. Hearing him coming, she raised her head, and when she saw the childshe rushed towards it, snatched it into her arms, and screaming withjoy she covered it with kisses. Then with happy tears she begged toknow the story of the rescue of her child, whom she never expected tosee again; and she loaded the Bee-man with thanks and blessings. Thefriends and neighbors gathered around and there was great rejoicing. The mother urged the Bee-man and the Youth to stay with her, and restand refresh themselves, which they were glad to do as they were tiredand hungry. 

They remained at the cottage all night, and in the afternoon of thenext day the Bee-man said to the Youth: "It may seem an odd thing toyou, but never in all my life have I felt myself drawn towards anyliving being as I am drawn towards this baby. Therefore I believethat I have been transformed from a baby. "

"Good!" cried the Youth. "It is my opinion that you have hit thetruth. And now would you like to be changed back to your originalform?"

"Indeed I would!" said the Bee-man, "I have the strongest yearning tobe what I originally was. "

The Youth, who had now lost every trace of languid feeling, took agreat interest in the matter, and early the next morning started offto inform the Junior Sorcerer that the Bee-man had discovered what hehad been transformed from, and desired to be changed back to it. 

The Junior Sorcerer and his learned Masters were filled withenthusiasm when they heard this report, and they at once set out forthe mother's cottage. And there by magic arts the Bee-man was changedback into a baby. The mother was so grateful for what the Bee-man haddone for her that she agreed to take charge of this baby, and tobring it up as her own. 

"It will be a grand thing for him, " said the Junior Sorcerer, "and Iam glad that I studied his case. He will now have a fresh start inlife, and will have a chance to become something better than amiserable old man living in a wretched hut with no friends orcompanions but buzzing bees. "

The Junior Sorcerer and his Masters then returned to their homes, happy in the success of their great performance; and the Youth wentback to his home anxious to begin a life of activity and energy. 

Years and years afterward, when the Junior Sorcerer had become aSenior and was very old indeed, he passed through the country of Orn, and noticed a small hut about which swarms of bees were flying. Heapproached it, and looking in at the door he saw an old man in aleathern doublet, sitting at a table, eating honey. By his magic arthe knew this was the baby which had been transformed from theBee-man. 

"Upon my word!" exclaimed the Sorcerer, "He has grown into the samething again!"

 THE GRIFFIN AND THE MINOR CANON. 

 * * * * *

Over the great door of an old, old church which stood in a quiet townof a far-away land there was carved in stone the figure of a largegriffin. The old-time sculptor had done his work with great care, butthe image he had made was not a pleasant one to look at. It had alarge head, with enormous open mouth and savage teeth; from its backarose great wings, armed with sharp hooks and prongs; it had stoutlegs in front, with projecting claws; but there were no legsbehind, --the body running out into a long and powerful tail, finishedoff at the end with a barbed point. This tail was coiled up underhim, the end sticking up just back of his wings. 

The sculptor, or the people who had ordered this stone figure, hadevidently been very much pleased with it, for little copies of it, also in stone, had been placed here and there along the sides of thechurch, not very far from the ground, so that people could easilylook at them, and ponder on their curious forms. There were a greatmany other sculptures on the outside of this church, --saints, martyrs, grotesque heads of men, beasts, and birds, as well as thoseof other creatures which cannot be named, because nobody knowsexactly what they were; but none were so curious and interesting asthe great griffin over the door, and the little griffins on the sidesof the church. 

A long, long distance from the town, in the midst of dreadful wildsscarcely known to man, there dwelt the Griffin whose image had beenput up over the church-door. In some way or other, the old-timesculptor had seen him, and afterward, to the best of his memory, hadcopied his figure in stone. The Griffin had never known this, until, hundreds of years afterward, he heard from a bird, from a wildanimal, or in some manner which it is not now easy to find out, thatthere was a likeness of him on the old church in the distant town. Now, this Griffin had no idea how he looked. He had never seen amirror, and the streams where he lived were so turbulent and violentthat a quiet piece of water, which would reflect the image of anything looking into it, could not be found. Being, as far as could beascertained, the very last of his race, he had never seen anothergriffin. Therefore it was, that, when he heard of this stone image ofhimself, he became very anxious to know what he looked like, and atlast he determined to go to the old church, and see for himself whatmanner of being he was. So he started off from the dreadful wilds, and flew on and on until he came to the countries inhabited by men, where his appearance in the air created great consternation; but healighted nowhere, keeping up a steady flight until he reached thesuburbs of the town which had his image on its church. Here, late inthe afternoon, he alighted in a green meadow by the side of a brook, and stretched himself on the grass to rest. His great wings weretired, for he had not made such a long flight in a century, or more. 

The news of his coming spread quickly over the town, and the people, frightened nearly out of their wits by the arrival of soextraordinary a visitor, fled into their houses, and shut themselvesup. The Griffin called loudly for some one to come to him, but themore he called, the more afraid the people were to show themselves. At length he saw two laborers hurrying to their homes through thefields, and in a terrible voice he commanded them to stop. Not daringto disobey, the men stood, trembling. 

"What is the matter with you all?" cried the Griffin. "Is there not aman in your town who is brave enough to speak to me?"

"I think, " said one of the laborers, his voice shaking so that hiswords could hardly be understood, "that--perhaps--the MinorCanon--would come. "

"Go, call him, then!" said the Griffin; "I want to see him. "

The Minor Canon, who filled a subordinate position in the old church, had just finished the afternoon services, and was coming out of aside door, with three aged women who had formed the week-daycongregation. He was a young man of a kind disposition, and veryanxious to do good to the people of the town. Apart from his dutiesin the church, where he conducted services every week-day, he visitedthe sick and the poor, counselled and assisted persons who were introuble, and taught a school composed entirely of the bad children inthe town with whom nobody else would have any thing to do. Wheneverthe people wanted something difficult done for them, they always wentto the Minor Canon. Thus it was that the laborer thought of the youngpriest when he found that some one must come and speak to theGriffin. 

The Minor Canon had not heard of the strange event, which was knownto the whole town except himself and the three old women, and when hewas informed of it, and was told that the Griffin had asked to seehim, he was greatly amazed, and frightened. 

"Me!" he exclaimed. "He has never heard of me! What should he wantwith me?"

"Oh! you must go instantly!" cried the two men. "He is very angry nowbecause he has been kept waiting so long; and nobody knows what mayhappen if you don't hurry to him. "

The poor Minor Canon would rather have had his hand cut off than goout to meet an angry griffin; but he felt that it was his duty to go, for it would be a woful thing if injury should come to the people ofthe town because he was not brave enough to obey the summons of theGriffin. So, pale and frightened, he started off. 

"Well, " said the Griffin, as soon as the young man came near, "I amglad to see that there is some one who has the courage to come tome. "

The Minor Canon did not feel very courageous, but he bowed his head. 

"Is this the town, " said the Griffin, "where there is a church with alikeness of myself over one of the doors?"

The Minor Canon looked at the frightful creature before him and sawthat it was, without doubt, exactly like the stone image on thechurch. "Yes, " he said, "you are right. "

"Well, then, " said the Griffin, "will you take me to it? I wish verymuch to see it. "

The Minor Canon instantly thought that if the Griffin entered thetown without the people knowing what he came for, some of them wouldprobably be frightened to death, and so he sought to gain time toprepare their minds. 

"It is growing dark, now, " he said, very much afraid, as he spoke, that his words might enrage the Griffin, "and objects on the front ofthe church can not be seen clearly. It will be better to wait untilmorning, if you wish to get a good view of the stone image ofyourself. "

"That will suit me very well, " said the Griffin. "I see you are a manof good sense. I am tired, and I will take a nap here on this softgrass, while I cool my tail in the little stream that runs near me. The end of my tail gets red-hot when I am angry or excited, and it isquite warm now. So you may go, but be sure and come early to-morrowmorning, and show me the way to the church. "

The Minor Canon was glad enough to take his leave, and hurried intothe town. In front of the church he found a great many peopleassembled to hear his report of his interview with the Griffin. Whenthey found that he had not come to spread ruin and devastation, butsimply to see his stony likeness on the church, they showed neitherrelief nor gratification, but began to upbraid the Minor Canon forconsenting to conduct the creature into the town. 

"What could I do?" cried the young man. "If I should not bring him hewould come himself and, perhaps, end by setting fire to the town withhis red-hot tail. "

Still the people were not satisfied, and a great many plans wereproposed to prevent the Griffin from coming into the town. Someelderly persons urged that the young men should go out and kill him;but the young men scoffed at such a ridiculous idea. Then some onesaid that it would be a good thing to destroy the stone image so thatthe Griffin would have no excuse for entering the town; and thisproposal was received with such favor that many of the people ran forhammers, chisels, and crowbars, with which to tear down and break upthe stone griffin. But the Minor Canon resisted this plan with allthe strength of his mind and body. He assured the people that thisaction would enrage the Griffin beyond measure, for it would beimpossible to conceal from him that his image had been destroyedduring the night. But the people were so determined to break up thestone griffin that the Minor Canon saw that there was nothing for himto do but to stay there and protect it. All night he walked up anddown in front of the church-door, keeping away the men who broughtladders, by which they might mount to the great stone griffin, andknock it to pieces with their hammers and crowbars. After many hoursthe people were obliged to give up their attempts, and went home tosleep; but the Minor Canon remained at his post till early morning, and then he hurried away to the field where he had left the Griffin. 

The monster had just awakened, and rising to his fore-legs andshaking himself, he said that he was ready to go into the town. TheMinor Canon, therefore, walked back, the Griffin flying slowlythrough the air, at a short distance above the head of his guide. Nota person was to be seen in the streets, and they proceeded directlyto the front of the church, where the Minor Canon pointed out thestone griffin. 

The real Griffin settled down in the little square before the churchand gazed earnestly at his sculptured likeness. For a long time helooked at it. First he put his head on one side, and then he put iton the other; then he shut his right eye and gazed with his left, after which he shut his left eye and gazed with his right. Then hemoved a little to one side and looked at the image, then he moved theother way. After a while he said to the Minor Canon, who had beenstanding by all this time:

"It is, it must be, an excellent likeness! That breadth between theeyes, that expansive forehead, those massive jaws! I feel that itmust resemble me. If there is any fault to find with it, it is thatthe neck seems a little stiff. But that is nothing. It is anadmirable likeness, --admirable!"

The Griffin sat looking at his image all the morning and all theafternoon. The Minor Canon had been afraid to go away and leave him, and had hoped all through the day that he would soon be satisfiedwith his inspection and fly away home. But by evening the poor youngman was utterly exhausted, and felt that he must eat and sleep. Hefrankly admitted this fact to the Griffin, and asked him if he wouldnot like something to eat. He said this because he felt obliged inpoliteness to do so, but as soon as he had spoken the words, he wasseized with dread lest the monster should demand half a dozen babies, or some tempting repast of that kind. 

"Oh, no, " said the Griffin, "I never eat between the equinoxes. Atthe vernal and at the autumnal equinox I take a good meal, and thatlasts me for half a year. I am extremely regular in my habits, and donot think it healthful to eat at odd times. But if you need food, goand get it, and I will return to the soft grass where I slept lastnight and take another nap. "

The next day the Griffin came again to the little square before thechurch, and remained there until evening, steadfastly regarding thestone griffin over the door. The Minor Canon came once or twice tolook at him, and the Griffin seemed very glad to see him; but theyoung clergyman could not stay as he had done before, for he had manyduties to perform. Nobody went to the church, but the people came tothe Minor Canon's house, and anxiously asked him how long the Griffinwas going to stay. 

"I do not know, " he answered, "but I think he will soon be satisfiedwith regarding his stone likeness, and then he will go away. "

But the Griffin did not go away. Morning after morning he came to thechurch, but after a time he did not stay there all day. He seemed tohave taken a great fancy to the Minor Canon, and followed him aboutas he pursued his various avocations. He would wait for him at theside door of the church, for the Minor Canon held services every day, morning and evening, though nobody came now. "If any one shouldcome, " he said to himself, "I must be found at my post. " When theyoung man came out, the Griffin would accompany him in his visits tothe sick and the poor, and would often look into the windows of theschool-house where the Minor Canon was teaching his unruly scholars. All the other schools were closed, but the parents of the MinorCanon's scholars forced them to go to school, because they were sobad they could not endure them all day at home, --griffin or nogriffin. But it must be said they generally behaved very well whenthat great monster sat up on his tail and looked in at theschool-room window. 

When it was perceived that the Griffin showed no sign of going away, all the people who were able to do so left the town. The canons andthe higher officers of the church had fled away during the first dayof the Griffin's visit, leaving behind only the Minor Canon and someof the men who opened the doors and swept the church. All thecitizens who could afford it shut up their houses and travelled todistant parts, and only the working people and the poor were leftbehind. After some days these ventured to go about and attend totheir business, for if they did not work they would starve. They weregetting a little used to seeing the Griffin, and having been toldthat he did not eat between equinoxes, they did not feel so muchafraid of him as before. 

Day by day the Griffin became more and more attached to the MinorCanon. He kept near him a great part of the time, and often spent thenight in front of the little house where the young clergyman livedalone. This strange companionship was often burdensome to the MinorCanon; but, on the other hand, he could not deny that he derived agreat deal of benefit and instruction from it. The Griffin had livedfor hundreds of years, and had seen much; and he told the Minor Canonmany wonderful things. 

"It is like reading an old book, " said the young clergyman tohimself; "but how many books I would have had to read before I wouldhave found out what the Griffin has told me about the earth, the air, the water, about minerals, and metals, and growing things, and allthe wonders of the world!"

Thus the summer went on, and drew toward its close. And now thepeople of the town began to be very much troubled again. 

"It will not be long, " they said, "before the autumnal equinox ishere, and then that monster will want to eat. He will be dreadfullyhungry, for he has taken so much exercise since his last meal. Hewill devour our children. Without doubt, he will eat them all. Whatis to be done?"

To this question no one could give an answer, but all agreed that theGriffin must not be allowed to remain until the approaching equinox. After talking over the matter a great deal, a crowd of the peoplewent to the Minor Canon, at a time when the Griffin was not with him. 

"It is all your fault, " they said, "that that monster is among us. You brought him here, and you ought to see that he goes away. It isonly on your account that he stays here at all, for, although hevisits his image every day, he is with you the greater part of thetime. If you were not here, he would not stay. It is your duty to goaway and then he will follow you, and we shall be free from thedreadful danger which hangs over us. "

"Go away!" cried the Minor Canon, greatly grieved at being spoken toin such a way. "Where shall I go? If I go to some other town, shall Inot take this trouble there? Have I a right to do that?"

"No, " said the people, "you must not go to any other town. There isno town far enough away. You must go to the dreadful wilds where theGriffin lives; and then he will follow you and stay there. "

They did not say whether or not they expected the Minor Canon to staythere also, and he did not ask them any thing about it. He bowed hishead, and went into his house, to think. The more he thought, themore clear it became to his mind that it was his duty to go away, andthus free the town from the presence of the Griffin. 

That evening he packed a leathern bag full of bread and meat, andearly the next morning he set out on his journey to the dreadfulwilds. It was a long, weary, and doleful journey, especially after hehad gone beyond the habitations of men, but the Minor Canon kept onbravely, and never faltered. The way was longer than he had expected, and his provisions soon grew so scanty that he was obliged to eat buta little every day, but he kept up his courage, and pressed on, and, after many days of toilsome travel, he reached the dreadful wilds. 

When the Griffin found that the Minor Canon had left the town heseemed sorry, but showed no disposition to go and look for him. Aftera few days had passed, he became much annoyed, and asked some of thepeople where the Minor Canon had gone. But, although the citizens hadbeen so anxious that the young clergyman should go to the dreadfulwilds, thinking that the Griffin would immediately follow him, theywere now afraid to mention the Minor Canon's destination, for themonster seemed angry already, and, if he should suspect their trickhe would, doubtless, become very much enraged. So every one said hedid not know, and the Griffin wandered about disconsolate. Onemorning he looked into the Minor Canon's school-house, which wasalways empty now, and thought that it was a shame that every thingshould suffer on account of the young man's absence. 

"It does not matter so much about the church, " he said, "for nobodywent there; but it is a pity about the school. I think I will teachit myself until he returns. "

It was the hour for opening the school, and the Griffin went insideand pulled the rope which rang the school-bell. Some of the childrenwho heard the bell ran in to see what was the matter, supposing it tobe a joke of one of their companions; but when they saw the Griffinthey stood astonished, and scared. 

"Go tell the other scholars, " said the monster, "that school is aboutto open, and that if they are not all here in ten minutes, I shallcome after them. "

In seven minutes every scholar was in place. 

Never was seen such an orderly school. Not a boy or girl moved, oruttered a whisper. The Griffin climbed into the master's seat, hiswide wings spread on each side of him, because he could not lean backin his chair while they stuck out behind, and his great tail coiledaround, in front of the desk, the barbed end sticking up, ready totap any boy or girl who might misbehave. The Griffin now addressedthe scholars, telling them that he intended to teach them while theirmaster was away. In speaking he endeavored to imitate, as far aspossible, the mild and gentle tones of the Minor Canon, but it mustbe admitted that in this he was not very successful. He had paid agood deal of attention to the studies of the school, and hedetermined not to attempt to teach them any thing new, but to reviewthem in what they had been studying; so he called up the variousclasses, and questioned them upon their previous lessons. Thechildren racked their brains to remember what they had learned. Theywere so afraid of the Griffin's displeasure that they recited as theyhad never recited before. One of the boys, far down in his class, answered so well that the Griffin was astonished. 

"I should think you would be at the head, " said he. "I am sure youhave never been in the habit of reciting so well. Why is this?"

"Because I did not choose to take the trouble, " said the boy, trembling in his boots. He felt obliged to speak the truth, for allthe children thought that the great eyes of the Griffin could seeright through them, and that he would know when they told afalsehood. 

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, " said the Griffin. "Go down tothe very tail of the class, and if you are not at the head in twodays, I shall know the reason why. "

The next afternoon this boy was number one. 

It was astonishing how much these children now learned of what theyhad been studying. It was as if they had been educated over again. The Griffin used no severity toward them, but there was a look abouthim which made them unwilling to go to bed until they were sure theyknew their lessons for the next day. 

The Griffin now thought that he ought to visit the sick and the poor;and he began to go about the town for this purpose. The effect uponthe sick was miraculous. All, except those who were very ill indeed, jumped from their beds when they heard he was coming, and declaredthemselves quite well. To those who could not get up, he gave herbsand roots, which none of them had ever before thought of asmedicines, but which the Griffin had seen used in various parts ofthe world; and most of them recovered. But, for all that, theyafterward said that no matter what happened to them, they hoped thatthey should never again have such a doctor coming to their bed-sides, feeling their pulses and looking at their tongues. 

As for the poor, they seemed to have utterly disappeared. All thosewho had depended upon charity for their daily bread were now at workin some way or other; many of them offering to do odd jobs for theirneighbors just for the sake of their meals, --a thing which before hadbeen seldom heard of in the town. The Griffin could find no one whoneeded his assistance. 

The summer had now passed, and the autumnal equinox was rapidlyapproaching. The citizens were in a state of great alarm and anxiety. The Griffin showed no signs of going away, but seemed to have settledhimself permanently among them. In a short time, the day for hissemi-annual meal would arrive, and then what would happen? Themonster would certainly be very hungry, and would devour all theirchildren. 

Now they greatly regretted and lamented that they had sent away theMinor Canon; he was the only one on whom they could have depended inthis trouble, for he could talk freely with the Griffin, and so findout what could be done. But it would not do to be inactive. Some stepmust be taken immediately. A meeting of the citizens was called, andtwo old men were appointed to go and talk to the Griffin. They wereinstructed to offer to prepare a splendid dinner for him on equinoxday, --one which would entirely satisfy his hunger. They would offerhim the fattest mutton, the most tender beef, fish, and game ofvarious sorts, and any thing of the kind that he might fancy. If noneof these suited, they were to mention that there was an orphan asylumin the next town. 

"Anything would be better, " said the citizens, "than to have our dearchildren devoured. "

The old men went to the Griffin, but their propositions were notreceived with favor. 

"From what I have seen of the people of this town, " said the monster, "I do not think I could relish any thing which was prepared by them. They appear to be all cowards, and, therefore, mean and selfish. Asfor eating one of them, old or young, I could not think of it for amoment. In fact, there was only one creature in the whole place forwhom I could have had any appetite, and that is the Minor Canon, whohas gone away. He was brave, and good, and honest, and I think Ishould have relished him. "

"Ah!" said one of the old men very politely, "in that case I wish wehad not sent him to the dreadful wilds!"

"What!" cried the Griffin. "What do you mean? Explain instantly whatyou are talking about!"

The old man, terribly frightened at what he had said, was obliged totell how the Minor Canon had been sent away by the people, in thehope that the Griffin might be induced to follow him. 

When the monster heard this, he became furiously angry. He dashedaway from the old men and, spreading his wings, flew backward andforward over the town. He was so much excited that his tail becamered-hot, and glowed like a meteor against the evening sky. When atlast he settled down in the little field where he usually rested, andthrust his tail into the brook, the steam arose like a cloud, and thewater of the stream ran hot through the town. The citizens weregreatly frightened, and bitterly blamed the old man for telling aboutthe Minor Canon. 

"It is plain, " they said, "that the Griffin intended at last to goand look for him, and we should have been saved. Now who can tellwhat misery you have brought upon us. "

The Griffin did not remain long in the little field. As soon as histail was cool he flew to the town-hall and rang the bell. Thecitizens knew that they were expected to come there, and althoughthey were afraid to go, they were still more afraid to stay away; andthey crowded into the hall. The Griffin was on the platform at oneend, flapping his wings and walking up and down, and the end of histail was still so warm that it slightly scorched the boards as hedragged it after him. 

When everybody who was able to come was there, the Griffin stoodstill and addressed the meeting. 

"I have had a contemptible opinion of you, " he said, "ever since Idiscovered what cowards you are, but I had no idea that you were soungrateful, selfish, and cruel, as I now find you to be. Here wasyour Minor Canon, who labored day and night for your good, andthought of nothing else but how he might benefit you and make youhappy; and as soon as you imagine yourselves threatened with adanger, --for well I know you are dreadfully afraid of me, --you sendhim off, caring not whether he returns or perishes, hoping thereby tosave yourselves. Now, I had conceived a great liking for that youngman, and had intended, in a day or two, to go and look him up. But Ihave changed my mind about him. I shall go and find him, but I shallsend him back here to live among you, and I intend that he shallenjoy the reward of his labor and his sacrifices. Go, some of you, tothe officers of the church, who so cowardly ran away when I firstcame here, and tell them never to return to this town under penaltyof death. And if, when your Minor Canon comes back to you, you do notbow yourselves before him, put him in the highest place among you, and serve and honor him all his life, beware of my terriblevengeance! There were only two good things in this town: the MinorCanon and the stone image of myself over your church-door. One ofthese you have sent away, and the other I shall carry away myself. "

With these words he dismissed the meeting, and it was time, for theend of his tail had become so hot that there was danger of itssetting fire to the building. 

The next morning, the Griffin came to the church, and tearing thestone image of himself from its fastenings over the great door, hegrasped it with his powerful fore-legs and flew up into the air. Then, after hovering over the town for a moment, he gave his tail anangry shake and took up his flight to the dreadful wilds. When hereached this desolate region, he set the stone Griffin upon a ledgeof a rock which rose in front of the dismal cave he called his home. There the image occupied a position somewhat similar to that it hadhad over the church-door; and the Griffin, panting with the exertionof carrying such an enormous load to so great a distance, lay downupon the ground, and regarded it with much satisfaction. When he feltsomewhat rested he went to look for the Minor Canon. He found theyoung man, weak and half starved, lying under the shadow of a rock. After picking him up and carrying him to his cave, the Griffin flewaway to a distant marsh, where he procured some roots and herbs whichhe well knew were strengthening and beneficial to man, though he hadnever tasted them himself. After eating these the Minor Canon wasgreatly revived, and sat up and listened while the Griffin told himwhat had happened in the town. 

"Do you know, " said the monster, when he had finished, "that I havehad, and still have, a great liking for you?"

"I am very glad to hear it, " said the Minor Canon, with his usualpoliteness. 

"I am not at all sure that you would be, " said the Griffin, "if youthoroughly understood the state of the case, but we will not considerthat now. If some things were different, other things would beotherwise. I have been so enraged by discovering the manner in whichyou have been treated that I have determined that you shall at lastenjoy the rewards and honors to which you are entitled. Lie down andhave a good sleep, and then I will take you back to the town. "

As he heard these words, a look of trouble came over the young man'sface. 

"You need not give yourself any anxiety, " said the Griffin, "about myreturn to the town. I shall not remain there. Now that I have thatadmirable likeness of myself in front of my cave, where I can sit atmy leisure, and gaze upon its noble features and magnificentproportions, I have no wish to see that abode of cowardly and selfishpeople. "

The Minor Canon, relieved from his fears, lay back, and dropped intoa doze; and when he was sound asleep the Griffin took him up, andcarried him back to the town. He arrived just before daybreak, andputting the young man gently on the grass in the little field wherehe himself used to rest, the monster, without having been seen by anyof the people, flew back to his home. 

When the Minor Canon made his appearance in the morning among thecitizens, the enthusiasm and cordiality with which he was receivedwere truly wonderful. He was taken to a house which had been occupiedby one of the banished high officers of the place, and every one wasanxious to do all that could be done for his health and comfort. Thepeople crowded into the church when he held services, so that thethree old women who used to be his week-day congregation could notget to the best seats, which they had always been in the habit oftaking; and the parents of the bad children determined to reform themat home, in order that he might be spared the trouble of keeping uphis former school. The Minor Canon was appointed to the highestoffice of the old church, and before he died, he became a bishop. 

During the first years after his return from the dreadful wilds, thepeople of the town looked up to him as a man to whom they were boundto do honor and reverence; but they often, also, looked up to the skyto see if there were any signs of the Griffin coming back. However, in the course of time, they learned to honor and reverence theirformer Minor Canon without the fear of being punished if they did notdo so. 

But they need never have been afraid of the Griffin. The autumnalequinox day came round, and the monster ate nothing. If he could nothave the Minor Canon, he did not care for any thing. So, lying down, with his eyes fixed upon the great stone griffin, he graduallydeclined, and died. It was a good thing for some of the people of thetown that they did not know this. 

If you should ever visit the old town, you would still see the littlegriffins on the sides of the church; but the great stone griffin thatwas over the door is gone. 

 OLD PIPES AND THE DRYAD. 

 * * * * *

A mountain brook ran through a little village. Over the brook therewas a narrow bridge, and from the bridge a foot-path led out from thevillage and up the hill-side, to the cottage of Old Pipes and hismother. For many, many years, Old Pipes had been employed by thevillagers to pipe the cattle down from the hills. Every afternoon, anhour before sunset, he would sit on a rock in front of his cottageand play on his pipes. Then all the flocks and herds that weregrazing on the mountains would hear him, wherever they might happento be, and would come down to the village--the cows by the easiestpaths, the sheep by those not quite so easy, and the goats by thesteep and rocky ways that were hardest of all. 

But now, for a year or more, Old Pipes had not piped the cattle home. It is true that every afternoon he sat upon the rock and played uponhis familiar instrument; but the cattle did not hear him. He hadgrown old, and his breath was feeble. The echoes of his cheerfulnotes, which used to come from the rocky hill on the other side ofthe valley, were heard no more; and twenty yards from Old Pipes onecould scarcely tell what tune he was playing. He had become somewhatdeaf, and did not know that the sound of his pipes was so thin andweak, and that the cattle did not hear him. The cows, the sheep, andthe goats came down every afternoon as before, but this was becausetwo boys and a girl were sent up after them. The villagers did notwish the good old man to know that his piping was no longer of anyuse, so they paid him his little salary every month, and said nothingabout the two boys and the girl. 

Old Pipes's mother was, of course, a great deal older then he was, and was as deaf as a gate, --posts, latch, hinges, and all, --and shenever knew that the sound of her son's pipe did not spread over allthe mountainside, and echo back strong and clear from the oppositehills. She was very fond of Old Pipes, and proud of his piping; andas he was so much younger than she was, she never thought of him asbeing very old. She cooked for him, and made his bed, and mended hisclothes; and they lived very comfortably on his little salary. 

One afternoon, at the end of the month, when Old Pipes had finishedhis piping, he took his stout staff and went down the hill to thevillage to receive the money for his month's work. The path seemed agreat deal steeper and more difficult than it used to be; and OldPipes thought that it must have been washed by the rains and greatlydamaged. He remembered it as a path that was quite easy to traverseeither up or down. But Old Pipes had been a very active man, and ashis mother was so much older than he was, he never thought of himselfas aged and infirm. 

When the Chief Villager had paid him, and he had talked a little withsome of his friends, Old Pipes started to go home. But when he hadcrossed the bridge over the brook, and gone a short distance up thehill-side, he became very tired, and sat down upon a stone. He hadnot been sitting there half a minute, when along came two boys and agirl. 

"Children, " said Old Pipes, "I'm very tired tonight, and I don'tbelieve I can climb up this steep path to my home. I think I shallhave to ask you to help me. "

"We will do that, " said the boys and the girl, quite cheerfully; andone boy took him by the right hand, and the other by the left, whilethe girl pushed him in the back. In this way he went up the hillquite easily, and soon reached his cottage door. Old Pipes gave eachof the three children a copper coin, and then they sat down for a fewminutes' rest before starting back to the village. 

"I'm sorry that I tired you so much, " said Old Pipes. 

"Oh, that would not have tired us, " said one of the boys, "if we hadnot been so far to-day after the cows, the sheep, and the goats. Theyrambled high up on the mountain, and we never before had such a timein finding them. "

"Had to go after the cows, the sheep, and the goats!" exclaimed OldPipes. "What do you mean by that?"

The girl, who stood behind the old man, shook her head, put her handon her mouth, and made all sorts of signs to the boy to stop talkingon this subject; but he did not notice her, and promptly answered OldPipes. 

"Why, you see, good sir, " said he, "that as the cattle can't hearyour pipes now, somebody has to go after them every evening to drivethem down from the mountain, and the Chief Villager has hired usthree to do it. Generally it is not very hard work, but to-night thecattle had wandered far. "

"How long have you been doing this?" asked the old man. 

The girl shook her head and clapped her hand on her mouth morevigorously than before, but the boy went on. 

"I think it is about a year now, " he said, "since the people firstfelt sure that the cattle could not hear your pipes; and from thattime we've been driving them down. But we are rested now, and will gohome. Good-night, sir. "

The three children then went down the hill, the girl scolding the boyall the way home. Old Pipes stood silent a few moments, and then hewent into his cottage. 

"Mother, " he shouted; "did you hear what those children said?"

"Children!" exclaimed the old woman; "I did not hear them. I did notknow there were any children here. "

Then Old Pipes told his mother, shouting very loudly to make herhear, how the two boys and the girl had helped him up the hill, andwhat he had heard about his piping and the cattle. 

"They can't hear you?" cried his mother. "Why, what's the matter withthe cattle?"

"Ah, me!" said Old Pipes; "I don't believe there's any thing thematter with the cattle. It must be with me and my pipes that there issomething the matter. But one thing is certain, if I do not earn thewages the Chief Villager pays me, I shall not take them. I shall gostraight down to the village and give back the money I receivedto-day. "

"Nonsense!" cried his mother. "I'm sure you've piped as well as youcould, and no more can be expected. And what are we to do without themoney?"

"I don't know, " said Old Pipes; "but I'm going down to the village topay it back. "

The sun had now set; but the moon was shining very brightly on thehill-side, and Old Pipes could see his way very well. He did not takethe same path by which he had gone before, but followed another, which led among the trees upon the hill-side, and, though longer, wasnot so steep. 

When he had gone about half-way, the old man sat down to rest, leaning his back against a great oak-tree. As he did so, he heard asound like knocking inside the tree, and then a voice distinctlysaid:

"Let me out! let me out!"

Old Pipes instantly forgot that he was tired, and sprang to his feet. "This must be a Dryad-tree!" he exclaimed. "If it is, I'll let herout. "

Old Pipes had never, to his knowledge, seen a Dryad-tree, but he knewthere were such trees on the hill-sides and the mountains, and thatDryads lived in them. He knew, too, that in the summer-time, on thosedays when the moon rose before the sun went down, a Dryad could comeout of her tree if any one could find the key which locked her in, and turn it. Old Pipes closely examined the trunk of the tree, whichstood in the full moonlight. "If I see that key, " he said, "I shallsurely turn it. " Before long he perceived a piece of bark standingout from the tree, which appeared to him very much like the handle ofa key. He took hold of it, and found he could turn it quite around. As he did so, a large part of the side of the tree was pushed open, and a beautiful Dryad stepped quickly out. 

For a moment she stood motionless, gazing on the scene beforeher, --the tranquil valley, the hills, the forest, and themountain-side, all lying in the soft clear light of the moon. "Oh, lovely! lovely!" she exclaimed. "How long it is since I have seen anything like this!" And then, turning to Old Pipes, she said: "How goodof you to let me out! I am so happy and so thankful, that I must kissyou, you dear old man!" And she threw her arms around the neck of OldPipes, and kissed him on both cheeks. "You don't know, " she then wenton to say, "how doleful it is to be shut up so long in a tree. Idon't mind it in the winter, for then I am glad to be sheltered, butin summer it is a rueful thing not to be able to see all the beautiesof the world. And it's ever so long since I've been let out. Peopleso seldom come this way; and when they do come at the right time theyeither don't hear me, or they are frightened, and run away. But you, you dear old man, you were not frightened, and you looked and lookedfor the key, and you let me out, and now I shall not have to go backtill winter has come, and the air grows cold. Oh, it is glorious!What can I do for you, to show you how grateful I am?"

"I am very glad, " said Old Pipes, "that I let you out, since I seethat it makes you so happy; but I must admit that I tried to find thekey because I had a great desire to see a Dryad. But if you wish todo something for me, you can, if you happen to be going down towardthe village. "

"To the village!" exclaimed the Dryad. "I will go anywhere for you, my kind old benefactor. "

"Well, then, " said Old Pipes, "I wish you would take this little bagof money to the Chief Villager and tell him that Old Pipes cannotreceive pay for the services which he does not perform. It is nowmore than a year that I have not been able to make the cattle hearme, when I piped to call them home. I did not know this untilto-night; but now that I know it, I cannot keep the money, and so Isend it back. " And, handing the little bag to the Dryad, he bade hergood-night, and turned toward his cottage. 

"Good-night, " said the Dryad. "And I thank you over, and over, andover again, you good old man!"

Old Pipes walked toward his home, very glad to be saved the fatigueof going all the way down to the village and back again. "To besure, " he said to himself, "this path does not seem at all steep, andI can walk along it very easily; but it would have tired medreadfully to come up all the way from the village, especially as Icould not have expected those children to help me again. " When hereached home, his mother was surprised to see him returning so soon. 

"What!" she exclaimed; "have you already come back? What did theChief Villager say? Did he take the money?"

Old Pipes was just about to tell her that he had sent the money tothe village by a Dryad, when he suddenly reflected that his motherwould be sure to disapprove such a proceeding, and so he merely saidhe had sent it by a person whom he had met. 

"And how do you know that the person will ever take it to the ChiefVillager?" cried his mother. "You will lose it, and the villagerswill never get it. Oh, Pipes! Pipes! when will you be old enough tohave ordinary common sense?"

Old Pipes considered that as he was already seventy years of age hecould scarcely expect to grow any wiser, but he made no remark onthis subject; and, saying that he doubted not that the money would gosafely to its destination, he sat down to his supper. His motherscolded him roundly, but he did not mind it; and after supper he wentout and sat on a rustic chair in front of the cottage to look at themoonlit village, and to wonder whether or not the Chief Villagerreally received the money. While he was doing these two things, hewent fast asleep. 

When Old Pipes left the Dryad, she did not go down to the villagewith the little bag of money. She held it in her hand, and thoughtabout what she had heard. "This is a good and honest old man, " shesaid; "and it is a shame that he should lose this money. He looked asif he needed it, and I don't believe the people in the village willtake it from one who has served them so long. Often, when in my tree, have I heard the sweet notes of his pipes. I am going to take themoney back to him. " She did not start immediately, because there wereso many beautiful things to look at; but after a while she went up tothe cottage, and, finding Old Pipes asleep in his chair, she slippedthe little bag into his coat-pocket, and silently sped away. 

The next day, Old Pipes told his mother that he would go up themountain and cut some wood. He had a right to get wood from themountain, but for a long time he had been content to pick up the deadbranches which lay about his cottage. To-day, however, he felt sostrong and vigorous that he thought he would go and cut some fuelthat would be better than this. He worked all the morning, and whenhe came back he did not feel at all tired, and he had a very goodappetite for his dinner. 

Now, Old Pipes knew a good deal about Dryads, but there was one thingwhich, although he had heard, he had forgotten. This was, that a kissfrom a Dryad made a person ten years younger. The people of thevillage knew this, and they were very careful not to let any child often years or younger, go into the woods where the Dryads weresupposed to be; for, if they should chance to be kissed by one ofthese tree-nymphs, they would be set back so far that they wouldcease to exist. A story was told in the village that a very bad boyof eleven once ran away into the woods, and had an adventure of thiskind; and when his mother found him he was a little baby of one yearold. Taking advantage of her opportunity, she brought him up morecarefully than she had done before; and he grew to be a very good boyindeed. 

Now, Old Pipes had been kissed twice by the Dryad, once on eachcheek, and he therefore felt as vigorous and active as when he was ahale man of fifty. His mother noticed how much work he was doing, andtold him that he need not try in that way to make up for the loss ofhis piping wages; for he would only tire himself out, and get sick. But her son answered that he had not felt so well for years, and thathe was quite able to work. In the course of the afternoon, Old Pipes, for the first time that day, put his hand in his coat-pocket, andthere, to his amazement, he found the little bag of money. "Well, well!" he exclaimed, "I am stupid, indeed! I really thought that Ihad seen a Dryad; but when I sat down by that big oak-tree I musthave gone to sleep and dreamed it all; and then I came home thinkingI had given the money to a Dryad, when it was in my pocket all thetime. But the Chief Villager shall have the money. I shall not takeit to him to-day, but to-morrow I wish to go to the village to seesome of my old friends; and then I shall give up the money. "

Toward the close of the afternoon, Old Pipes, as had been his customfor so many years, took his pipes from the shelf on which they lay, and went out to the rock in front of the cottage. 

"What are you going to do?" cried his mother. "If you will notconsent to be paid, why do you pipe?"

"I am going to pipe for my own pleasure, " said her son. "I am used toit, and I do not wish to give it up. It does not matter now whetherthe cattle hear me or not, and I am sure that my piping will injureno one. "

When the good man began to play upon his favorite instrument he wasastonished at the sound that came from it. The beautiful notes of thepipes sounded clear and strong down into the valley, and spread overthe hills, and up the sides of the mountain beyond, while, after alittle interval, an echo came back from the rocky hill on the otherside of the valley. 

"Ha! ha!" he cried, "what has happened to my pipes? They must havebeen stopped up of late, but now they are as clear and good as ever. "

Again the merry notes went sounding far and wide. The cattle on themountain heard them, and those that were old enough remembered howthese notes had called them from their pastures every evening, and sothey started down the mountain-side, the others following. 

The merry notes were heard in the village below, and the people weremuch astonished thereby. "Why, who can be blowing the pipes of OldPipes?" they said. But, as they were all very busy, no one went up tosee. One thing, however, was plain enough: the cattle were comingdown the mountain. And so the two boys and the girl did not have togo after them, and had an hour for play, for which they were veryglad. 

The next morning Old Pipes started down to the village with hismoney, and on the way he met the Dryad. "Oh, ho!" he cried, "is thatyou? Why, I thought my letting you out of the tree was nothing but adream. "

"A dream!" cried the Dryad; "if you only knew how happy you have mademe, you would not think it merely a dream. And has it not benefitedyou? Do you not feel happier? Yesterday I heard you playingbeautifully on your pipes. "

"Yes, yes, " cried he. "I did not understand it before, but I see itall now. I have really grown younger. I thank you, I thank you, goodDryad, from the bottom of my heart. It was the finding of the moneyin my pocket that made me think it was a dream. "

"Oh, I put it in when you were asleep, " she said, laughing, "becauseI thought you ought to keep it. Good-by, kind, honest man. May youlive long, and be as happy as I am now. "

Old Pipes was greatly delighted when he understood that he was reallya younger man; but that made no difference about the money, and hekept on his way to the village. As soon as he reached it, he waseagerly questioned as to who had been playing his pipes the eveningbefore, and when the people heard that it was himself, they were verymuch surprised. Thereupon, Old Pipes told what had happened to him, and then there was greater wonder, with hearty congratulations andhand-shakes; for Old Pipes was liked by every one. The Chief Villagerrefused to take his money, and, although Old Pipes said that he hadnot earned it, every one present insisted that, as he would now playon his pipes as before, he should lose nothing, because, for a time, he was unable to perform his duty. 

So Old Pipes was obliged to keep his money, and after an hour or twospent in conversation with his friends, he returned to his cottage. 

There was one individual, however, who was not at all pleased withwhat had happened to Old Pipes. This was an Echo-dwarf, who lived onthe hills on the other side of the valley, and whose duty it was toecho back the notes of the pipes whenever they could be heard. Therewere a great many other Echo-dwarfs on these hills, some of whomechoed back the songs of maidens, some the shouts of children, andothers the music that was often heard in the village. But there wasonly one who could send back the strong notes of the pipes of OldPipes, and this had been his sole duty for many years. But when theold man grew feeble, and the notes of his pipes could not be heard onthe opposite hills, this Echo-dwarf had nothing to do, and he spenthis time in delightful idleness; and he slept so much and grew so fatthat it made his companions laugh to see him walk. 

On the afternoon on which, after so long an interval, the sound ofthe pipes was heard on the echo hills, this dwarf was fast asleepbehind a rock. As soon as the first notes reached them, some of hiscompanions ran to wake him. Rolling to his feet, he echoed back themerry tune of Old Pipes. Naturally, he was very much annoyed andindignant at being thus obliged to give up his life of comfortableleisure, and he hoped very much that this pipe-playing would notoccur again. The next afternoon he was awake and listening, and, sureenough, at the usual hour, along came the notes of the pipes as clearand strong as they ever had been; and he was obliged to work as longas Old Pipes played. The Echo-dwarf was very angry. He had supposed, of course, that the pipe-playing had ceased forever, and he felt thathe had a right to be indignant at being thus deceived. He was so muchdisturbed that he made up his mind to go and try to find out whetherthis was to be a temporary matter or not. He had plenty of time, asthe pipes were played but once a day, and he set off early in themorning for the hill on which Old Pipes lived. It was hard work forthe fat little fellow, and when he had crossed the valley and hadgone some distance into the woods on the hill-side, he stopped torest, and, in a few minutes, the Dryad came tripping along. 

"Ho, ho!" exclaimed the dwarf; "what are you doing here? and how didyou get out of your tree?"

"Doing!" cried the Dryad; "I am being happy; that's what I am doing. And I was let out of my tree by the good old man who plays the pipesto call the cattle down from the mountain. And it makes me happier tothink that I have been of service to him. I gave him two kisses ofgratitude, and now he is young enough to play his pipes as well asever. "

The Echo-dwarf stepped forward, his face pale with passion. "Am I tobelieve, " he said, "that you are the cause of this great evil thathas come upon me? and that you are the wicked creature who has againstarted this old man upon his career of pipe-playing? What have Iever done to you that you should have condemned me for years andyears to echo back the notes of those wretched pipes?"

At this the Dryad laughed loudly. 

"What a funny little fellow you are!" she said. "Any one would thinkyou had been condemned to toil from morning till night; while whatyou really have to do is merely to imitate for half an hour every daythe merry notes of Old Pipes's piping. Fie upon you, Echo-dwarf! Youare lazy and selfish; and that is what is the matter with you. Instead of grumbling at being obliged to do a little wholesome work, which is less, I am sure, than that of any other echo-dwarf upon therocky hill-side, you should rejoice at the good fortune of the oldman who has regained so much of his strength and vigor. Go home andlearn to be just and generous; and then, perhaps, you may be happy. Good-by. "

"Insolent creature!" shouted the dwarf, as he shook his fat littlefist at her. "I'll make you suffer for this. You shall find out whatit is to heap injury and insult upon one like me, and to snatch fromhim the repose that he has earned by long years of toil. " And, shaking his head savagely, he hurried back to the rocky hill-side. 

Every afternoon the merry notes of the pipes of Old Pipes soundeddown into the valley and over the hills and up the mountain-side; andevery afternoon when he had echoed them back, the little dwarf grewmore and more angry with the Dryad. Each day, from early morning tillit was time for him to go back to his duties upon the rockyhill-side, he searched the woods for her. He intended, if he met her, to pretend to be very sorry for what he had said, and he thought hemight be able to play a trick upon her which would avenge him well. One day, while thus wandering among the trees, he met Old Pipes. TheEcho-dwarf did not generally care to see or speak to ordinary people;but now he was so anxious to find the object of his search, that hestopped and asked Old Pipes if he had seen the Dryad. The piper hadnot noticed the little fellow, and he looked down on him with somesurprise. 

"No, " he said; "I have not seen her, and I have been lookingeverywhere for her. "

"You!" cried the dwarf, "what do you wish with her?"

Old Pipes then sat down on a stone, so that he should be nearer theear of his small companion, and he told what the Dryad had done forhim. 

When the Echo-dwarf heard that this was the man whose pipes he wasobliged to echo back every day, he would have slain him on the spothad he been able; but, as he was not able, he merely ground his teethand listened to the rest of the story. 

"I am looking for the Dryad now, " Old Pipes continued, "on account ofmy aged mother. When I was old myself, I did not notice how very oldmy mother was; but now it shocks me to see how feeble and decrepither years have caused her to become; and I am looking for the Dryadto ask her to make my mother younger, as she made me. "

The eyes of the Echo-dwarf glistened. Here was a man who might helphim in his plans. 

"Your idea is a good one, " he said to Old Pipes, "and it does youhonor. But you should know that a Dryad can make no person youngerbut one who lets her out of her tree. However, you can manage theaffair very easily. All you need do is to find the Dryad, tell herwhat you want, and request her to step into her tree and be shut upfor a short time. Then you will go and bring your mother to the tree;she will open it, and every thing will be as you wish. Is not this agood plan?"

"Excellent!" cried Old Pipes; "and I will go instantly and searchmore diligently for the Dryad. "

"Take me with you, " said the Echo-dwarf. "You can easily carry me onyour strong shoulders; and I shall be glad to help you in any waythat I can. "

"Now, then, " said the little fellow to himself, as Old Pipes carriedhim rapidly along, "if he persuades the Dryad to get into atree, --and she is quite foolish enough to do it, --and then goes awayto bring his mother, I shall take a stone or a club and I will breakoff the key of that tree, so that nobody can ever turn it again. ThenMistress Dryad will see what she has brought upon herself by herbehavior to me. "

Before long they came to the great oak-tree in which the Dryad hadlived, and, at a distance, they saw that beautiful creature herselfcoming toward them. 

"How excellently well every thing happens!" said the dwarf. "Put medown, and I will go. Your business with the Dryad is more importantthan mine; and you need not say any thing about my having suggestedyour plan to you. I am willing that you should have all the credit ofit yourself. "

Old Pipes put the Echo-dwarf upon the ground, but the little roguedid not go away. He concealed himself between some low, mossy rocks, and he was so much of their color that you would not have noticed himif you had been looking straight at him. 

When the Dryad came up, Old Pipes lost no time in telling her abouthis mother, and what he wished her to do. At first, the Dryadanswered nothing, but stood looking very sadly at Old Pipes. 

"Do you really wish me to go into my tree again?" she said. "I shoulddreadfully dislike to do it, for I don't know what might happen. Itis not at all necessary, for I could make your mother younger at anytime if she would give me the opportunity. I had already thought ofmaking you still happier in this way, and several times I have waitedabout your cottage, hoping to meet your aged mother, but she nevercomes outside, and you know a Dryad cannot enter a house. I cannotimagine what put this idea into your head. Did you think of ityourself?"

"No, I cannot say that I did, " answered Old Pipes. "A little dwarfwhom I met in the woods proposed it to me. "

"Oh!" cried the Dryad; "now I see through it all. It is the scheme ofthat vile Echo-dwarf--your enemy and mine. Where is he? I should liketo see him. "

"I think he has gone away, " said Old Pipes. 

"No he has not, " said the Dryad, whose quick eyes perceived theEcho-dwarf among the rocks. "There he is. Seize him and drag him out, I beg of you. "

Old Pipes perceived the dwarf as soon as he was pointed out to him, and, running to the rocks, he caught the little fellow by the arm andpulled him out. 

"Now, then, " cried the Dryad, who had opened the door of the greatoak, "just stick him in there, and we will shut him up. Then I shallbe safe from his mischief for the rest of the time I am free. "

Old Pipes thrust the Echo-dwarf into the tree; the Dryad pushed thedoor shut; there was a clicking sound of bark and wood, and no onewould have noticed that the big oak had ever had an opening in it. 

"There, " said the Dryad; "now we need not be afraid of him. And Iassure you, my good piper, that I shall be very glad to make yourmother younger as soon as I can. Will you not ask her to come out andmeet me?"

"Of course I will, " cried Old Pipes; "and I will do it withoutdelay. "

And then, the Dryad by his side, he hurried to his cottage. But whenhe mentioned the matter to his mother, the old woman became veryangry indeed. She did not believe in Dryads; and, if they really didexist, she knew they must be witches and sorceresses, and she wouldhave nothing to do with them. If her son had ever allowed himself tobe kissed by one of them, he ought to be ashamed of himself. As toits doing him the least bit of good, she did not believe a word ofit. He felt better than he used to feel, but that was very common. She had sometimes felt that way herself, and she forbade him ever tomention a Dryad to her again. 

That afternoon, Old Pipes, feeling very sad that his plan in regardto his mother had failed, sat down upon the rock and played upon hispipes. The pleasant sounds went down the valley and up the hills andmountain, but, to the great surprise of some persons who happened tonotice the fact, the notes were not echoed back from the rockyhill-side, but from the woods on the side of the valley on which OldPipes lived. The next day many of the villagers stopped in their workto listen to the echo of the pipes coming from the woods. The soundwas not as clear and strong as it used to be when it was sent backfrom the rocky hill-side, but it certainly came from among the trees. Such a thing as an echo changing its place in this way had never beenheard of before, and nobody was able to explain how it could havehappened. Old Pipes, however, knew very well that the sound came fromthe Echo-dwarf shut up in the great oak-tree. The sides of the treewere thin, and the sound of the pipes could be heard through them, and the dwarf was obliged by the laws of his being to echo back thosenotes whenever they came to him. But Old Pipes thought he might getthe Dryad in trouble if he let any one know that the Echo-dwarf wasshut up in the tree, and so he wisely said nothing about it. 

One day the two boys and the girl who had helped Old Pipes up thehill were playing in the woods. Stopping near the great oak-tree, they heard a sound of knocking within it, and then a voice plainlysaid:

"Let me out! let me out!"

For a moment the children stood still in astonishment, and then oneof the boys exclaimed:

"Oh, it is a Dryad, like the one Old Pipes found! Let's let her out!"

"What are you thinking of?" cried the girl. "I am the oldest of all, and I am only thirteen. Do you wish to be turned into crawlingbabies? Run! run! run!"

And the two boys and the girl dashed down into the valley as fast astheir legs could carry them. There was no desire in their youthfulhearts to be made younger than they were. And for fear that theirparents might think it well that they should commence their careersanew, they never said a word about finding the Dryad-tree. 

As the summer days went on, Old Pipes's mother grew feebler andfeebler. One day when her son was away, for he now frequently wentinto the woods to hunt or fish, or down into the valley to work, shearose from her knitting to prepare the simple dinner. But she felt soweak and tired that she was not able to do the work to which she hadbeen so long accustomed. "Alas! alas!" she said, "the time has comewhen I am too old to work. My son will have to hire some one to comehere and cook his meals, make his bed, and mend his clothes. Alas!alas! I had hoped that as long as I lived I should be able to dothese things. But it is not so. I have grown utterly worthless, andsome one else must prepare the dinner for my son. I wonder where heis. " And tottering to the door, she went outside to look for him. Shedid not feel able to stand, and reaching the rustic chair, she sankinto it, quite exhausted, and soon fell asleep. 

The Dryad, who had often come to the cottage to see if she could findan opportunity of carrying out old Pipes's affectionate design, nowhappened by; and seeing that the much-desired occasion had come, shestepped up quietly behind the old woman and gently kissed her on eachcheek, and then as quietly disappeared. 

In a few minutes the mother of old Pipes awoke, and looking up at thesun, she exclaimed: "Why, it is almost dinner-time! My son will behere directly, and I am not ready for him. " And rising to her feet, she hurried into the house, made the fire, set the meat andvegetables to cook, laid the cloth, and by the time her son arrivedthe meal was on the table. 

"How a little sleep does refresh one, " she said to herself, as shewas bustling about. She was a woman of very vigorous constitution, and at seventy had been a great deal stronger and more active thanher son was at that age. The moment Old Pipes saw his mother, he knewthat the Dryad had been there; but, while he felt as happy as a king, he was too wise to say any thing about her. 

"It is astonishing how well I feel to-day, " said his mother; "andeither my hearing has improved or you speak much more plainly thanyou have done of late. "

The summer days went on and passed away, the leaves were falling fromthe trees, and the air was becoming cold. 

"Nature has ceased to be lovely, " said the Dryad, "and thenight-winds chill me. It is time for me to go back into mycomfortable quarters in the great oak. But first I must pay anothervisit to the cottage of Old Pipes. "

She found the piper and his mother sitting side by side on the rockin front of the door. The cattle were not to go to the mountain anymore that season, and he was piping them down for the last time. Loudand merrily sounded the pipes of Old Pipes, and down themountain-side came the cattle, the cows by the easiest paths, thesheep by those not quite so easy, and the goats by the most difficultones among the rocks; while from the great oak-tree were heard theechoes of the cheerful music. 

"How happy they look, sitting there together, " said the Dryad; "and Idon't believe it will do them a bit of harm to be still younger. " Andmoving quietly up behind them, she first kissed Old Pipes on hischeek and then his mother. 

Old Pipes, who had stopped playing, knew what it was, but he did notmove, and said nothing. His mother, thinking that her son had kissedher, turned to him with a smile and kissed him in return. And thenshe arose and went into the cottage, a vigorous woman of sixty, followed by her son, erect and happy, and twenty years younger thanherself. 

The Dryad sped away to the woods, shrugging her shoulders as she feltthe cool evening wind. 

When she reached the great oak, she turned the key and opened thedoor. "Come out, " she said to the Echo-dwarf, who sat blinkingwithin. "Winter is coming on, and I want the comfortable shelter ofmy tree for myself. The cattle have come down from the mountain forthe last time this year, the pipes will no longer sound, and you cango to your rocks and have a holiday until next spring. "

Upon hearing these words the dwarf skipped quickly out, and the Dryadentered the tree and pulled the door shut after her. "Now, then, " shesaid to herself, "he can break off the key if he likes. It does notmatter to me. Another will grow out next spring. And although thegood piper made me no promise, I know that when the warm days arrivenext year, he will come and let me out again. "

The Echo-dwarf did not stop to break the key of the tree. He was toohappy to be released to think of any thing else, and he hastened asfast as he could to his home on the rocky hill-side. 

 * * * * *

The Dryad was not mistaken when she trusted in the piper. When thewarm days came again he went to the oak-tree to let her out. But, tohis sorrow and surprise, he found the great tree lying upon theground. A winter storm had blown it down, and it lay with its trunkshattered and split. And what became of the Dryad, no one ever knew. 

 THE QUEEN'S MUSEUM. 

 * * * * *

There was once a Queen who founded, in her capital city, a grandmuseum. This institution was the pride of her heart, and she devotednearly all her time to overseeing the collection of objects for it, and their arrangement in the spacious halls. This museum was intendedto elevate the intelligence of her people, but the result was quitedisappointing to the Queen. For some reason, and what it was shecould not imagine, the people were not interested in her museum. Sheconsidered it the most delightful place in the world, and spent hoursevery day in examining and studying the thousands of objects itcontained; but although here and there in the city there was a personwho cared to visit the collection, the great body of the people foundit impossible to feel the slightest interest in it. At first thisgrieved the Queen, and she tried to make her museum better; but asthis did no good, she became very angry, and she issued a decree thatall persons of mature age who were not interested in her museumshould be sent to prison. 

This decree produced a great sensation in the city. The peoplecrowded to the building, and did their very best to be interested;but, in the majority of cases, the attempt was an utter failure. Theycould not feel any interest whatever. The consequence was thathundreds and thousands of the people were sent to prison, and asthere was not room enough for them in the ordinary jails, largetemporary prisons were erected in various parts of the city. Thosepersons who were actually needed for work or service which no oneelse could do were allowed to come out in the day-time on parole; butat night they had to return to their prisons. 

It was during this deplorable state of affairs that a strangerentered the city one day. He was surprised at seeing so many prisons, and approaching the window in one of them, behind the bars of whichhe saw a very respectable-looking citizen, he asked what all thismeant. The citizen informed him how matters stood, and then, withtears mounting to his eyes, he added:

"Oh, sir, I have tried my best to be interested in that museum; butit is impossible; I cannot make myself care for it in the slightestdegree! And, what is more, I know I shall never be able to do so; andI shall languish here for the rest of my days. "

Passing on, the Stranger met a mother coming out of her house. Herface was pale, and she was weeping bitterly. Filled with pity, hestopped and asked her what was the matter. "Oh, sir, " she said, "fora week I have been trying, for the sake of my dear children, to takean interest in that museum. For a time I thought I might do it, butthe hopes proved false. It is impossible. I must leave my littleones, and go to prison. "

The Stranger was deeply affected by these cases and many others of asimilar character, which he soon met with. "It is too bad! too bad!"he said to himself. "I never saw a city in so much trouble. There isscarcely a family, I am told, in which there is not some uninterestedperson--I must see the Queen and talk to her about it, " and with thishe wended his way to the palace. 

He met the Queen just starting out on her morning visit to themuseum. When he made it known that he was a stranger, and desired ashort audience, she stopped and spoke to him. 

"Have you visited my museum yet?" she said. "There is nothing in thecity so well worth your attention as that. You should go there beforeseeing any thing else. You have a high forehead, and an intelligentexpression, and I have no doubt that it will interest you greatly. Iam going there myself, and I shall be glad to see what effect thatfine collection has upon a stranger. "

This did not suit the Stranger at all. From what he had heard he feltquite sure that if he went to the museum, he would soon be in jail;and so he hurried to propose a plan which had occurred to him whileon his way to the palace. 

"I came to see your Majesty on the subject of the museum, " he said, "and to crave permission to contribute to the collection some objectswhich shall be interesting to every one. I understand that it ishighly desirable that every one should be interested. "

"Of course it is, " said the Queen, "and although I think that thereis not the slightest reason why every one should not feel the keenestinterest in what the museum already contains, I am willing to add toit whatever may make it of greater value. "

"In that case, " said the Stranger, "no time should be lost insecuring what I wish to present. "

"Go at once, " said the Queen. "But how soon can you return?"

"It will take some days, at least, " said the Stranger. 

"Give me your parole to return in a week, " said the Queen, "and startimmediately. "

The Stranger gave his parole and left the palace. Having filled aleathern bag with provisions from a cook's shop, he went out of thecity gates. As he walked into the open country, he said to himself:

"I have certainly undertaken a very difficult enterprise. Where I amto find any thing that will interest all the people in that city, Iam sure I do not know; but my heart is so filled with pity for thegreat number of unfortunate persons who are torn from their homes andshut up in prison, that I am determined to do something for them, ifI possibly can. There must be some objects to be found in this vastcountry that will interest every one. "

About noon he came to a great mountain-side covered with a forest. Thinking that he was as likely to find what he sought in one place asanother, and preferring the shade to the sun, he entered the forest, and walked for some distance along a path which gradually led up themountain. Having crossed a brook with its edges lined withwater-cresses, he soon perceived a large cave, at the entrance ofwhich sat an aged hermit. "Ah, " said the Stranger to himself, "thisis indeed fortunate! This good and venerable man, who passes his lifeamid the secrets of nature, can surely tell me what I wish to know. "Saluting the Hermit, he sat down and told the old man the object ofhis quest. 

"I am afraid you are looking for what you will not find, " said theHermit. "Most people are too silly to be truly interested in anything. They herd together like cattle, and do not know what is goodfor them. There are now on this mountain-side many commodious andcomfortable caves, all of which would be tenanted if people only knewhow improving and interesting it is to live apart from theirfellow-men. But, so far as it can be done, I will help you in yourquest, which I think is a worthy one. I can do nothing for youmyself, but I have a pupil who is very much given to wandering about, and looking for curious things. He may tell you where you will beable to find something that will interest everybody, though I doubtit. You may go and see him, if you like, and I will excuse him fromhis studies for a time, so that he may aid you in your search. "

The Hermit then wrote an excuse upon a piece of parchment, and, giving it to the Stranger, he directed him to the cave of his pupil. 

This was situated at some distance, and higher up the mountain, andwhen the Stranger reached it, he found the Pupil fast asleep upon theground. This individual was a long-legged youth, with long arms, longhair, a long nose, and a long face. When the Stranger awakened him, told him why he had come, and gave him the hermit's excuse, thesleepy eyes of the Pupil brightened, and his face grew less long. 

"That's delightful!" he said, "to be let off on a Monday; for Igenerally have to be satisfied with a half-holiday, Wednesdays andSaturdays. "

"Is the Hermit very strict with you?" asked the Stranger. 

"Yes, " said the Pupil, "I have to stick closely to the cave; though Ihave been known to go fishing on days when there was no holiday. Ihave never seen the old man but once, and that was when he first tookme. You know it wouldn't do for us to be too sociable. That wouldn'tbe hermit-like. He comes up here on the afternoons I am out, andwrites down what I am to do for the next half-week. "

"And do you always do it?" asked the Stranger. 

"Oh, I get some of it done, " said the Pupil; "but there have beentimes when I have wondered whether it wouldn't have been better forme to have been something else. But I have chosen my profession, andI suppose I must be faithful to it. We will start immediately on oursearch; but first I must put the cave in order, for the old man willbe sure to come up while I am gone. "

So saying, the Pupil opened an old parchment book at a marked page, and laid it on a flat stone, which served as a table, and then placeda skull and a couple of bones in a proper position near by. 

The two now started off, the Pupil first putting a line and hook inhis pocket, and pulling out a fishing-rod from under some bushes. 

"What do you want with that?" asked the Stranger, "we are not goingto fish!"

"Why not?" said the Pupil; "if we come to a good place, we mightcatch something that would be a real curiosity. "

Before long they came to a mountain brook, and here the Pupilinsisted on trying his luck. The Stranger was a little tired andhungry, and so was quite willing to sit down for a time and eatsomething from his bag. The Pupil ran off to find some bait, and hestaid away so long that the Stranger had quite finished his mealbefore he returned. He came back at last, however, in a state ofgreat excitement. 

"Come with me! come with me!" he cried. "I have found something thatis truly astonishing! Come quickly!"

The Stranger arose and hurried after the Pupil, whose long legscarried him rapidly over the mountain-side. Reaching a large hole atthe bottom of a precipitous rock, the Pupil stopped, and exclaiming:"Come in here and I will show you something that will amaze you!" heimmediately entered the hole. 

The Stranger, who was very anxious to see what curiosity he hadfound, followed him some distance along a narrow and windingunder-ground passage. The two suddenly emerged into a high andspacious cavern, which was lighted by openings in the roof; on thefloor, in various places, were strongly fastened boxes, and packagesof many sorts, bales and bundles of silks and rich cloths, withhandsome caskets, and many other articles of value. 

"What kind of a place is this?" exclaimed the Stranger, in greatsurprise. 

"Don't you know?" cried the Pupil, his eyes fairly sparkling withdelight. "It is a robber's den! Isn't it a great thing to find aplace like this?"

"A robber's den!" exclaimed the Stranger in alarm; "let us get out ofit as quickly as we can, or the robbers will return, and we shall becut to pieces. "

"I don't believe they are coming back very soon, " said the Pupil, "and we ought to stop and take a look at some of these things. "

"Fly, you foolish youth!" cried the Stranger; "you do not know whatdanger you are in. " And, so saying, he turned to hasten away from theplace. 

But he was too late. At that moment the robber captain and his bandentered the cave. When these men perceived the Stranger and theHermit's Pupil, they drew their swords and were about to rush uponthem, when the Pupil sprang forward and, throwing up his long arms, exclaimed:

"Stop! it is a mistake!"

At these words, the robber captain lowered his sword, and motioned tohis men to halt. "A mistake!" he said; "what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, " said the Pupil, "that I was out looking for curiosities, and wandered into this place by accident. We haven't taken a thing. You may count your goods, and you will find nothing missing. We havenot even opened a box, although I very much wanted to see what was insome of them. "

"Are his statements correct?" said the Captain, turning to theStranger. 

"Entirely so, " was the answer. 

"You have truthful features, and an honest expression, " said theCaptain, "and I do not believe you would be so dishonorable as tocreep in here during our absence and steal our possessions. Yourlives shall be spared, but you will be obliged to remain with us; forwe cannot allow any one who knows our secret to leave us. You shallbe treated well, and shall accompany us in our expeditions; and ifyour conduct merits it, you shall in time be made full members. "

Bitterly the Stranger now regretted his unfortunate position. Hestrode up and down one side of the cave, vowing inwardly that neveragain would he allow himself to be led by a Hermit's Pupil. Thatindividual, however, was in a state of high delight. He ran aboutfrom box to bale, looking at the rare treasures which some of therobbers showed him. 

The two captives were fed and lodged very well; and the next day theCaptain called them and the band together, and addressed them. 

"We are now twenty-nine in number, " he said; "twenty-seven fullmembers, and two on probation. To-night we are about to undertake avery important expedition, in which we shall all join. We shallfasten up the door of the cave, and at the proper time I shall tellyou to what place we are going. "

An hour or two before midnight the band set out, accompanied by theStranger and the Hermit's Pupil; and when they had gone some milesthe Captain halted them to inform them of the object of theexpedition. "We are going, " he said, "to rob the Queen's museum. Itis the most important business we have ever undertaken. "

At these words the Stranger stepped forward and made a protest. "Ileft the city yesterday, " he said, "commissioned by the Queen toobtain one or more objects of interest for her museum; and to returnnow to rob an institution which I have promised to enrich will besimply impossible. "

"You are right, " said the Captain, after a moment's reflection, "suchan action would be highly dishonorable on your part. If you will giveme your word of honor that you will remain by this stone until ourreturn, the expedition will proceed without you. "

The Stranger gave his word, and having been left sitting upon thestone, soon dropped asleep, and so remained until he was awakened bythe return of the band, a little before daylight. They came slowlytoiling along, each man carrying an enormous bundle upon his back. Near the end of the line was the Hermit's Pupil, bearing a load asheavy as any of the others. The Stranger offered to relieve him for atime of his burden, but the Pupil would not allow it. 

"I don't wish these men to think I can't do as much as they can, " hesaid. "You ought to have been along. We had a fine time! We sweptthat museum clean, I tell you! We didn't leave a thing on a shelf orin a case. "

"What sort of things are they, " asked the Stranger. 

"I don't know, " replied the Pupil, "we didn't have any light for fearpeople would notice it, but the moon shone in bright enough for us tosee all the shelves and the cases; and our orders were not to try andexamine any thing, but to take all that was there. The cases hadgreat cloth covers on them, and we spread these on the floor and madebundles of the curiosities. We are going to examine them carefully assoon as we get to the den. "

It was broad daylight when the robbers reached their cave. Thebundles were laid in a great circle on the floor, and, at a givensignal, they were opened. For a moment each robber gazed blankly atthe contents of his bundle, and then they all began to fumble andsearch among the piles of articles upon the cloths; but after a fewminutes, they arose, looking blanker and more disappointed thanbefore. 

"So far as I can see, " said the Captain, "there is nothing in thewhole collection that I care for. I do not like a thing here!"

"Nor I!" "Nor I!" "Nor I!" cried each one of his band. 

"I suppose, " said the Captain, after musing for a moment, "that asthese things are of no use to us, we are bound in honor to take themback. "

"Hold!" said the Stranger, stepping forward; "do not be in too greata hurry to do that. " He then told the Captain of the state of affairsin the city, and explained in full the nature of the expedition hehad undertaken for the Queen. "I think it would be better, " he said, "if these things were not taken back for the present. If you have asafe place where you can put them, I will in due time tell the Queenwhere they are, and if she chooses she can send for them. "

"Good!" said the Captain, "it is but right that she should bear partof the labor of transportation. There is a disused cave, a mile or soaway, and we will tie up these bundles and carry them there; and thenwe shall leave the matter to you. We take no further interest in it. And if you have given your parole to the Queen to return in a week, "the Captain further continued, "of course you'll have to keep it. Didyou give your parole also?" he asked, turning to the Pupil. 

"Oh, no!" cried that youth; "there was no time fixed for my return. And I am sure that I like a robber's life much better than that of ahermit. There is ever so much more spice and dash in it. "

"The Stranger was then told that if he would promise not to betraythe robbers he might depart. He gave the promise; but added sadlythat he had lost so much time that he was afraid he would not now beable to attain the object of his search and return within the week. 

"If that is the case, " said the Captain, "we will gladly assist you. ""Comrades!" he cried, addressing his band, "after stowing thisuseless booty in the disused cave, and taking some rest andrefreshment, we will set out again, and the object of our expeditionshall be to obtain something for the Queen's museum which willinterest every one. "

Shortly after midnight the robbers set out, accompanied by theStranger and the Pupil. When they had walked about an hour, theCaptain, as was his custom, brought them to a halt that he might tellthem where they were going. "I have concluded, " said he, "that noplace is so likely to contain what we are looking for as the castleof the great magician, Alfrarmedj. We will, therefore, proceedthither, and sack the castle. "

"Will there not be great danger in attacking the castle of amagician?" asked the Stranger in somewhat anxious tones. 

"Of course there will be, " said the Captain, "but we are not suchcowards as to hesitate on account of danger. Forward, my men!" And onthey all marched. 

When they reached the magician's castle, the order was given to scalethe outer wall. This the robbers did with great agility, and theHermit's Pupil was among the first to surmount it. But the Strangerwas not used to climbing, and he had to be assisted over the wall. Inside the great court-yard they perceived numbers of Weirds--strangeshadowy creatures who gathered silently around them; but not in theleast appalled, the robbers formed into a body, and marched into thecastle, the door of which stood open. They now entered a great hall, having at one end a doorway before which hung a curtain. Followingtheir Captain, the robbers approached this curtain, and pushing itaside, entered the room beyond. There, behind a large table, sat thegreat magician, Alfrarmedj, busy over his mystic studies, which hegenerally pursued in the dead hours of the night. Drawing theirswords, the robbers rushed upon him. 

"Surrender!" cried the Captain, "and deliver to us the treasures ofyour castle. "

The old magician raised his head from his book, and, pushing up hisspectacles from his forehead, looked at them mildly, and said:

"Freeze!"

Instantly, they all froze as hard as ice, each man remaining in theposition in which he was when the magical word was uttered. Withuplifted swords and glaring eyes they stood, rigid and stiff, beforethe magician. After calmly surveying the group, the old man said:

"I see among you one who has an intelligent brow and truthfulexpression. His head may thaw sufficiently for him to tell me whatmeans this untimely intrusion upon my studies. "

The Stranger now felt his head begin to thaw, and in a few moments hewas able to speak. He then told the magician about the Queen'smuseum, and how it had happened that he had come there with therobbers. 

"Your motive is a good one, " said the magician, "though your actionsare somewhat erratic; and I do not mind helping you to find what youwish. In what class of objects do the people of the city take themost interest?"

"Truly I do not know, " said the Stranger. 

"This is indeed surprising!" exclaimed Alfrarmedj. "How can youexpect to obtain that which will interest every one, when you do notknow what it is in which every one takes an interest? Go, find outthis, and then return to me, and I will see what can be done. "

The magician then summoned his Weirds and ordered them to carry thefrozen visitors outside the castle walls. Each one of the rigidfigures was taken up by two Weirds, who carried him out and stood himup in the road outside the castle. When all had been properly set up, with the captain at their head, the gates were shut, and the magicianstill sitting at his table, uttered the word, "Thaw!"

Instantly, the whole band thawed and marched away. At daybreak theyhalted, and considered how they should find out what all the peoplein the city took an interest in. 

"One thing is certain, " cried the Hermit's Pupil, "whatever it is, itisn't the same thing. "

"Your remark is not well put together, " said the Stranger, "but I seethe force of it. It is true that different people like differentthings. But how shall we find out what the different people like?"

"By asking them, " said the Pupil. 

"Good!" cried the Captain, who preferred action to words. "This nightwe will ask them. " He then drew upon the sand a plan of thecity, --(with which he was quite familiar, having carefully robbed itfor many years, )--and divided it into twenty-eight sections, each oneof which was assigned to a man. "I omit you, " the Captain said to theStranger, "because I find that you are not expert at climbing. " Hethen announced that at night the band would visit the city, and thateach man should enter the houses in his district, and ask the peoplewhat it was in which they took the greatest interest. 

They then proceeded to the cave for rest and refreshment; and alittle before midnight they entered the city, and each member of theband, including the Hermit's Pupil, proceeded to attend to thebusiness assigned to him. It was ordered that no one should disturbthe Queen, for they knew that what she took most interest in was themuseum. During the night nearly every person in the town was arousedby a black-bearded robber, who had climbed into one of the windows ofthe house, and who, instead of demanding money and jewels, simplyasked what it was in which that person took the greatest interest. Upon receiving an answer, the robber repeated it until he had learnedit by heart, and then went to the next house. As so many of thecitizens were confined in prisons, which the robbers easily entered, they transacted the business in much less time than they wouldotherwise have required. 

The Hermit's Pupil was very active, climbing into and out of houseswith great agility. He obtained his answers quite as easily as didthe others, but whenever he left a house there was a shade ofdisappointment upon his features. Among the last places that hevisited was a room in which two boys were sleeping. He awoke them andasked the usual question. While they were trembling in their bed, notknowing what to answer, the Pupil drew his sword and exclaimed:"Come, now, no prevarication; you know it's fishing-tackle. Speakout!" Each of the boys then promptly declared it was fishing-tackle, and the pupil left, greatly gratified. "I was very much afraid, " hesaid to himself, "that not a person in my district would sayfishing-tackle; and I am glad to think that there were two boys whohad sense enough to like something that is really interesting. "

It was nearly daylight when the work was finished; and then the bandgathered together in an appointed place on the outside of the city, where the Stranger awaited them. Each of the men had an excellentmemory, which was necessary in their profession, and they repeated tothe Stranger all the objects and subjects that had been mentioned tothem, and he wrote them down upon tablets. 

The next night, accompanied by the band, he proceeded to the castleof the magician, the great gate of which was silently opened for themby the Weirds. When they were ushered into the magician's room, Alfrarmedj took the tablets from the Stranger and examined themcarefully. 

"All these things should make a very complete collection, " he said, "and I think I have specimens of the various objects in myinterminable vaults. " He then called his Weirds and, giving one ofthem the tablets, told him to go with his companions into the vaultsand gather enough of the things therein mentioned to fill a largemuseum. In half an hour the Weirds returned and announced that thearticles were ready in the great court-yard. 

"Go, then, " said the magician, "and assist these men to carry them tothe Queen's museum. "

The Stranger then heartily thanked Alfrarmedj for the assistance hehad given; and the band, accompanied by a number of Weirds, proceededto carry the objects of interest to the Queen's museum. It was astrange procession. Half a dozen Weirds carried a stuffed mammoth, followed by others bearing the skeleton of a whale, while the robbersand the rest of their queer helpers were loaded with every thingrelating to history, science, and art which ought to be in a reallygood museum. When the whole collection had been put in place upon thefloors, the shelves, and in the cases, it was nearly morning. Therobbers, with the Hermit's Pupil, retired to the cave; the Weirdsdisappeared; while the Stranger betook himself to the Queen's palace, where, as soon as the proper hour arrived, he requested an audience. 

When he saw the Queen, he perceived that she was very pale and thather cheeks bore traces of recent tears. "You are back in good time, "she said to him, "but it makes very little difference whether youhave succeeded in your mission or not. There is no longer any museum. There has been a great robbery, and the thieves have carried off thewhole of the vast and valuable collection which I have been so longin making. "

"I know of that affair, " said the Stranger, "and I have alreadyplaced in your museum-building the collection which I have obtained. If your Majesty pleases, I shall be glad to have you look at it. Itmay, in some degree, compensate for that which has been stolen. "

"Compensate!" cried the Queen. "Nothing can compensate for it; I donot even wish to see what you have brought. "

"Be that as your Majesty pleases, " said the Stranger; "but I will beso bold as to say that I have great hopes that the collection which Ihave obtained will interest the people. Will your Majesty graciouslyallow them to see it?"

"I have no objection to that, " said the Queen; "and indeed I shall bevery glad if they can be made to be interested in the museum. I willgive orders that the prisons be opened, so that everybody can go tosee what you have brought; and those who shall be interested in itmay return to their homes. I did not release my obstinate subjectswhen the museum was robbed, because their fault then was just asgreat as it was before; and it would not be right that they shouldprofit by my loss. "

The Queen's proclamation was made, and for several days the museumwas crowded with people moving from morning till night through thevast collection of stuffed animals, birds, and fishes; rare andbrilliant insects; mineral and vegetable curiosities; beautiful worksof art; and all the strange, valuable, and instructive objects whichhad been brought from the interminable vaults of the magicianAlfrarmedj. The Queen's officers, who had been sent to observewhether or not the people were interested, were in no doubt upon thispoint. Every eye sparkled with delight, for every one found somethingwhich was the very thing he wished to see; and in the throng was theHermit's Pupil, standing in rapt ecstasy before a large casecontaining all sorts of fishing-tackle, from the smallest hooks forlittle minnows to the great irons and spears used in capturingwhales. 

No one went back to prison, and the city was full of re-unitedhouseholds and happy homes. On the morning of the fourth day, a grandprocession of citizens came to the palace to express to the Queentheir delight and appreciation of her museum. The great happiness ofher subjects could but please the Queen. She called the Stranger toher, and said to him:

"Tell me how you came to know what it was that would interest mypeople. "

"I asked them, " said the Stranger. "That is to say, I arranged thatthey should be asked. "

"That was well done, " said the Queen; "but it is a great pity that mylong labors in their behalf should have been lost. For many years Ihave been a collector of button-holes; and there was nothing valuableor rare in the line of my studies of which I had not an originalspecimen or a facsimile. My agents brought me from foreign lands, even from the most distant islands of the sea, button-holes of everykind; in silk, in wool, in cloth of gold, in every imaginablematerial, and of those which could not be obtained careful copieswere made. There was not a duplicate specimen in the wholecollection; only one of each kind; nothing repeated. Never before wasthere such a museum. With all my power I strove to educate my peopleup to an appreciation of button-holes; but, with the exception of afew tailors and seamstresses, nobody took the slightest interest inwhat I had provided for their benefit. I am glad that my people arehappy, but I cannot restrain a sigh for the failure of my efforts. "

"The longer your Majesty lives, " said the Stranger, "the better youwill understand that we cannot make other people like a thing simplybecause we like it ourselves. "

"Stranger, " said the Queen, gazing upon him with admiration, "are youa king in disguise?"

"I am, " he replied. 

"I thought I perceived it, " said the Queen, "and I wish to add that Ibelieve you are far better able to govern this kingdom than I am. Ifyou choose I will resign it to you. "

"Not so, your majesty, " said the other; "I would not deprive you ofyour royal position, but I should be happy to share it with you. "

"That will answer very well, " said the Queen. And turning to anattendant, she gave orders that preparations should be made for theirmarriage on the following day. 

After the royal wedding, which was celebrated with great pomp andgrandeur, the Queen paid a visit to the museum, and, much to hersurprise, was greatly delighted and interested. The King theninformed her that he happened to know where the robbers had storedher collection, which they could not sell or make use of, and if shewished, he would regain the collection and erect a building for itsreception. 

"We will not do that at present, " said the Queen. "When I shall havethoroughly examined and studied all these objects, most of which areentirely new to me, we will decide about the button-holes. "

The Hermit's Pupil did not return to his cave. He was greatlydelighted with the spice and dash of a robber's life, so differentfrom that of a hermit; and he determined, if possible, to change hisbusiness and enter the band. He had a conversation with the Captainon the subject, and that individual encouraged him in his purpose. 

"I am tired, " the Captain said, "of a robber's life. I have stolen somuch, that I cannot use what I have. I take no further interest inaccumulating spoils. The quiet of a hermit's life attracts me; and, if you like we will change places. I will become the pupil of yourold master, and you shall be the captain of my band. "

The change was made. The Captain retired to the cave of the Hermit'sPupil, while the latter, with the hearty consent of all the men, tookcommand of the band of robbers. 

When the King heard of this change, he was not at all pleased, and hesent for the ex-pupil. 

"I am willing to reward you, " he said, "for assisting me in my recentundertaking; but I cannot allow you to lead a band of robbers in mydominions. "

A dark shade of disappointment passed over the ex-pupil's features, and his face lengthened visibly. 

"It is too bad, " he said, "to be thus cut short at the very outset ofa brilliant career. I'll tell you what I'll do, " he added suddenly, his face brightening, "if you'll let me keep on in my new profession, I'll promise to do nothing but rob robbers. "

"Very well, " said the King, "if you will confine yourself to that, you may retain your position. "

The members of the band were perfectly willing to rob in the new way, for it seemed quite novel and exciting to them. The first place theyrobbed was their own cave, and as they all had excellent memories, they knew from whom the various goods had been stolen, and everything was returned to its proper owner. The ex-pupil then led hisband against the other dens of robbers in the kingdom, and hismovements were conducted with such dash and vigor that the varioushordes scattered in every direction, while the treasures in theirdens were returned to the owners, or, if these could not be found, were given to the poor. In a short time every robber, except thoseled by the ex-pupil, had gone into some other business; and thevictorious youth led his band into other kingdoms to continue thegreat work of robbing robbers. 

The Queen never sent for the collection of curiosities which therobbers had stolen from her. She was so much interested in the newmuseum that she continually postponed the re-establishment of her oldone; and, as far as can be known, the button-holes are still in thecave where the robbers shut them up. 

 CHRISTMAS BEFORE LAST;

OR, THE FRUIT OF THE FRAGILE PALM. 

 * * * * *

The "Horn o' Plenty" was a fine, big, old-fashioned ship, very highin the bow, very high in the stern, with a quarter-deck alwayscarpeted in fine weather, because her captain could not see why oneshould not make himself comfortable at sea as well as on land. Covajos Maroots was her captain, and a fine, jolly, old-fashioned, elderly sailor he was. The "Horn o' Plenty" always sailed upon onesea, and always between two ports, one on the west side of the sea, and one on the east. The port on the west was quite a large city, inwhich Captain Covajos had a married son, and the port on the east wasanother city in which he had a married daughter. In each family hehad several grandchildren; and, consequently, it was a great joy tothe jolly old sailor to arrive at either port. The Captain was veryparticular about his cargo, and the "Horn o' Plenty" was generallyladen with good things to eat, or sweet things to smell, or finethings to wear, or beautiful things to look at. Once a merchantbrought to him some boxes of bitter aloes, and mustard plasters, butCaptain Covajos refused to take them into his ship. 

"I know, " said he, "that such things are very useful and necessary attimes, but you would better send them over in some other vessel. The'Horn o' Plenty' has never carried any thing that to look at, totaste, or to smell, did not delight the souls of old and young. I amsure you cannot say that of these commodities. If I were to put suchthings on board my ship, it would break the spell which more thanfifty savory voyages have thrown around it. "

There were sailors who sailed upon that sea who used to say thatsometimes, when the weather was hazy and they could not see far, theywould know they were about to meet the "Horn o' Plenty" before shecame in sight; her planks and timbers, and even her sails and masts, had gradually become so filled with the odor of good things that thewinds that blew over her were filled with an agreeable fragrance. 

There was another thing about which Captain Covajos was veryparticular; he always liked to arrive at one of his ports a few daysbefore Christmas. Never, in the course of his long life, had the oldsailor spent a Christmas at sea; and now that he had his finegrandchildren to help make the holidays merry, it would have grievedhim very much if he had been unable to reach one or the other of hisports in good season. His jolly old vessel was generally heavilyladen, and very slow, and there were many days of calms on that seawhen she did not sail at all, so that her voyages were usually very, very long. But the Captain fixed the days of sailing so as to givehimself plenty of time to get to the other end of his course beforeChristmas came around. 

One spring, however, he started too late, and when he was about themiddle of his voyage, he called to him Baragat Bean, his oldboatswain. This venerable sailor had been with the Captain ever sincehe had commanded the "Horn o' Plenty, " and on important occasions hewas always consulted in preference to the other officers, none ofwhom had served under Captain Covajos more then fifteen or twentyyears. 

"Baragat, " said the Captain, "we have just passed the Isle ofGuinea-Hens. You can see its one mountain standing up against the skyto the north. "

"Aye, aye, sir, " said old Baragat; "there she stands, the same asusual. "

"That makes it plain, " said the Captain, "that we are not yethalf-way across, and I am very much afraid that I shall not be ableto reach my dear daughter's house before Christmas. "

"That would be doleful, indeed, " said Baragat; "but I've fearedsomething of the kind, for we've had calms nearly every other day, and sometimes, when the wind did blow, it came from the wrongdirection, and it's my belief that the ship sailed backward. "

"That was very bad management, " said the Captain. "The chief mateshould have seen to it that the sails were turned in such a mannerthat the ship could not go backward. If that sort of thing happenedoften, it would become quite a serious affair. "

"But what is done can't be helped, " said the boatswain, "and I don'tsee how you are going to get into port before Christmas. "

"Nor do I, " said the Captain, gazing out over the sea. 

"It would give me a sad turn, sir, " said Baragat, "to see you spendChristmas at sea; a thing you never did before, nor ever shall do, ifI can help it. If you'll take my advice, sir, you'll turn around, andgo back. It's a shorter distance to the port we started from than tothe one we are going to, and if we turn back now, I am sure we allshall be on shore before the holidays. "

"Go back to my son's house!" exclaimed Captain Covajos, "where I waslast winter! Why, that would be like spending last Christmas overagain!"

"But that would be better than having none at all, sir, " said theboatswain, "and a Christmas at sea would be about equal to none. "

"Good!" exclaimed the Captain. "I will give up the coming Christmaswith my daughter and her children, and go back and spend lastChristmas over again with my son and his dear boys and girls. Havethe ship turned around immediately, Baragat, and tell the chief mateI do not wish to sail backward if it can possibly be avoided. "

For a week or more the "Horn o' Plenty" sailed back upon her tracktowards the city where dwelt the Captain's son. The weather was fine, the carpet was never taken up from the quarter-deck, and every thingwas going on very well, when a man, who happened to have an errand atone of the topmasts, came down, and reported that, far away to thenorth, he had seen a little open boat with some people in it. 

"Ah me!" said Captain Covajos, "it must be some poor fellows who areshipwrecked. It will take us out of our course, but we must not leavethem to their fate. Have the ship turned about, so that it will sailnorthward. "

It was not very long before they came up with the boat; and, much tothe Captain's surprise, he saw that it was filled with boys. 

"Who are you?" he cried as soon as he was near enough. "And where doyou come from?"

"We are the First Class in Long Division, " said the oldest boy, "andwe are cast away. Have you any thing to eat that you can spare us? Weare almost famished. "

"We have plenty of every thing, " said the Captain. "Come on boardinstantly, and all your wants shall be supplied. "

"How long have you been without food?" he asked, when the boys wereon the deck of the vessel. 

"We have had nothing to eat since breakfast, " said one of them; "andit is now late in the afternoon. Some of us are nearly dead fromstarvation. "

"It is very hard for boys to go so long without eating, " said thegood Captain. And leading them below, he soon set them to work upon abountiful meal. 

Not until their hunger was fully satisfied did he ask them how theycame to be cast away. 

"You see, sir, " said the oldest boy, "that we and the MultiplicationClass had a holiday to-day, and each class took a boat and determinedto have a race, so as to settle, once for all, which was the highestbranch of arithmetic, multiplication or long division. Our classrowed so hard that we entirely lost sight of the Multiplicationers, and found indeed that we were out of sight of every thing; so that, at last, we did not know which was the way back, and thus we becamecastaways. "

"Where is your school?" asked the Captain. 

"It is on Apple Island, " said the boy; "and, although it is a longway off for a small boat with only four oars for nine boys, it can'tbe very far for a ship. "

"That is quite likely, " said the Captain, "and we shall take youhome. Baragat, tell the chief mate to have the vessel turned towardApple Island, that we may restore these boys to their parents andguardians. "

Now, the chief mate had not the least idea in the world where AppleIsland was, but he did not like to ask, because that would beconfessing his ignorance; so he steered his vessel toward a pointwhere he believed he had once seen an island, which, probably, wasthe one in question. The "Horn o' Plenty" sailed in this directionall night, and when day broke, and there was no island in sight, shetook another course; and so sailed this way and that for six or sevendays, without ever seeing a sign of land. All this time, the FirstClass in Long Division was as happy as it could be, for it was havinga perfect holiday; fishing off the sides of the vessel, climbing upthe ladders and ropes, and helping the sailors whistle for wind. Butthe Captain now began to grow a little impatient, for he felt he waslosing time; so he sent for the chief mate, and said to him mildlybut firmly:

"I know it is out of the line of your duty to search for islandschools, but, if you really think that you do not know where AppleIsland lies, I wish you to say so, frankly and openly. "

"Frankly and openly, " answered the mate, "I don't think I do. "

"Very well, " said the Captain. "Now, that is a basis to work upon, and we know where we stand. You can take a little rest, and let thesecond mate find the island. But I can only give him three days inwhich to do it. We really have no time to spare. "

The second mate was very proud of the responsibility placed upon him, and immediately ordered the vessel to be steered due south. 

"One is just as likely, " he said, "to find a totally unknown place bygoing straight ahead in a certain direction, as by sailing here, there, and everywhere. In this way, you really get over more water, and there is less wear and tear of the ship and rigging. "

So he sailed due south for two days, and at the end of that time theycame in sight of land. This was quite a large island, and when theyapproached near enough, they saw upon its shores a very handsomecity. 

"Is this Apple Island?" said Captain Covajos to the oldest boy. 

"Well, sir, " answered the youth, "I am not sure I can say withcertainty that I truly believe that it is; but, I think, if we wereto go on shore, the people there would be able to tell us how to goto Apple Island. "

"Very likely, " said the good Captain; "and we will go on shore andmake inquiries. --And it has struck me, Baragat, " he said, "thatperhaps the merchants in the city where my son lives may be somewhatannoyed when the 'Horn o' Plenty' comes back with all their goods onboard, and not disposed of. Not understanding my motives, they may bedisposed to think ill of me. Consequently the idea has come into myhead, that it might be a good thing to stop here for a time, and tryto dispose of some of our merchandise. The city seems to be quiteprosperous, and I have no doubt there are a number of merchantshere. "

So the "Horn o' Plenty" was soon anchored in the harbor, and as manyof the officers and crew as could be spared went on shore to makeinquiries. Of course the First Class in Long Division was not leftbehind; and, indeed, they were ashore as soon as anybody. The Captainand his companions were cordially welcomed by some of the dignitariesof the city who had come down to the harbor to see the strangevessel; but no one could give any information in regard to AppleIsland, the name of which had never been heard on those shores. TheCaptain was naturally desirous of knowing at what place he hadlanded, and was informed that this was the Island of the FragilePalm. 

"That is rather an odd name, " said the old Captain. "Why is it socalled?"

"The reason is this, " said his informant. "Near the centre of theisland stands a tall and very slender palm-tree, which has beengrowing there for hundreds of years. It bears large and handsomefruit which is something like the cocoanut; and, in its perfection, is said to be a transcendently delicious fruit. "

"Said to be!" exclaimed the Captain; "are you not positive about it?"

"No, " said the other; "no one living has ever tasted the fruit in itsperfection. When it becomes overripe, it drops to the ground, and, even then, it is considered royal property, and is taken to thepalace for the King's table. But on fête-days and grand occasionssmall bits of it are distributed to the populace. "

"Why don't you pick the fruit, " asked Captain Covajos, "when it is inits best condition to eat?"

"It would be impossible, " said the citizen, "for any one to climb upthat tree, the trunk of which is so extremely delicate and fragilethat the weight of a man would probably snap it; and, of course, aladder placed against it would produce the same result. Many attemptshave been made to secure this fruit at the proper season, but all ofthem have failed. Another palm-tree of a more robust sort was onceplanted near this one in the hope that when it grew high enough, mencould climb up the stronger tree and get the fruit from the other. But, although we waited many years the second tree never attainedsufficient height, and it was cut down. "

"It is a great pity, " said the Captain; "but I suppose it cannot behelped. " And then he began to make inquiries about the merchants inthe place, and what probability there was of his doing a little tradehere. The Captain soon discovered that the cargo of his ship was madeup of goods which were greatly desired by the citizens of this place;and for several days he was very busy in selling the good things toeat, the sweet things to smell, the fine things to wear, and thebeautiful things to look at, with which the hold of the "Horn o'Plenty" was crowded. 

During this time the First Class in Long Division roamed, in delight, over the city. The busy streets, the shops, the handsome buildings, and the queer sights which they occasionally met, interested andamused them greatly. But still the boys were not satisfied. They hadheard of the Fragile Palm, and they made up their minds to go andhave a look at it. Therefore, taking a guide, they tramped out intothe country, and in about an hour they came in sight of the beautifultree standing in the centre of the plain. The trunk was, indeed, exceedingly slender, and, as the guide informed them, the wood was ofso very brittle a nature that if the tree had not been protected fromthe winds by the high hills which encircled it, it would have beensnapped off ages ago. Under the broad tuft of leaves that formed itstop, the boys saw hanging large clusters of the precious fruit; greatnuts as big as their heads. 

"At what time of the year, " asked the oldest boy, "is that fruit justripe enough to eat?"

"Now, " answered the guide. "This is the season when it is in the mostperfect condition. In about a month it will become entirely too ripeand soft, and will drop. But, even then, the King and all the rest ofus are glad enough to get a taste of it. "

"I should think the King would be exceedingly eager to get some ofit, just as it is, " said the boy. 

"Indeed he is!" replied the guide. "He and his father, and I don'tknow how many grandfathers back, have offered large rewards to anyone who would procure them this fruit in its best condition. Butnobody has ever been able to get any yet. "

"The reward still holds good, I suppose, " said the head boy. 

"Oh, yes, " answered the guide; "there never was a King who so muchdesired to taste the fruit as our present monarch. "

The oldest boy looked up at the top of the tree, shut one eye, andgave his head a little wag. Whereupon every boy in the class lookedup, shut one eye, and slightly wagged his head. After which theoldest boy said that he thought it was about time for them to go backto the ship. 

As soon as they reached the vessel, and could talk together freely, the boys had an animated discussion. It was unanimously agreed thatthey would make an attempt to get some of the precious fruit from theFragile Palm, and the only difference of opinion among them was as tohow it should be done. Most of them were in favor of some method ofclimbing the tree and trusting to its not breaking. But this theoldest boy would not listen to; the trunk might snap, and thensomebody would be hurt, and he felt, in a measure, responsible forthe rest of the class. At length a good plan was proposed by a boywho had studied mechanics. 

"What we ought to do with that tree, " said he, "is to put a hingeinto her. Then we could let her down gently, pick off the fruit, andset her up again. 

"But how are you going to do it?" asked the others. 

"This is the way, " said the boy who had studied mechanics. "You takea saw, and then, about two feet from the ground, you begin and sawdown diagonally, for a foot and a half, to the centre of the trunk. Then you go on the other side, and saw down in the same way, the twoouts meeting each other. Now you have the upper part of the trunkending in a wedge, which fits into a cleft in the lower part of thetrunk. Then, about nine inches below the place where you first beganto saw, you bore a hole straight through both sides of the cleft andthe wedge between them. Then you put an iron bolt through this hole, and you have your tree on a hinge, only she wont be apt to movebecause she fits in so snug and tight. Then you get a long rope, andput one end in a slipknot loosely around the trunk. Then you get alot of poles, and tie them end to end, and push this slip-knot upuntil it is somewhere near the top, when you pull it tight. Then youtake another rope with a slip-knot, and push this a little more thanhalf-way up the trunk. By having two ropes, that way, you prevent toomuch strain coming on any one part of the trunk. Then, after that, you take a mallet and chisel and round off the lower corners of thewedge, so that it will turn easily in the cleft. Then we take hold ofthe ropes, let her down gently, pick off the fruit, and haul her upagain. That will all be easy enough. "

This plan delighted the boys, and they all pronounced in its favor;but the oldest one suggested that it would be better to fasten theropes to the trunk before they began to saw upon it, and another boyasked how they were going to keep the tree standing when they hauledher up again. 

"Oh, that is easy, " said the one who had studied mechanics; "you justbore another hole about six inches above the first one, and put inanother bolt. Then, of course, she can't move. "

This settled all the difficulties, and it was agreed to start outearly the next morning, gather the fruit, and claim the reward theKing had offered. They accordingly went to the Captain and asked himfor a sharp saw, a mallet and chisel, an auger, two iron bolts, andtwo very long ropes. These, having been cheerfully given to them, were put away in readiness for the work to be attempted. 

Very early on the next morning, the First Class in Long Division setout for the Fragile Palm, carrying their tools and ropes. Few peoplewere awake as they passed through the city, and, without beingobserved, they reached the little plain on which the tree stood. Theropes were attached at the proper places, the tree was sawn, diagonally, according to the plan; the bolt was put in, and thecorners of the wedge were rounded off. Then the eldest boy produced apound of butter, whereupon his comrades, who had seized the ropes, paused in surprise and asked him why he had brought the butter. 

"I thought it well, " was the reply, "to bring along some butter, because, when the tree is down, we can grease the hinge, and then itwill not be so hard to pull it up again. "

When all was ready, eight of the boys took hold of the long ropes, while another one with a pole pushed against the trunk of the FragilePalm. When it began to lean over a little, he dropped his pole andran to help the others with the ropes. Slowly the tree moved on itshinge, descending at first very gradually; but it soon began to movewith greater rapidity, although the boys held it back with all theirstrength; and, in spite of their most desperate efforts, the top cameto the ground at last with a great thump. And then they all droppedtheir ropes, and ran for the fruit. Fortunately the great nutsincased in their strong husks were not in the least injured, and theboys soon pulled them off, about forty in all. Some of the boys werein favor of cracking open a few of the nuts and eating them, but thisthe eldest boy positively forbade. 

"This fruit, " he said, "is looked upon as almost sacred, and if wewere to eat any of it, it is probable that we should be put to death, which would be extremely awkward for fellows who have gone to all thetrouble we have had. We must set up the tree and carry the fruit tothe King. "

According to this advice, they thoroughly greased the hinge in thetree with the butter, and then set themselves to work to haul up thetrunk. This, however, was much more difficult than letting it down;and they had to lift up the head of it, and prop it up on poles, before they could pull upon it with advantage. The tree, althoughtall, was indeed a very slender one, with a small top, and, if it hadbeen as fragile as it was supposed to be, the boys' efforts wouldsurely have broken it. At last, after much tugging and warm work, they pulled it into an upright position, and put in the second bolt. They left the ropes on the tree because, as some of them hadsuggested, the people might want to let the tree down again the nextyear. It would have been difficult for the boys to carry in theirarms the great pile of fruit they had gathered; but, having noticed abasket-maker's cottage on their way to the tree, two of them weresent to buy one of his largest baskets or hampers. This was attachedto two long poles, and, having been filled with the nuts, the boystook the poles on their shoulders, and marched into the city. 

On their way to the palace they attracted a great crowd, and whenthey were ushered into the presence of the King, his surprise anddelight knew no bounds. At first he could scarcely believe his eyes;but he had seen the fruit so often that there could be no mistakeabout it. 

"I shall not ask you, " he said to the boys, "how you procured thisfruit, and thus accomplished a deed which has been the object of theambition of myself and my forefathers. All I ask is, did you leavethe tree standing?"

"We did, " said the boys. 

"Then all that remains to be done, " said His Majesty, "is to give youthe reward you have so nobly earned. Treasurer, measure out to eachof them a quart of gold coin. And pray be quick about it, for I amwild with desire to have a table spread, and one of these nutscracked, that I may taste of its luscious contents. "

The boys, however, appeared a little dissatisfied. Huddling together, they consulted in a low tone, and then the eldest boy addressed theKing. 

"May it please your Majesty, " he said; "we should very much prefer tohave you give each of us one of those nuts instead of a quart ofgold. "

The King looked grave. "This is a much greater reward, " he said, "than I had ever expected to pay; but, since you ask it, you musthave it. You have done something which none of my subjects has everbeen able to accomplish, and it is right, therefore, that you shouldbe fully satisfied. "

So he gave them each a nut, with which they departed in triumph tothe ship. 

By the afternoon of the next day, the Captain had sold all his cargoat very good prices; and when the money was safely stored away in the"Horn o' Plenty, " he made ready to sail, for he declared he hadreally no time to spare. "I must now make all possible haste, " hesaid to old Baragat, "to find Apple Island, put these boys ashore, and then speed away to the city where lives my son. We must not failto get there in time to spend last Christmas over again. "

On the second day, after the "Horn o' Plenty" had left the Island ofthe Fragile Palm, one of the sailors who happened to be aloft noticeda low, black, and exceedingly unpleasant-looking vessel rapidlyapproaching. This soon proved to be the ship of a band of corsairs, who, having heard of the large amount of money on the "Horn o'Plenty, " had determined to pursue her and capture the rich prize. Allsails were set upon the "Horn o' Plenty, " but it soon became plainthat she could never outsail the corsair vessel. 

"What our ship can do better than any thing else, " said Baragat tothe Captain, "is to stop short. Stop her short, and let the other onego by. "

This manoeuvre was executed, but, although the corsair passed rapidlyby, not being able to stop so suddenly, it soon turned around andcame back, its decks swarming with savage men armed to the teeth. 

"They are going to board us, " cried Baragat. "They are getting outtheir grappling-irons, and they will fasten the two ships together. "

"Let all assemble on the quarter-deck, " said the Captain. "It ishigher there, and we shall not be so much exposed to accidents. "

The corsair ship soon ran alongside the "Horn o' Plenty, " and in amoment the two vessels were fastened together; and then the corsairs, every man of them, each with cutlass in hand and a belt full of dirksand knives, swarmed up the side of the "Horn o' Plenty, " and sprangupon its central deck. Some of the ferocious fellows, seeing theofficers and crew all huddled together upon the quarter-deck, made amovement in that direction. This so frightened the chief mate that hesprang down upon the deck of the corsair ship. A panic now arose, andhe was immediately followed by the officers and crew. The boys, ofcourse, were not to be left behind; and the Captain and Baragat feltthemselves bound not to desert the crew, and so they jumped also. None of the corsairs interfered with this proceeding, for each one ofthem was anxious to find the money at once. When the passengers andcrew of the "Horn o' Plenty" were all on board the corsair ship, Baragat came to the Captain, and said:

"If I were you, sir, I'd cast off those grapnels, and separate thevessels. If we don't do that those rascals, when they have finishedrobbing our money-chests, will come back here and murder us all. "

"That is a good idea, " said Captain Covajos; and he told the chiefmate to give orders to cast off the grapnels, push the two vesselsapart, and set some of the sails. 

When this had been done, the corsair vessel began to move away fromthe other, and was soon many lengths distant from her. When thecorsairs came on deck and perceived what had happened, they wereinfuriated, and immediately began to pursue their own vessel with theone they had captured. But the "Horn o' Plenty" could not, by anypossibility, sail as fast as the corsair ship, and the latter easilykept away from her. 

"Now, then, " said Baragat to the Captain, "what you have to do iseasy enough. Sail straight for our port and those sea-robbers willfollow you; for, of course, they will wish to get their own vesselback again, and will hope, by some carelessness on our part, toovertake us. In the mean time the money will be safe enough, for theywill have no opportunity of spending it; and when we come to port, wecan take some soldiers on board, and go back and capture thosefellows. They can never sail away from us on the 'Horn o' Plenty. '"

"That is an admirable plan, " said the Captain, "and I shall carry itout; but I cannot sail to port immediately. I must first find AppleIsland and land these boys, whose parents and guardians are probablygrowing very uneasy. I suppose the corsairs will continue to followus wherever we go. "

"I hope so, " said Baragat; "at any rate we shall see. "

The First Class in Long Division was very much delighted with thechange of vessels, and the boys rambled everywhere, and examined withgreat interest all that belonged to the corsairs. They felt quiteeasy about the only treasures they possessed, because, when they hadfirst seen the piratical vessel approaching, they had taken theprecious nuts which had been given to them by the King, and hadhidden them at the bottom of some large boxes, in which the Captainkept the sailors' winter clothes. 

"In this warm climate, " said the eldest boy, "the robbers will nevermeddle with those winter clothes, and our precious fruit will beperfectly safe. "

"If you had taken my advice, " said one of the other boys, "we shouldhave eaten some of the nuts. Those, at least, we should have beensure of. "

"And we should have had that many less to show to the other classes, "said the eldest boy. "Nuts like these, I am told, if picked at theproper season, will keep for a long time. "

For some days the corsairs on board the "Horn o' Plenty" followedtheir own vessel, but then they seemed to despair of ever being ableto overtake it, and steered in another direction. This threatened toruin all the plans of Captain Covajos, and his mind became troubled. Then the boy who had studied mechanics came forward and said to theCaptain:

"I'll tell you what I'd do, sir, if I were you; I'd follow your oldship, and when night came on I'd sail up quite near to her, and letsome of your sailors swim quietly over, and fasten a cable to her, and then you could tow her after you wherever you wished to go. "

"But they might unfasten the cable, or cut it, " said Baragat, who wasstanding by. 

"That could easily be prevented, " said the boy. "At their end of thecable must be a stout chain which they cannot cut, and it must befastened so far beneath the surface of the water that they will notbe able to reach it to unfasten it. "

"A most excellent plan, " said Captain Covajos; "let it be carriedout. "

As soon as it became quite dark, the corsair vessel quietlyapproached the other, and two stout sailors from Finland, who swamvery well, were ordered to swim over and attach the chain-end of along cable to the "Horn o' Plenty. " It was a very difficultoperation, for the chain was heavy, but the men succeeded at last, and returned to report. 

"We put the chain on, fast and strong sir, " they said to the Captain;"and six feet under water. But the only place we could find to makeit fast to was the bottom of the rudder. "

"That will do very well, " remarked Baragat; "for the 'Horn o' Plenty'sails better backward than forward, and will not be so hard to tow. "

For week after week, and month after month, Captain Covajos, in thecorsair vessel, sailed here and there in search of Apple Island, always towing after him the "Horn o' Plenty, " with the corsairs onboard, but never an island with a school on it could they find; andone day old Baragat came to the Captain and said:

"If I were you, sir, I'd sail no more in these warm regions. I amquite sure that apples grow in colder latitudes, and are never foundso far south as this. "

"That is a good idea, " said Captain Covajos. "We should sail for thenorth if we wished to find an island of apples. Have the vesselturned northward. "

And so, for days and weeks, the two vessels slowly moved on to thenorth. One day the Captain made some observations and calculations, and then he hastily summoned Baragat. 

"Do you know, " said he, "that I find it is now near the end ofNovember, and I am quite certain that we shall not get to the portwhere my son lives in time to celebrate last Christmas again. It isdreadfully slow work, towing after us the 'Horn o' Plenty, ' full ofcorsairs, wherever we go. But we cannot cast her off and sailstraight for our port, for I should lose my good ship, the merchantswould lose all their money, and the corsairs would go unpunished;and, besides all that, think of the misery of the parents andguardians of those poor boys. No; I must endeavor to find AppleIsland. And if I cannot reach port in time to spend last Christmaswith my son, I shall certainly get there in season for Christmasbefore last. It is true that I spent that Christmas with my daughter, but I cannot go on to her now. I am much nearer the city where my sonlives; and, besides, it is necessary to go back, and give themerchants their money. So now we shall have plenty of time, and neednot feel hurried. "

"No, " said Baragat, heaving a vast sigh, "we need not feel hurried. "

The mind of the eldest boy now became very much troubled, and hecalled his companions about him. "I don't like at all, " said he, "this sailing to the north. It is now November, and, although it iswarm enough at this season in the southern part of the sea, it willbecome colder and colder as we go on. The consequence of this will bethat those corsairs will want winter clothes, they will take them outof the Captain's chests, and they will find our fruit. "

The boys groaned. "That is true, " said one of them; "but still wewish to go back to our island. "

"Of course, " said the eldest boy, "it is quite proper that we shouldreturn to Long Division. But think of the hard work we did to getthat fruit, and think of the quarts of gold we gave up for it! Itwould be too bad to lose it now!"

It was unanimously agreed that it would be too bad to lose the fruit, and it was also unanimously agreed that they wished to go back toApple Island. But what to do about it, they did not know. 

Day by day the weather grew colder and colder, and the boys becamemore and more excited and distressed for fear they should lose theirprecious fruit. The eldest boy lay awake for several nights, and thena plan came into his head. He went to Captain Covajos and proposedthat he should send a flag of truce over to the corsairs, offering toexchange winter clothing. He would send over to them the heavygarments they had left on their own vessel, and in return would takethe boxes of clothes intended for the winter wear of his sailors. Inthis way, they would get their fruit back without the corsairsknowing any thing about it. The Captain considered this an excellentplan, and ordered the chief mate to take a boat and a flag of truce, and go over to the "Horn o' Plenty, " and make the proposition. Theeldest boy and two of the others insisted on going also, in orderthat there might be no mistake about the boxes. But when theflag-of-truce party reached the "Horn o' Plenty" they found not acorsair there! Every man of them had gone. They had taken with themall the money-chests, but to the great delight of the boys, the boxesof winter clothes had not been disturbed; and in them still nestled, safe and sound, the precious nuts of the Fragile Palm. 

When the matter had been thoroughly looked into, it became quiteevident what the corsairs had done. There had been only one boat onboard the "Horn o' Plenty, " and that was the one on which the FirstClass in Long Division had arrived. The night before, the two vesselshad passed within a mile or so of a large island, which the Captainhad approached in the hope it was the one they were looking for, andthey passed it so slowly that the corsairs had time to ferrythemselves over, a few at a time, in the little boat, taking withthem the money, --and all without discovery. 

Captain Covajos was greatly depressed when he heard of the loss ofall the money. 

"I shall have a sad tale to tell my merchants, " he said, "andChristmas before last will not be celebrated so joyously as it wasthe first time. But we cannot help what has happened, and we all mustendeavor to bear our losses with patience. We shall continue oursearch for Apple Island, but I shall go on board my own ship, for Ihave greatly missed my carpeted quarter-deck and my other comforts. The chief mate, however, and a majority of the crew shall remain onboard the corsair vessel, and continue to tow us. The 'Horn o'Plenty' sails better stern foremost, and we shall go faster thatway. "

The boys were overjoyed at recovering their fruit, and most of themwere in favor of cracking two or three of the great nuts, and eatingtheir contents in honor of the occasion, but the eldest boy dissuadedthem. 

"The good Captain, " he said, "has been very kind in endeavoring totake us back to our school, and still intends to keep up the searchfor dear old Apple Island. The least we can do for him is to give himthis fruit, which is all we have, and let him do what he pleases withit. This is the only way in which we can show our gratitude to him. "

The boys turned their backs on one another, and each of them gave hiseyes a little rub, but they all agreed to give the fruit to theCaptain. 

When the good old man received his present, he was much affected. "Iwill accept what you offer me, " he said; "for if I did not, I knowyour feelings would be wounded. But you must keep one of the nuts foryourselves. And, more than that, if we do not find Apple Island inthe course of the coming year, I invite you all to spend Christmasbefore last over again, with me at my son's house. "

All that winter, the two ships sailed up and down, and here andthere, but never could they find Apple Island. When Christmas-timecame, old Baragat went around among the boys and the crew, and toldthem it would be well not to say a word on the subject to theCaptain, for his feelings were very tender in regard to spendingChristmas away from his families, and the thing had never happenedbefore. So nobody made any allusion to the holidays, and they passedover as if they had been ordinary days. 

During the spring, and all through the summer, the two ships kept upthe unavailing search, but when the autumn began, Captain Covajossaid to old Baragat: "I am very sorry, but I feel that I can nolonger look for Apple Island. I must go back and spend Christmasbefore last over again, with my dearest son; and if these poor boysnever return to their homes, I am sure they cannot say it was anyfault of mine. "

"No, sir, " said Baragat, "I think you have done all that could beexpected of you. "

So the ships sailed to the city on the west side of the sea; and theCaptain was received with great joy by his son, and hisgrandchildren. He went to the merchants, and told them how he hadlost all their money. He hoped they would be able to bear theirmisfortune with fortitude, and begged, as he could do nothing elsefor them, that they would accept the eight great nuts from theFragile Palm that the boys had given him. To his surprise themerchants became wild with delight when they received the nuts. Themoney they had lost was as nothing, they said, compared to the valueof this incomparable and precious fruit, picked in its prime, andstill in a perfect condition. 

It had been many, many generations since this rare fruit, the valueof which was like unto that of diamonds and pearls, had been for salein any market in the world; and kings and queens in many countrieswere ready to give for it almost any price that might be asked. 

When the good old Captain heard this he was greatly rejoiced, and, asthe holidays were now near, he insisted that the boys should spendChristmas before last over again, at his son's house. He found that agood many people here knew where Apple Island was, and he madearrangements for the First Class in Long Division to return to thatisland in a vessel which was to sail about the first of the year. 

The boys still possessed the great nut which the Captain had insistedthey should keep for themselves, and he now told them that if theychose to sell it, they would each have a nice little fortune to takeback with them. The eldest boy consulted the others, and then he saidto the Captain:

"Our class has gone through a good many hardships, and has had a lotof trouble with that palm-tree and other things, and we think weought to be rewarded. So, if it is all the same to you, I think wewill crack the nut on Christmas Day and we all will eat it. "

"I never imagined, " cried Captain Covajos, as he sat, on thatChristmas Day, surrounded by his son's family and the First Class inLong Division, the eyes of the whole party sparkling with ecstasy asthey tasted the peerless fruit of the Fragile Palm, "that Christmasbefore last could be so joyfully celebrated over again. "

 PRINCE HASSAK'S MARCH. 

 * * * * *

In the spring of a certain year, long since passed away, PrinceHassak, of Itoby, determined to visit his uncle, the King of Yan. 

"Whenever my uncle visited us, " said the Prince, "or when my latefather went to see him, the journey was always made by sea; and, inorder to do this, it was necessary to go in a very roundabout waybetween Itoby and Yan. Now, I shall do nothing of this kind. It isbeneath the dignity of a prince to go out of his way on account ofcapes, peninsulas, and promontories. I shall march from my palace tothat of my uncle in a straight line. I shall go across the country, and no obstacle shall cause me to deviate from my course. Mountainsand hills shall be tunnelled, rivers shall be bridged, houses shallbe levelled; a road shall be cut through forests; and, when I havefinished my march, the course over which I have passed shall be amathematically straight line. Thus will I show to the world that, when a prince desires to travel, it is not necessary for him to goout of his way on account of obstacles. "

As soon as possible after the Prince had determined upon this march, he made his preparations, and set out. He took with him afew courtiers, and a large body of miners, rock-splitters, bridge-builders, and workmen of that class, whose services would, very probably, be needed. Besides these, he had an officer whose dutyit was to point out the direct course to be taken, and another whowas to draw a map of the march, showing the towns, mountains, and thevarious places it passed through. There were no compasses in thosedays, but the course-marker had an instrument which he would set in aproper direction by means of the stars, and then he could march by itall day. Besides these persons, Prince Hassak selected from theschools of his city five boys and five girls, and took them with him. He wished to show them how, when a thing was to be done, the best waywas to go straight ahead and do it, turning aside for nothing. 

"When they grow up they will teach these things to their children, "said he; "and thus I shall instil good principles into my people. "

The first day Prince Hassak and his party marched over a levelcountry, with no further trouble than that occasioned by the tearingdown of fences and walls, and the destruction of a few cottages andbarns. After encamping for the night, they set out the next morning, but had not marched many miles before they came to a rocky hill, onthe top of which was a handsome house, inhabited by a Jolly-cum-pop. 

"Your Highness, " said the course-marker, "in order to go in a directline we must make a tunnel through this hill, immediately under thehouse. This may cause the building to fall in, but the rubbish can beeasily removed. "

"Let the men go to work, " said the Prince. "I will dismount from myhorse, and watch the proceedings. "

When the Jolly-cum-pop saw the party halt before his house, hehurried out to pay his respects to the Prince. When he was informedof what was to be done, the Jolly-cum-pop could not refrain fromlaughing aloud. 

"I never heard, " he said, "of such a capital idea. It is so odd andoriginal. It will be very funny, I am sure, to see a tunnel cut rightunder my house. "

The miners and rock-splitters now began to work at the base of thehill, and then the Jolly-cum-pop made a proposition to the Prince. 

"It will take your men some time, " he said, "to cut this tunnel, andit is a pity your Highness should not be amused in the meanwhile. Itis a fine day: suppose we go into the forest and hunt. "

This suited the Prince very well, for he did not care about sittingunder a tree and watching his workmen, and the Jolly-cum-pop havingsent for his horse and some bows and arrows, the whole party, withthe exception of the laborers, rode toward the forest, a shortdistance away. 

"What shall we find to hunt?" asked the Prince of the Jolly-cum-pop. 

"I really do not know, " exclaimed the latter, "but we'll huntwhatever we happen to see--deer, small birds, rabbits, griffins, rhinoceroses, any thing that comes along. I feel as gay as a skippinggrasshopper. My spirits rise like a soaring bird. What a joyful thingit is to have such a hunt on such a glorious day!"

The gay and happy spirits of the Jolly-cum-pop affected the wholeparty, and they rode merrily through the forest; but they found nogame; and, after an hour or two, they emerged into the open countryagain. At a distance, on a slight elevation, stood a large andmassive building. 

"I am hungry and thirsty, " said the Prince, "and perhaps we can getsome refreshments at yonder house. So far, this has not been a veryfine hunt. "

"No, " cried the Jolly-cum-pop, "not yet. But what a joyful thing tosee a hospitable mansion just at the moment when we begin to feel alittle tired and hungry!"

The building they were approaching belonged to a Potentate, who livedat a great distance. In some of his travels he had seen this massivehouse, and thought it would make a good prison. He accordingly boughtit, fitted it up as a jail, and appointed a jailer and threemyrmidons to take charge of it. This had occurred years before, butno prisoners had ever been sent to this jail. A few days precedingthe Jolly-cum-pop's hunt, the Potentate had journeyed this way andhad stopped at his jail. After inquiring into its condition, he hadsaid to the jailer:

"It is now fourteen years since I appointed you to this place, and inall that time there have been no prisoners, and you and your men havebeen drawing your wages without doing any thing. I shall return thisway in a few days, and if I still find you idle I shall discharge youall and close the jail. "

This filled the jailer with great dismay, for he did not wish to losehis good situation. When he saw the Prince and his party approaching, the thought struck him that perhaps he might make prisoners of them, and so not be found idle when the Potentate returned. He came out tomeet the hunters, and when they asked if they could here findrefreshment, he gave them a most cordial welcome. His men took theirhorses, and, inviting them to enter, he showed each member of theparty into a small bedroom, of which there seemed to be a great many. 

"Here are water and towels, " he said to each one, "and when you havewashed your face and hands, your refreshments will be ready. " Then, going out, he locked the door on the outside. 

The party numbered seventeen: the Prince, three courtiers, five boys, five girls, the course-marker, the map-maker, and the Jolly-cum-pop. The heart of the jailer was joyful; seventeen inmates was somethingto be proud of. He ordered his myrmidons to give the prisoners a mealof bread and water through the holes in their cell-doors, and then hesat down to make out his report to the Potentate. 

"They must all be guilty of crimes, " he said to himself, "which arepunished by long imprisonment. I don't want any of them executed. "

So he numbered his prisoners from one to seventeen, according to thecell each happened to be in, and he wrote a crime opposite eachnumber. The first was highway robbery, the next forgery, and afterthat followed treason, smuggling, barn-burning, bribery, poaching, usury, piracy, witchcraft, assault and battery, using false weightsand measures, burglary, counterfeiting, robbing hen-roosts, conspiracy, and poisoning his grandmother by proxy. 

This report was scarcely finished when the Potentate returned. He wasvery much surprised to find that seventeen prisoners had come insince his previous visit, and he read the report with interest. 

"Here is one who ought to be executed, " he said, referring to NumberSeventeen. "And how did he poison his grandmother by proxy? Did heget another woman to be poisoned in her stead? Or did he employ someone to act in his place as the poisoner?"

"I have not yet been fully informed, my lord, " said the jailer, fearful that he should lose a prisoner; "but this is his firstoffence, and his grandmother, who did not die, has testified to hisgeneral good character. "

"Very well, " said the Potentate; "but if he ever does it again, lethim be executed; and, by the way, I should like to see theprisoners. "

Thereupon the jailer conducted the Potentate along the corridors, andlet him look through the holes in the doors at the prisoners within. 

"What is this little girl in for?" he asked. 

The jailer looked at the number over the door, and then at hisreport. 

"Piracy, " he answered. 

"A strange offence for such a child, " said the Potentate. 

"They often begin that sort of thing very early in life, " said thejailer. 

"And this fine gentleman, " said the Potentate, looking in at thePrince, "what did he do?"

The jailer glanced at the number, and the report. 

"Robbed hen-roosts, " he said. 

"He must have done a good deal of it to afford to dress so well, "said the Potentate, passing on, and looking into other cells. "Itseems to me that many of your prisoners are very young. "

"It is best to take them young, my lord, " said the jailer. "They arevery hard to catch when they grow up. "

The Potentate then looked in at the Jolly-cum-pop, and asked what washis offence. 

"Conspiracy, " was the answer. 

"And where are the other conspirators?"

"There was only one, " said the jailer. 

Number Seventeen was the oldest of the courtiers. 

"He appears to be an elderly man to have a grandmother, " said thePotentate. "She must be very aged, and that makes it all the worsefor him. I think he should be executed. "

"Oh, no, my lord, " cried the jailor. "I am assured that his crime wasquite unintentional. "

"Then he should be set free, " said the Potentate. 

"I mean to say, " said the jailer, "that it was just enoughintentional to cause him to be imprisoned here for a long time, butnot enough to deserve execution. "

"Very well, " said the Potentate, turning to leave; "take good care ofyour prisoners, and send me a report every month. "

"That will I do, my lord, " said the jailer, bowing very low. 

The Prince and his party had been very much surprised and incensedwhen they found that they could not get out of their rooms, and theyhad kicked and banged and shouted until they were tired, but thejailer had informed them that they were to be confined there foryears; and when the Potentate arrived they had resigned themselves todespair. The Jolly-cum-pop, however, was affected in a different way. It seemed to him the most amusing joke in the world that a personshould deliberately walk into a prison-cell and be locked up forseveral years; and he lay down on his little bed and laughed himselfto sleep. 

That night one of the boys sat at his iron-barred window, wide awake. He was a Truant, and had never yet been in any place from which hecould not run away. He felt that his school-fellows depended upon himto run away and bring them assistance, and he knew that hisreputation as a Truant was at stake. His responsibility was so heavythat he could not sleep, and he sat at the window, trying to think ofa way to get out. After some hours the moon arose, and by its lighthe saw upon the grass, not far from his window, a number of littlecreatures, which at first he took for birds or small squirrels; buton looking more attentively he perceived that they were pigwidgeons. They were standing around a flat stone, and seemed to be makingcalculations on it with a piece of chalk. At this sight, the heart ofthe Truant jumped for joy. "Pigwidgeons can do any thing, " he said tohimself, "and these certainly can get us out. " He now tried invarious ways to attract the attention of the pigwidgeons; but as hewas afraid to call or whistle very loud, for fear of arousing thejailor, he did not succeed. Happily, he thought of a pea-shooterwhich he had in his pocket, and taking this out he blew a pea intothe midst of the little group with such force that it knocked thechalk from the hand of the pigwidgeon who was using it. The littlefellows looked up in astonishment, and perceived the Truant beckoningto them from his window. At first they stood angrily regarding him;but on his urging them in a loud whisper to come to his relief, theyapproached the prison and, clambering up a vine, soon reached hiswindow-sill. The Truant now told his mournful tale, to which thepigwidgeons listened very attentively; and then, after a littleconsultation among themselves, one of them said: "We will get you outif you will tell us how to divide five-sevenths by six. "

The poor Truant was silent for an instant, and then he said: "That isnot the kind of thing I am good at, but I expect some of the otherfellows could tell you easily enough. Our windows must be all in arow, and you can climb up and ask some of them; and if any one tellsyou, will you get us all out?"

"Yes, " said the pigwidgeon who had spoken before. "We will do that, for we are very anxious to know how to divide five-sevenths by six. We have been working at it for four or five days, and there won't beany thing worth dividing if we wait much longer. "

The pigwidgeons now began to descend the vine; but one of themlingering a little, the Truant, who had a great deal of curiosity, asked him what it was they had to divide. 

"There were eight of us, " the pigwidgeon answered, "who helped afarmer's wife, and she gave us a pound of butter. She did not countus properly, and divided the butter into seven parts. We did notnotice this at first, and two of the party, who were obliged to goaway to a distance, took their portions and departed, and now we cannot divide among six the five-sevenths that remain. "

"That is a pretty hard thing, " said the Truant, "but I am sure someof the boys can tell you how to do it. "

The pigwidgeons visited the next four cells, which were occupied byfour boys, but not one of them could tell how to divide five-seventhsby six. The Prince was questioned, but he did not know; and neitherdid the course-marker, nor the map-maker. It was not until they cameto the cell of the oldest girl that they received an answer. She wasgood at mental arithmetic; and, after a minute's thought, she said, "It would be five forty-seconds. "

"Good!" cried the pigwidgeons. "We will divide the butter intoforty-two parts, and each take five. And now let us go to work andcut these bars. "

Three of the six pigwidgeons were workers in iron, and they had theirlittle files and saws in pouches by their sides. They went to workmanfully, and the others helped them, and before morning one bar wascut in each of the seventeen windows. The cells were all on theground floor, and it was quite easy for the prisoners to clamber out. That is, it was easy for all but the Jolly-cum-pop. He had laughed somuch in his life that he had grown quite fat, and he found itimpossible to squeeze himself through the opening made by the removalof one iron bar. The sixteen other prisoners had all departed; thepigwidgeons had hurried away to divide their butter into forty-twoparts, and the Jolly-cum-pop still remained in his cell, convulsedwith laughter at the idea of being caught in such a curiouspredicament. 

"It is the most ridiculous thing in the world, " he said. "I suppose Imust stay here and cry until I get thin. " And the idea so tickledhim, that he laughed himself to sleep. 

The Prince and his party kept together, and hurried from the prisonas fast as they could. When the day broke they had gone severalmiles, and then they stopped to rest. "Where is that Jolly-cum-pop?"said the Prince. "I suppose he has gone home. He is a pretty fellowto lead us into this trouble and then desert us! How are we to findthe way back to his house? Course-marker, can you tell us thedirection in which we should go?"

"Not until to-night, your Highness, " answered the course-marker, "when I can set my instrument by the stars. "

The Prince's party was now in a doleful plight. Every one was veryhungry; they were in an open plain, no house was visible, and theyknew not which way to go. They wandered about for some time, lookingfor a brook or a spring where they might quench their thirst; andthen a rabbit sprang out from some bushes. The whole partyimmediately started off in pursuit of the rabbit. They chased ithere, there, backward and forward, through hollows and over hills, until it ran quite away and disappeared. Then they were more tired, thirsty, and hungry than before; and, to add to their miseries, whennight came on the sky was cloudy, and the course-marker could not sethis instrument by the stars. It would be difficult to find sixteenmore miserable people than the Prince and his companions when theyawoke the next morning from their troubled sleep on the hard ground. Nearly starved, they gazed at one another with feelings of despair. 

"I feel, " said the Prince, in a weak voice, "that there is nothing Iwould not do to obtain food. I would willingly become a slave if mymaster would give me a good breakfast. "

"So would I, " ejaculated each of the others. 

About an hour after this, as they were all sitting disconsolatelyupon the ground, they saw, slowly approaching, a large cart drawn bya pair of oxen. On the front of the cart, which seemed to be heavilyloaded, sat a man, with a red beard, reading a book. The boys, whenthey saw the cart, set up a feeble shout, and the man, lifting hiseyes from his book, drove directly toward the group on the ground. Dismounting, he approached Prince Hassak, who immediately told himhis troubles and implored relief. "We will do any thing, " said thePrince, "to obtain food. "

Standing for a minute in a reflective mood, the man with the redbeard addressed the Prince in a slow, meditative manner: "How wouldyou like, " he said, "to form a nucleus?"

"Can we get any thing to eat by it?" eagerly asked the Prince. 

"Yes, " replied the man, "you can. "

"We'll do it!" immediately cried the whole sixteen, without waitingfor further information. 

"Which will you do first, " said the man, "listen to my explanations, or eat?"

"Eat!" cried the entire sixteen in chorus. 

The man now produced from his cart a quantity of bread, meat, wine, and other provisions, which he distributed generously, butjudiciously, to the hungry Prince and his followers. Every one hadenough, but no one too much. And soon, revived and strengthened, theyfelt like new beings. 

"Now, " said the Prince, "we are ready to form a nucleus, as wepromised. How is it done?"

"I will explain the matter to you in a few words, " said the man withthe red beard. "For a long time I have been desirous to found a city. In order to do this one must begin by forming a nucleus. Every greatcity is started from a nucleus. A few persons settle down in someparticular spot, and live there. Then they are a nucleus. Then otherpeople come there, and gather around this nucleus, and then morepeople come and more, until in course of time there is a great city. I have loaded this cart with provisions, tools, and other things thatare necessary for my purpose, and have set out to find some peoplewho would be willing to form a nucleus. I am very glad to have foundyou and that you are willing to enter into my plan; and this seems agood spot for us to settle upon. "

"What is the first thing to be done?" said the Prince. 

"We must all go to work, " said the man with the red beard, "to builddwellings, and also a school-house for these young people. Then wemust till some ground in the suburbs, and lay the foundations, atleast, of a few public buildings. "

"All this will take a good while, will it not?" said the Prince. 

"Yes, " said the man, "it will take a good while; and the sooner weset about it, the better. "

Thereupon tools were distributed among the party, and Prince, courtiers, boys, girls, and all went to work to build houses and formthe nucleus of a city. 

When the jailer looked into his cells in the morning, and found thatall but one of his prisoners had escaped, he was utterly astounded, and his face, when the Jolly-cum-pop saw him, made that individualroar with laughter. The jailer, however, was a man accustomed to dealwith emergencies. "You need not laugh, " he said, "every thing shallgo on as before, and I shall take no notice of the absence of yourcompanions. You are now numbered One to Seventeen inclusive, and youstand charged with highway robbery, forgery, treason, smuggling, barn-burning, bribery, poaching, usury, piracy, witchcraft, assaultand battery, using false weights and measures, burglary, counterfeiting, robbing hen-roosts, conspiracy, and poisoning yourgrandmother by proxy. I intended to-day to dress the convicts inprison garb, and you shall immediately be so clothed. "

"I shall require seventeen suits, " said the Jolly-cum-pop. 

"Yes, " said the jailer, "they shall be furnished. "

"And seventeen rations a day, " said the Jolly-cum-pop. 

"Certainly, " replied the jailer. 

"This is luxury, " roared the Jolly-cum-pop. "I shall spend my wholetime in eating and putting on clean clothes. "

Seventeen large prison suits were now brought to the Jolly-cum-pop. He put one on, and hung up the rest in his cell. These suits werehalf bright yellow and half bright green, with spots of bright red, as big as saucers. 

The jailer now had doors cut from one cell to another. "If thePotentate comes here and wants to look at the prisoners, " he said tothe Jolly-cum-pop, "you must appear in cell number One, so that hecan look through the hole in the door, and see you; then, as he walksalong the corridor, you must walk through the cells, and whenever helooks into a cell, you must be there. "

"He will think, " merrily replied the Jolly-cum-pop, "that all yourprisoners are very fat, and that the little girls have grown up intobig men. "

"I will endeavor to explain that, " said the jailer. 

For several days the Jolly-cum-pop was highly amused at the idea ofhis being seventeen criminals, and he would sit first in one cell andthen in another, trying to look like a ferocious pirate, ahard-hearted usurer, or a mean-spirited chicken thief, and laughingheartily at his failures. But, after a time, he began to tire ofthis, and to have a strong desire to see what sort of a tunnel thePrince's miners and rock-splitters were making under his house. "Ihad hoped, " he said to himself, "that I should pine away inconfinement, and so be able to get through the window-bars; but withnothing to do, and seventeen rations a day, I see no chance of that. But I must get out of this jail, and, as there seems no other way, Iwill revolt. " Thereupon he shouted to the jailer through the hole inthe door of his cell: "We have revolted! We have risen in a body, andhave determined to resist your authority, and break jail!"

When the jailer heard this, he was greatly troubled. "Do not proceedto violence, " he said; "let us parley. "

"Very well, " replied the Jolly-cum-pop, "but you must open the celldoor. We cannot parley through a hole. "

The jailer thereupon opened the cell door, and the Jolly-cum-pop, having wrapped sixteen suits of clothes around his left arm as ashield, and holding in his right hand the iron bar which had been cutfrom his window, stepped boldly into the corridor, and confronted thejailer and his myrmidons. 

"It will be useless for you to resist, " he said. "You are but four, and we are seventeen. If you had been wise you would have made us allcheating shop-keepers, chicken thieves, or usurers. Then you mighthave been able to control us; but when you see before you a desperatehighwayman, a daring smuggler, a blood-thirsty pirate, a wilypoacher, a powerful ruffian, a reckless burglar, a bold conspirator, and a murderer by proxy, you well may tremble!"

The jailer and his myrmidons looked at each other in dismay. 

"We sigh for no blood, " continued the Jolly-cum-pop, "and willreadily agree to terms. We will give you your choice: Will you allowus to honorably surrender, and peacefully disperse to our homes, orshall we rush upon you in a body, and, after overpowering you bynumbers, set fire to the jail, and escape through the cracklingtimbers of the burning pile?"

The jailer reflected for a minute. "It would be better, perhaps, " hesaid, "that you should surrender and disperse to your homes. "

The Jolly-cum-pop agreed to these terms, and the great gate beingopened, he marched out in good order. "Now, " said he to himself, "thething for me to do is to get home as fast as I can, or that jailermay change his mind. " But, being in a great hurry, he turned thewrong way, and walked rapidly into a country unknown to him. His walkwas a very merry one. "By this time, " he said to himself, "the Princeand his followers have returned to my house, and are tired ofwatching the rock-splitters and miners. How amused they will be whenthey see me come back in this gay suit of green and yellow, with redspots, and with sixteen similar suits upon my arm! How my own dogswill bark at me! And how my own servants will not know me! It is thefunniest thing I ever knew of!" And his gay laugh echoed far andwide. But when he had gone several miles without seeing any signs ofhis habitation, his gayety abated. "It would have been much better, "he said, as he sat down to rest under the shade of a tree, "if I hadbrought with me sixteen rations instead of these sixteen suits ofclothes. "

The Jolly-cum-pop soon set out again, but he walked a long distancewithout seeing any person or any house. Toward the close of theafternoon he stopped, and, looking back, he saw coming toward him alarge party of foot travellers. In a few moments, he perceived thatthe person in advance was the jailer. At this the Jolly-cum-pop couldnot restrain his merriment. "How comically it has all turned out!" heexclaimed. "Here I've taken all this trouble, and tired myself out, and have nearly starved myself, and the jailer comes now, with acrowd of people, and takes me back. I might as well have staid whereI was. Ha! ha!"

The jailer now left his party and came running toward theJolly-cum-pop. "I pray you, sir, " he said, bowing very low, "do notcast us off. "

"Who are you all?" asked the Jolly-cum-pop, looking with muchsurprise at the jailer's companions, who were now quite near. 

"We are myself, my three myrmidons, and our wives and children. Oursituations were such good ones that we married long ago, and ourfamilies lived in the upper stories of the prison. But when all theconvicts had left we were afraid to remain, for, should the Potentateagain visit the prison, he would be disappointed and enraged atfinding no prisoners, and would, probably, punish us grievously. Sowe determined to follow you, and to ask you to let us go with you, wherever you are going. I wrote a report, which I fastened to thegreat gate, and in it I stated that sixteen of the convicts escapedby the aid of outside confederates, and that seventeen of themmutinied in a body and broke jail. "

"That report, " laughed the Jolly-cum-pop, "your Potentate will notreadily understand. "

"If I were there, " said the jailer, "I could explain it to him; but, as it is, he must work it out for himself. "

"Have you any thing to eat with you?" asked the Jolly-cum-pop. 

"Oh, yes, " said the jailer, "we brought provisions. "

"Well, then, I gladly take you under my protection. Let us havesupper. I have had nothing to eat since morning, and the weight ofsixteen extra suits of clothes does not help to refresh one. "

The Jolly-cum-pop and his companions slept that night under sometrees, and started off early the next morning. "If I could only getmyself turned in the proper direction, " said he, "I believe we shouldsoon reach my house. "

The Prince, his courtiers, the boys and girls, the course-marker, andthe map-maker worked industriously for several days at the foundationof their city. They dug the ground, they carried stones, they cutdown trees. This work was very hard for all of them, for they werenot used to it. After a few days' labor, the Prince said to the manwith the red beard, who was reading his book: "I think we have nowformed a nucleus. Any one can see that this is intended to be acity. "

"No, " said the man with the red beard, "nothing is truly a nucleusuntil something is gathered around it. Proceed with your work, whileI continue my studies upon civil government. "

Toward the close of that day the red-bearded man raised his eyes fromhis book and beheld the Jolly-cum-pop and his party approaching. "Hurrah!" he cried, "we are already attracting settlers!" And he wentforth to meet them. 

When the prince and the courtiers saw the Jolly-cum-pop in his brightand variegated dress, they did not know him; but the boys and girlssoon recognized his jovial face, and, tired as they were, they set upa hearty laugh, in which they were loudly joined by their merryfriend. While the Jolly-cum-pop was listening to the adventures ofthe Prince and his companions, and telling what had happened tohimself, the man with the red beard was talking to the jailer and hisparty, and urging them to gather around the nucleus which had beenhere formed, and help to build a city. 

"Nothing will suit us better, " exclaimed the jailer, "and the soonerwe build a town wall so as to keep off the Potentate, if he shouldcome this way, the better shall we be satisfied. "

The next morning, the Prince said to the red-bearded man: "Othershave gathered around us. We have formed a nucleus, and thus have doneall that we promised to do. We shall now depart. "

The man objected strongly to this, but the Prince paid no attentionto his words. "What troubles me most, " he said to the Jolly-cum-pop, "is the disgraceful condition of our clothes. They have been so tornand soiled during our unaccustomed work that they are not fit to beseen. "

"As for that, " said the Jolly-cum-pop, "I have sixteen suits with me, in which you can all dress, if you like. They are of unusualpatterns, but they are new and clean. "

"It is better, " said the Prince, "for persons in my station to appearinordinately gay than to be seen in rags and dirt. We will acceptyour clothes. "

Thereupon, the Prince and each of the others put on a prison dress ofbright green and yellow, with large red spots. There were somegarments left over, for each boy wore only a pair of trousers withthe waistband tied around his neck, and holes cut for his arms; whilethe large jackets, with the sleeves tucked, made very good dressesfor the girls. The Prince and his party, accompanied by theJolly-cum-pop, now left the red-bearded man and his new settlers tocontinue the building of the city, and set off on their journey. Thecourse-marker had not been informed the night before that they wereto go away that morning, and consequently did not set his instrumentby the stars. 

"As we do not know in which way we should go, " said the Prince, "oneway will be as good as another, and if we can find a road let us takeit; it will be easier walking. "

In an hour or two they found a road and they took it. Afterjourneying the greater part of the day, they reached the top of a lowhill, over which the road ran, and saw before them a glittering seaand the spires and houses of a city. 

"It is the city of Yan, " said the course-marker. 

"That is true, " said the Prince; "and as we are so near, we may aswell go there. "

The astonishment of the people of Yan, when this party, dressed inbright green and yellow, with red spots, passed through theirstreets, was so great that the Jolly-cum-pop roared with laughter. This set the boys and girls and all the people laughing, and thesounds of merriment became so uproarious that when they reached thepalace the King came out to see what was the matter. What he thoughtwhen he saw his nephew in his fantastic guise, accompanied by a partyapparently composed of sixteen other lunatics, cannot now be known;but, after hearing the Prince's story, he took him into an innerapartment, and thus addressed him: "My dear Hassak: The next time youpay me a visit, I beg for your sake and my own, that you will come inthe ordinary way. You have sufficiently shown to the world that, whena Prince desires to travel, it is often necessary for him to go outof his way on account of obstacles. "

"My dear uncle, " replied Hassak, "your words shall not be forgotten. "

After a pleasant visit of a few weeks, the Prince and his party (innew clothes) returned (by sea) to Itoby, whence the Jolly-cum-popsoon repaired to his home. There he found the miners androck-splitters still at work at the tunnel, which had now penetratedhalf-way through the hill on which stood his house. "You may gohome, " he said, "for the Prince has changed his plans. I will put adoor to this tunnel, and it will make an excellent cellar in which tokeep my wine and provisions. "

The day after the Prince's return his map-maker said to him: "YourHighness, according to your commands I made, each day, a map of yourprogress to the city of Yan. Here it is. "

The Prince glanced at it and then he cast his eyes upon the floor. "Leave me, " he said. "I would be alone. "

[Illustration: THE MAP OF THE PRINCE'S JOURNEY FROM ITOBY TO YAN. ]

 THE BATTLE OF THE THIRD COUSINS. 

 * * * * *

There were never many persons who could correctly bound the Autocracyof Mutjado. The reason for this was that the boundary line was notstationary. Whenever the Autocrat felt the need of money, he sent histax-gatherers far and wide, and people who up to that time had noidea of such a thing found that they lived in the territory ofMutjado. But when times were ordinarily prosperous with him, andpeople in the outlying districts needed protection or public works, the dominion of the Autocrat became very much contracted. 

In the course of time, the Autocrat of Mutjado fell into bad healthand sent for his doctor. That learned man prescribed some medicinefor him; and as this did him no good, he ordered another kind. Hecontinued this method of treatment until the Autocrat had swallowedthe contents of fifteen phials and flasks, some large and some small. As none of these were of the slightest benefit, the learned doctorproduced another kind of medicine which he highly extolled. 

"Take a dose of this twice a day, " said he, "and you will soonfind--"

"A new medicine?" interrupted the Autocrat, in disgust. "I will havenone of it! These others were bad enough, and rather than start witha new physic, I prefer to die. Take away your bottles, little andbig, and send me my secretary. "

When that officer arrived, the Autocrat informed him that he haddetermined to write his will, and that he should set about it atonce. 

The Autocrat of Mutjado had no son, and his nearest male relativeswere a third cousin on his father's side, and another third cousin onhis mother's side. Of course these persons were in nowise related toeach other; and as they lived in distant countries, he had never seeneither of them. He had made up his mind to leave his throne anddominions to one of these persons, but he could not determine whichof them should be his heir. 

"One has as good a right as the other, " he said to himself, "and Ican't bother my brains settling the matter for them. Let them fightit out, and whoever conquers shall be Autocrat of Mutjado. "

Having arranged the affair in this manner in his will, he signed it, and soon after died. 

The Autocrat's third cousin on his father's side was a young man ofabout twenty-five, named Alberdin. He was a good horseman, andtrained in the arts of warfare, and when he was informed of the termsof his distinguished relative's will, he declared himself perfectlywilling to undertake the combat for the throne. He set out forMutjado, where he arrived in a reasonable time. 

The third cousin on the mother's side was a very different person. Hewas a boy of about twelve years of age; and as his father and motherhad died when he was very young, he had been for nearly all his lifeunder the charge of an elderly and prudent man, who acted as hisguardian and tutor. These two, also, soon arrived in Mutjado, --theboy, Phedo, being mounted on a little donkey, which was his almostconstant companion. As soon as they reached the territory of the lateAutocrat, old Salim, the tutor, left the boy at an inn, and wentforward by himself to take a look at the other third cousin. When hesaw Alberdin mounted on his fine horse, and looking so strong andvaliant, his heart was much disturbed. 

"I had hoped, " he said to himself, "that the other one was a smallboy, but such does not appear to be the case. There is but one way tohave a fair fight between these two. They must not now be allowed tosee each other. If they can be kept apart until my boy grows up, hewill then be able, with the military education which I intend heshall have, to engage in combat with any man. They must not meet forat least thirteen years. Phedo will then be twenty-five, and able todo worthy combat. To be sure, I am somewhat old myself to undertaketo superintend so long a delay, but I must do my best to keep welland strong, and to attain the greatest possible longevity. "

Salim had always been in the habit of giving thirty-two chews toevery mouthful of meat, and a proportionate number of chews to otherarticles of food; and had, so far, been very healthy. But he nowdetermined to increase the number of chews to thirty-six, for itwould be highly necessary for him to live until it was time for thebattle between the third cousins to take place. 

Having made up his mind on these points, the old tutor introducedhimself to Alberdin, and told him that he had come to arrange theterms of combat. 

"In the first place, " said Alberdin, "I should like to know what sortof a person my opponent is. "

"He is not a cavalryman like you, " answered Salim; "he belongs to theheavy infantry. "

At this, Alberdin looked grave. He knew very well that a stout andresolute man on foot had often the advantage of one who is mounted. He would have preferred meeting a horseman, and fighting on equalterms. 

"Has he had much experience in war?" asked the young man. 

"It is not long, " answered the tutor, "since he was almost constantlyin arms, winter and summer. "

"He must be a practised warrior, " thought Alberdin. "I must putmyself in good fighting-trim before I meet him. "

After some further conversation on the subject, the old man advisedAlberdin to go into camp on a beautiful plain not far from the baseof a low line of mountains. 

"Your opponent, " said he, "will intrench himself in the valley on theother side. With the mountains between you, neither of you need feara surprise; and when both are ready, a place of meeting can beappointed. 

"Now, then, " said Salim to himself when this had been settled; "if Ican keep them apart for thirteen years, all may be well. "

As soon as possible, Alberdin pitched a tent upon the appointed spot, and began to take daily warlike exercise in the plain, endeavoring inevery way to put himself and his horse into proper condition for thecombat. 

On the other side of the mountain, old Salim intrenched himself andthe boy, Phedo. He carefully studied several books on militaryengineering, and caused a fortified camp to be constructed on themost approved principles. It was surrounded by high ramparts, andoutside of these was a moat filled with water. In the centre of thecamp was a neat little house which was well provided with books, provisions, and every thing necessary for a prolonged stay. When thedrawbridge was up, it would be impossible for Alberdin to get insideof the camp; and, moreover, the ramparts were so high that he couldnot look over them to see what sort of antagonist he was to have. OldSalim did not tell the boy why he brought him here to live. It wouldbe better to wait until he was older before informing him of thebattle which had been decreed. He told Phedo that it was necessaryfor him to have a military education, which could very well beobtained in a place like this; and he was also very careful to lethim know that there was a terrible soldier in that part of thecountry who might at any time, if it were not for the intrenchments, pounce down upon him, and cut him to pieces. Every fine day, Phedowas allowed to take a ride on his donkey outside of thefortifications, but during this time, the old tutor kept a strictwatch on the mountain; and if a horseman had made his appearance, little Phedo would have been whisked inside, and the drawbridge wouldhave been up in a twinkling. 

After about two weeks of this life Phedo found it dreadfully stupidto see no one but his old tutor, and never to go outside of thesegreat ramparts except for donkey-rides, which were generally veryshort. He therefore determined, late one moonlight night, to go outand take a ramble by himself. He was not afraid of the dreadfulsoldier of whom the old man had told him, because at that time ofnight this personage would, of course, be in bed and asleep. Considering these things, he quietly dressed himself, took down agreat key from over his sleeping tutor's head, opened the heavy gate, let down the drawbridge, mounted upon his donkey, and rode forth uponthe moonlit plain. 

That night-ride was a very delightful one, and for a long time theboy and the donkey rambled and ran; first going this way and thenthat, they gradually climbed the mountain; and, reaching the brow, they trotted about for a while, and then went down the other side. The boy had been so twisted and turned in his course that he did notnotice that he was not descending toward his camp, and the donkey, whose instinct told it that it was not going the right way, was alsotold by its instinct that it did not wish to go the right way, andthat the intrenchments offered it no temptations to return. When themorning dawned, Phedo perceived that he was really lost, and he beganto be afraid that he might meet the terrible soldier. But, after atime, he saw riding toward him a very pleasant-looking young man on ahandsome horse, and he immediately took courage. 

"Now, " said he to himself, "I am no longer in danger. If thathorrible cut-throat should appear, this good gentleman will protectme. "

Alberdin had not seen any one for a long time, and he was very gladto meet with so nice a little boy. When Phedo told him that he waslost, he invited him to come to his tent, near by, and havebreakfast. While they were eating their meal, Alberdin asked the boyif in the course of his rambles he had met with a heavy infantrysoldier, probably armed to the teeth, and very large and strong. 

"Oh, I've heard of that dreadful man!" cried Phedo, "and I am veryglad that I did not meet him. If he comes, I hope you'll protect mefrom him. "

"I will do that, " said Alberdin; "but I am afraid I shall not be ableto help you find your way home, for in doing so I should throw myselfoff my guard, and might be set upon unexpectedly by this fellow, withwhom I have a regular engagement to fight. There is to be a timefixed for the combat, for which I feel myself nearly ready, but Ihave no doubt that my enemy will be very glad to take me at adisadvantage if I give him a chance. "

Phedo looked about him with an air of content. The tent was large andwell furnished; there seemed to be plenty of good things to eat; thehandsome horseman was certainly a very good-humored and agreeablegentleman; and, moreover, the tent was not shut in by high and gloomyramparts. 

"I do not think you need trouble yourself, " said he to his host, "tohelp me to find my way home. I live with my tutor, and I am sure thatwhen he knows I am gone he will begin to search for me, and afterawhile he will find me. Until then, I can be very comfortable here. "

For several days the two third cousins of the Autocrat lived togetherin the tent, and enjoyed each other's society very much. ThenAlberdin began to grow a little impatient. 

"If I am to fight this heavy infantry man, " he said; "I should liketo do it at once. I am now quite ready, and I think he ought to be. Iexpected to hear from him before this time, and I shall start out andsee if I can get any news of his intentions. I don't care about goingover the mountain without giving him notice, but the capital city ofMutjado is only a day's ride to the west, and there I can causeinquiries to be made when he would like to meet me, and where. "

"I will go with you, " said Phedo, greatly delighted at the idea ofvisiting the city. 

"Yes, I will take you, " said Alberdin. "Your tutor don't seeminclined to come for you, and, of course, I can't leave you here. "

The next day, Alberdin on his horse, and Phedo on his donkey, set outfor the city, where they arrived late in the afternoon. After findinga comfortable lodging, Alberdin sent messengers to the other side ofthe mountain, where his opponent was supposed to be encamped, andgave them power to arrange with him for a meeting. He particularlyurged them to try to see the old man who had come to him at first, and who had seemed to be a very fair-minded and sensible person. Intwo days, however, the messengers returned, stating that they hadfound what they supposed to be the intrenched camp of the heavyinfantry man they had been sent in search of, but that it wasentirely deserted, and nobody could be seen anywhere near it. 

"It is very likely, " said Alberdin, "that he has watched mymanoeuvres and exercises from the top of the mountain, and hasconcluded to run away. I shall give him a reasonable time to showhimself, and then, if he does not come forward, I will consider himbeaten, and claim the Autocracy. "

"That is a good idea, " said Phedo, "but I think, if you can, youought to find him and kill him, or drive him out of the country. That's what I should do, if I were you. "

"Of course I shall do that, if I can, " said Alberdin; "but I couldnot be expected to wait for him forever. "

When his intention had been proclaimed, Alberdin was informed ofsomething which he did not know before, and that was that the lateAutocrat had left an only daughter, a Princess about twenty yearsold. But although she was his daughter, she could not inherit hiscrown, for the laws of the country forbade that any woman shouldbecome Autocrat. A happy idea now struck Alberdin. 

"I will marry the Princess, " he said, "and then every one will thinkthat it is the most suitable thing for me to become Autocrat. "

So Alberdin sent to the Princess to ask permission to speak with her, and was granted an audience. With much courtesy and politeness hemade known his plans to the lady, and hoped that she would considerit advisable to marry him. 

"I am sorry to interfere with any of your arrangements, " said thePrincess, "but as soon as I heard the terms of my father's will, Imade up my mind to marry the victor in the contest. As I cannotinherit the throne myself, the next best thing is to be the wife ofthe man who does. Go forth, then, and find your antagonist, and whenyou have conquered him, I will marry you. "

"And if he conquers me, you will marry him?" said Alberdin. 

"Yes, sir, " answered the Princess, with a smile, and dismissed him. 

It was plain enough that there was nothing for Alberdin to do but togo and look for the heavy infantry man. Phedo was very anxious toaccompany him, and the two, mounted as before, set out from the cityon their quest. 

When old Salim, the tutor of Phedo, awoke in the morning and foundthe boy gone, he immediately imagined that the youngster had ran awayto his old home; so he set forth with all possible speed, hoping toovertake him. But when he reached the distant town where Phedo hadlived, he found that the boy had not been there; and after takingsome needful rest, he retraced his steps, crossed the mountains, andmade his way toward the capital city, hoping to find news of himthere. It was necessary for him to be very careful in his inquiries, for he wished no one to find out that the little boy he was lookingfor was the third cousin of the late Autocrat on the mother's side. He therefore disguised himself as a migratory medical man, anddetermined to use all possible caution. When he reached the camp ofthe young horseman, Alberdin, and found that personage gone, hissuspicions became excited. 

"If these two have run off together, " he said to himself, "my task isindeed difficult. If the man discovers it is the boy he has to fight, my poor Phedo will be cut to pieces in a twinkling. I do not believethere has been any trouble yet, for the boy does not know that he isto be one of the combatants, and the man would not be likely tosuspect it. Come what may, the fight must not take place for thirteenyears. And in order that I may still better preserve my health andstrength to avert the calamity during that period, I will increase mynumber of chews to forty-two to each mouthful of meat. "

When old Salim reached the city, he soon found that Alberdin and theboy had been there, and that they had gone away together. 

"Nothing has happened so far, " said the old man, with a sigh ofrelief; "and things may turn out all right yet. I'll follow them, butI must first find out what that cavalryman had to say to thePrincess. " For he had been told of the interview at the palace. 

It was not long before the migratory medical man was brought to thePrincess. There was nothing the matter with her, but she liked tomeet with persons of skill and learning to hear what they had to say. 

"Have you any specialty?" she asked of the old man. 

"Yes, " said he, "I am a germ-doctor. "

"What is that?" asked the Princess. 

"All diseases, " replied the old man, "come from germs; generally verylittle ones. My business is to discover these, and find out all aboutthem. "

"Then I suppose, " said the Princess, "you know how to cure thediseases?"

"You must not expect too much, " answered the old man. "It ought to bea great satisfaction to us to know what sort of germ is at the bottomof our woes. "

"I am very well, myself, " said the Princess, "and, so far as I know, none of my household are troubled by germs. But there is somethingthe matter with my mind which I wish you could relieve. " She thentold the old man how she had determined to marry the victor in thecontest for her father's throne, and how she had seen one for theclaimants whom she considered to be a very agreeable and deservingyoung man; while the other, she had heard, was a great, strong footsoldier, who was probably very disagreeable, and even horrid. If thisone should prove the conqueror, she did not know what she should do. "You see, I am in a great deal of trouble, " said she. "Can you do anything to help me?"

The pretending migratory medical man looked at her attentively for afew moments, and then he said:

"The reason why you intend to marry the victor in the coming contest, is that you wish to remain here in your father's palace, and tocontinue to enjoy the comforts and advantages to which you have beenaccustomed. "

"Yes, " said the Princess; "that is it. "

"Well, having discovered the germ of your disorder, " said the oldman, "the great point is gained. I will see what I can do. "

And with a respectful bow he left her presence. 

"Well, " said old Salim to himself, as he went away, "she can nevermarry my boy, for that is certainly out of the question; but now thatI have found out her motive, I think I can arrange matterssatisfactorily, so far as she is concerned. But to settle the affairbetween that young man and Phedo is immensely more difficult. Thefirst thing is to find them. "

Having learned the way they had gone, the old tutor travelleddiligently, and in two days came up with Alberdin and Phedo. When hefirst caught sight of them, he was very much surprised to see thatthey were resting upon the ground quite a long distance apart, with alittle stream between them. Noticing that Alberdin's back was towardhim, he threw off his disguise and hastened to Phedo. The boyreceived him with the greatest delight, and, after many embraces, they sat down to talk. Phedo told the old man all that had happened, and finished by relating that, as they had that day stopped by thisstream to rest, Alberdin had taken it into his head to inquire intothe parentage of his young companion; and after many questions abouthis family, it had been made clear to both of them that they were thetwo third cousins who were to fight for the Autocracy of Mutjado. 

"He is very angry, " said the boy, "at the tricks that have beenplayed upon him, and went off and left me. Is it true that I am tofight him? I don't want to do it, for I like him very much. "

"It will be a long time before you are old enough to fight, " saidSalim; "so we need not consider that. You stay here, and I'll go overand talk to him. "

Salim then crossed the stream, and approached Alberdin. When theyoung man saw him, and recognized him as the person who had arrangedthe two encampments, he turned upon him with fury. 

"Wretched old man, who came to me as the emissary of my antagonist, you are but the tutor of that boy! If I had known the truth at first, I would have met him instantly; would have conquered him withouthurting a hair on his head; and carrying him bound to the capitalcity, would have claimed the Autocracy, and would now have beensitting upon the throne. Instead of that, look at the delay andannoyance to which I have been subjected. I have also taken such afancy to the boy that rather than hurt him or injure his prospects, Iwould willingly resign my pretensions to the throne, and go backcontentedly to my own city. But this cannot now be done. I havefallen in love with the daughter of the late Autocrat, and she willmarry none but the victorious claimant. Behold to what a conditionyou have brought me!"

The old man regarded him with attention. 

"I wish very much, " said he, "to defer the settlement of this matterfor thirteen years. Are you willing to wait so long?"

"No, I am not, " said Alberdin. 

"Very well, then, " said the old man, "each third cousin must retireto his camp, and as soon as matters can be arranged the battle musttake place. "

"There is nothing else to be done, " said Alberdin in a troubledvoice; "but I shall take care that the boy receives no injury if itcan possibly be avoided. "

The three now retraced their steps, and in a few days were settleddown, Alberdin in his tent in the plain, and Salim and Phedo in theirintrenchments on the other side of the low mountain. The old man nowgave himself up to deep thought. He had discovered the germ ofAlberdin's trouble; and in a few days he had arranged his plans, andwent over to see the young man. 

"It has been determined, " said he, "that a syndicate is to be formedto attend to this business for Phedo. "

"A syndicate!" cried Alberdin. "What is that?"

"A syndic, " answered Salim, "is a person who attends to business forothers; and a syndicate is a body of men who are able to conductcertain affairs better than any individual can do it. In a week fromto-day, Phedo's syndicate will meet you in the large plain outside ofthe capital city. There the contest will take place. Shall you beready?"

"I don't exactly understand it, " said Alberdin, "but I shall bethere. "

General notice was given of the coming battle of the contestants forthe throne, and thousands of the inhabitants of the Autocracyassembled on the plain on the appointed day. The Princess with herladies was there; and as everybody was interested, everybody wasanxious to see what would happen. 

Alberdin rode into the open space in the centre of the plain, anddemanded that his antagonist should appear. Thereupon old Salim cameforward, leading Phedo by the hand. 

"This is the opposing heir, " he said; "but as every one can see thathe is too young to fight a battle, a syndicate has been appointed toattend to the matter for him; and there is nothing in the will of thelate Autocrat which forbids this arrangement. The syndicate will nowappear. "

At this command there came into the arena a horseman heavily armed, atall foot soldier completely equipped for action, an artillerymanwith a small cannon on wheels, a sailor with a boarding-pike and adrawn cutlass, and a soldier with a revolving gun which dischargedone hundred and twenty balls a minute. 

"All being ready, " exclaimed Salim, "the combat for the Autocracywill begin!"

Alberdin took a good long look at the syndicate ranged before him. Then he dismounted from his horse, drew his sword, and stuck it, point downward, into the sand. 

"I surrender!" he said. 

"So do I!" cried the Princess, running toward him, and throwingherself into his arms. 

The eyes of Alberdin sparkled with joy. 

"Let the Autocracy go!" he cried. "Now that I have my Princess, thethrone and the crown are nothing to me. "

"So long as I have you, " returned the Princess, "I am content toresign all the comforts and advantages to which I have beenaccustomed. "

Phedo, who had been earnestly talking with his tutor, now looked up. 

"You shall not resign any thing!" he cried. "We are all of the sameblood, and we will join together and form a royal family, and we willall live at the palace. Alberdin and my tutor shall manage thegovernment for me until I am grown up; and if I have to go to schoolfor a few years, I suppose I must. And that is all there is aboutit!"

The syndicate was now ordered to retire and disband; the heraldsproclaimed Phedo the conquering heir, and the people cheered andshouted with delight. All the virtues of the late Autocrat had cometo him from his mother, and the citizens of Mutjado much preferred tohave a new ruler from the mother's family. 

"I hope you bear no grudge against me, " said Salim to Alberdin; "butif you had been willing to wait for thirteen years, you and Phedomight have fought on equal terms. As it is now, it would have been ashard for him to conquer you, as for you to conquer the syndicate. Theodds would have been quite as great. "

"Don't mention it, " said Alberdin. "I prefer things as they are. Ishould have hated to drive the boy away, and deprive him of aposition which the people wish him to have. Now we are allsatisfied. "

Phedo soon began to show signs that he would probably make a verygood Autocrat. He declared that if he was to be assisted by ministersand cabinet officers when he came to the throne, he would like themto be persons who had been educated for their positions, just as hewas to be educated for his own. Consequently he chose for the head ofhis cabinet a bright and sensible boy, and had him educated as aMinister of State. For Minister of Finance, he chose another boy witha very honest countenance, and for the other members of his cabinet, suitable youths were selected. He also said, that he thought thereought to be another officer, one who would be a sort of Minister ofGeneral Comfort, who would keep an eye on the health and happiness ofthe subjects, and would also see that every thing went all right inthe palace, not only in regard to meals, but lots of other things. For this office he chose a bright young girl, and had her educatedfor the position of Queen. 

 THE BANISHED KING. 

 * * * * *

There was once a kingdom in which every thing seemed to go wrong. Everybody knew this, and everybody talked about it, especially theKing. The bad state of affairs troubled him more than it did any oneelse, but he could think of no way to make them better. 

"I cannot bear to see things going on so badly, " he said to the Queenand his chief councillors. "I wish I knew how other kingdoms weregoverned. "

One of his councillors offered to go to some other countries, and seehow they were governed, and come back and tell him all about it, butthis did not suit his majesty. 

"You would simply return, " he said, "and give me your ideas aboutthings. I want my own ideas. "

The Queen then suggested that he should take a vacation, and visitother kingdoms, and see for himself how things were managed in them. 

This did not suit the king. "A vacation would not answer, " he said. "I should not be gone a week before something would happen here whichwould make it necessary for me to come back. "

The Queen then suggested that he be banished for a certain time, saya year. In that case he could not come back, and would be at fullliberty to visit foreign kingdoms, and find out how they weregoverned. 

This plan pleased the King. "If it were made impossible for me tocome back, " he said, "of course I could not do it. The scheme is agood one. Let me be banished. " And he gave orders that his councilshould pass a law banishing him for one year. 

Preparations were immediately begun to carry out this plan, and inday or two the King bade farewell to the Queen, and left his kingdom, a banished man. He went away on foot, entirely unattended. But, as hedid not wish to cut off all communication between himself and hiskingdom, he made an arrangement which he thought a very good one. Ateasy shouting distance behind him walked one of the officers of thecourt, and at shouting distance behind him walked another, and so onat distances of about a hundred yards from each other. In this waythere would always be a line of men extending from the King to hispalace. Whenever the King had walked a hundred yards the line movedon after him, and another officer was put in the gap between the lastman and the palace door. Thus, as the King walked on, his line offollowers lengthened, and was never broken. Whenever he had anymessage to send to the Queen, or any other person in the palace, heshouted it to the officer next him, who shouted it to the one next tohim, and it was so passed on until it reached the palace. If heneeded food, clothes, or any other necessary thing, the order for itwas shouted along the line, and the article was passed to him fromman to man, each one carrying it forward to his neighbor, and thenretiring to his proper place. 

In this way the King walked on day by day until he had passedentirely out of his own kingdom. At night he stopped at someconvenient house on the road, and if any of his followers did notfind himself near a house or cottage when the King shouted back theorder to halt, he laid himself down to sleep wherever he might be. Bythis time the increasing line of followers had used up all theofficers of the court, and it became necessary to draw upon some ofthe under government officers in order to keep the line perfect. 

The King had not gone very far outside the limits of his dominionswhen he met a Sphinx. He had often heard of these creatures, althoughhe had never seen one before. But when he saw the winged body of alion with a woman's head, he knew instantly what it was. He knew, also, that the chief business of a Sphinx was that of asking peoplequestions, and then getting them into trouble if the right answerswere not given. He therefore determined that he would not be caughtby any such tricks as these, and that he would be on his guard if theSphinx spoke to him. The creature was lying down when the King firstsaw it, but when he approached nearer it rose to its feet. There wasnothing savage about its look, and the King was not at all afraid. 

"Where are you going?" said the Sphinx to him, in a pleasant voice. 

"Give it up, " replied the King. 

"What do you mean by that?" said the other, with an air of surprise. 

"I give that up, too, " said the King. 

The Sphinx then looked at him quite astonished. 

"I don't mind telling you, " said the King, "of my own free will, andnot in answer to any questions, that I do not know where I am going. I am a King, as you may have noticed, and I have been banished frommy kingdom for a year. I am now going to look into the government ofother countries in order that I may find out what it is that is wrongin my own kingdom. Every thing goes badly, and there is somethingvery faulty at the bottom of it all. What this is I want todiscover. "

"I am much interested in puzzles and matters of that kind, " said theSphinx, "and if you like I will go with you and help to find out whatis wrong in your kingdom. "

"All right, " said the King. "I shall be glad of your company. "

"What is the meaning of this long line of people following you atregular distances?" asked the Sphinx. 

"Give it up, " said the King. 

The Sphinx laughed. 

"I don't mind telling you, " said the King, "of my own free will, andnot in answer to any question, that these men form a line ofcommunication between me and my kingdom, where matters, I fear, mustbe going on worse than ever, in my absence. "

The two now travelled on together until they came to a high hill, from which they could see, not very far away, a large city. 

"That city, " said the Sphinx, "is the capital of an extensivecountry. It is governed by a king of mingled sentiments. Suppose wego there. I think you will find a government that is ratherpeculiar. "

The King consented, and they walked down the hill toward the city. 

"How did the King get his sentiments mingled?" asked the King. 

"I really don't know how it began, " said the Sphinx, "but the King, when a young man, had so many sentiments of different kinds, and hemingled them up so much, that no one could ever tell exactly what hethought on any particular subject. Of course, his people graduallygot into the same frame of mind, and you never can know in thiskingdom exactly what people think or what they are going to do. Youwill find all sorts of people here: giants, dwarfs, fairies, gnomes, and personages of that kind, who have been drawn here by the mingledsentiments of the people. I, myself, came into these parts becausethe people every now and then take a great fancy to puzzles andriddles. "

On entering the city, the King was cordially welcomed by his brothersovereign, to whom he told his story; and he was lodged in a room inthe palace. Such of his followers as came within the limits of thecity were entertained by the persons near to whose houses they foundthemselves when the line halted. 

Every day the Sphinx went with him to see the sights of this strangecity. They took long walks through the streets, and sometimes intothe surrounding country--always going one way and returning another, the Sphinx being very careful never to bring the King back by thesame road or street by which they went. In this way the King's lineof followers, which, of course, lengthened out every time he took awalk, came to be arranged in long loops through many parts of thecity and suburbs. 

Many of the things the King saw showed plainly the mingled sentimentsof the people. For instance, he would one day visit a great smith'sshop, where heavy masses of iron were being forged, the whole placeresounding with tremendous blows from heavy hammers, and the clankand din of iron on the anvils; while the next day he would find theplace transformed into a studio, where the former blacksmith waspainting dainty little pictures on the delicate surface ofegg-shells. The king of the country, in his treatment of his visitor, showed his peculiar nature very plainly. Sometimes he would receivehim with enthusiastic delight, while at others he would upbraid himwith having left his dominions to go wandering around the earth inthis senseless way. One day his host invited him to attend a royaldinner, but, when he went to the grand dining-hall, pleased withanticipations of a splendid feast, he found that the sentiments ofhis majesty had become mingled, and that he had determined, insteadof having a dinner, to conduct the funeral services of one of hisservants who had died the day before. All the guests were obliged bypoliteness to remain during the ceremonies, which our King, nothaving been acquainted with the deceased servant, had not found atall interesting. 

"Now, " said the King to the Sphinx, "I am in favor of moving on. I amtired of this place, where every sentiment is so mingled with othersthat you can never tell what anybody really thinks or feels. I don'tbelieve any one in this country was ever truly glad or sorry. Theymix one sentiment so quickly with another that they never candiscover the actual ingredients of any of their impulses. "

"When this King first began to mingle his sentiments, " said theSphinx, "it was because he always desired to think and feel exactlyright. He did not wish his feelings to run too much one way or theother. "

"And so he is never either right or wrong, " said the King. "I don'tlike that, at all. I want to be one thing or the other. "

"I have wasted a good deal of time at this place, " remarked the King, as they walked on, "and I have seen and heard nothing which I wish toteach my people. But I must find out some way to prevent every thinggoing wrong in my kingdom. I have tried plan after plan, andsometimes two or three together, and have kept this up year afteryear, and yet nothing seems to do my kingdom any good. "

"Have you heard how things are going on there now?" asked the Sphinx. 

"Give it up, " said the King. "But I don't mind saying of my ownaccord, and not as answer to any question, that I have sent a goodmany communications to my Queen, but have never received any fromher. So I do not know how things are going on in my kingdom. "

They then travelled on, the long line of followers coming after, keeping their relative positions a hundred yards apart, and passingover all the ground the King had traversed in his circuitous walksabout the city. Thus the line crept along like an enormous snake instraight lines, loops, and coils; and every time the King walked ahundred yards a fresh man from his capital city was obliged to takehis place at the tail of the procession. 

"By the way, " said the Sphinx, after they had walked an hour or more, "if you want to see a kingdom where there really is something tolearn, you ought to go to the country of the Gaumers, which we arenow approaching. "

"All right, " said the King. "Let us go there. "

In the course of the afternoon they reached the edge of a high bluff. "On the level ground, beneath this precipice, " said the Sphinx, "isthe country of the dwarfs called Gaumers. You can sit on the edge ofthe bluff and look down upon it. "

The King and the Sphinx then sat down, and looked out from the edgeover the country of the little people. The officer of the court whohad formed the head of the line wished very much to see what theywere looking at, but, when the line halted, he was not near enough. 

"You will notice, " said the Sphinx, "that the little houses and hutsare gathered together in clusters. Each one of these clusters isunder a separate king. "

"Why don't they all live under one ruler?" asked the King. "That isthe proper way. "

"They do not think so, " said the Sphinx. "In each of these clusterslive the Gaumers who are best suited to each other; and, if anyGaumer finds he cannot get along in one cluster, he goes to another. The kings are chosen from among the very best of them, and each oneis always very anxious to please his subjects. He knows that everything that he, and his queen, and his children eat, or drink, orwear, or have must be given to him by his subjects, and if it werenot for them he could not be their ruler. And so he does every thingthat he can to make them happy and contented, for he knows if he doesnot please them and govern them well, they will gradually drop offfrom him and go to other clusters, and he will be left without anypeople or any kingdom. "

"That is a very queer way of ruling, " said the King. "I think thepeople ought to try to please their sovereign. "

"He is only one, and they are a great many, " said the Sphinx. "Consequently they are much more important. No subject is everallowed to look down upon a king, simply because he helps to feed andclothe him, and send his children to school. If any one does a thingof this kind, he is banished until he learns better. "

"All that may be very well for Gaumers, " said the King, "but I canlearn nothing from a government like that, where every thing seems tobe working in an opposite direction from what everybody knows isright and proper. A king anxious to deserve the good opinion of hissubjects! What nonsense! It ought to be just the other way. The ideasof this people are as dwarfish as their bodies. "

The King now arose and took up the line of march, turning away fromthe country of the Gaumers. But he had not gone more than two orthree hundred yards before he received a message from the Queen. Itcame to him very rapidly, every man in the line seeming anxious toshout it to the man ahead of him as quickly as possible. The messagewas to the effect that he must either stop where he was or come home:his constantly lengthening line of communication had used up all thechief officers of the government, all the clerks in the departments, and all the officials of every grade, excepting the few who wereactually needed to carry on the government, and if any more men wentinto the line it would be necessary to call upon the laborers andother persons who could not be spared. 

"I think, " said the Sphinx, "that you have made your line longenough. "

"And I think, " said the King. "that you made it a great deal longerthan it need to have been, by taking me about in such winding ways. "

"It may be so, " said the Sphinx, with its mystic smile. 

"Well, I am not going to stop here, " said the King, "and so I mightas well go back as soon as I can. " And he shouted to the head man ofthe line to pass on the order that his edict of banishment berevoked. 

In a very short time the news came that the edict was revoked. TheKing then commanded that the procession return home, tail-endforemost. The march was at once begun, each man, as he reached thecity, going immediately to his home and family. 

The King and the greater part of the line had a long and wearyjourney, as they followed each other through the country and over thedevious ways in which the Sphinx had led them in the City of MingledSentiments. The King was obliged to pursue all these complicatedturnings, or be separated from his officers, and so break up hiscommunication with his palace. The Sphinx accompanied him. 

When at last, he reached his palace, his line of former followershaving apparently melted entirely away, he hurried up-stairs to theQueen, leaving the Sphinx in the court-yard. 

The King found, when he had time to look into the affairs of hisdominions, that every thing was in the most admirable condition. TheQueen had retained a few of the best officials to carry on thegovernment, and had ordered the rest to fall, one by one, into theline of communication. The King set himself to work to think aboutthe matter. It was not long before he came to the conclusion that themain thing which had been wrong in his kingdom was himself. He was sogreatly impressed with this idea that he went down to the court-yardto speak to the Sphinx about it. 

"I dare say you are right, " said the Sphinx, "and I don't wonder thatwhat you learned when you were away, and what you have seen since youcame back, have made you feel certain that you were the cause ofevery thing going wrong in this kingdom. And now, what do you intendto do about your government?"

"Give it up, " promptly replied the King. 

"That is exactly what I should advise, " said the Sphinx. 

The King did give up his kingdom. He was convinced that being a Kingwas exactly the thing he was not suited for, and that he would get onmuch better in some other business or profession. He determined to bea traveller and explorer, and to go abroad into other countries tofind out things that might be useful to his own nation. His Queen hadshown that she could govern the country most excellently, and it wasnot at all necessary for him to stay at home. She had ordered all themen who had made up his line to follow the King's example and to gointo some good business; in order that not being bothered with somany officers, she would be able to get along quite easily. 

The King was very successful in his new pursuit, and although he didnot this time have a line of followers connecting him with thepalace, he frequently sent home messages which were of use and valueto his nation. 

"I may as well retire, " said the Sphinx to itself. "As the King hasfound his vocation and every thing is going all right it is notnecessary I should remain where I may be looked upon as aquestionable personage. "

 THE PHILOPENA. 

 * * * * *

There were once a Prince and a Princess who, when quite young, ate aphilopena together. They agreed that the one who, at any hour aftersunrise the next day, should accept any thing from the other--thegiver at the same time saying "Philopena!"--should be the loser, andthat the loser should marry the other. 

They did not meet as soon as they had expected the next day; and atthe time our story begins, many years had elapsed since they had seeneach other, and the Prince and the Princess were nearly grown up. They often thought of the philopena they had eaten together, andwondered if they should know each other when they met. He rememberedher as a pretty little girl dressed in green silk and playing with asnow-white cat; while she remembered him as a handsome boy, wearing alittle sword, the handle of which was covered with jewels. But theyknew that each must have changed a great deal in all this time. 

Neither of these young people had any parents; the Prince lived withguardians and the Princess with uncles. 

The guardians of the Prince were very enterprising and energetic men, and were allowed to govern the country until the Prince came of age. The capital city was a very fine city when the old king died; but theguardians thought it might be much finer, so they set to work withall their might and main to improve it. They tore down old houses andmade a great many new streets; they built grand and splendid bridgesover the river on which the city stood; they constructed aqueducts tobring water from streams many miles away; and they were at work allthe time upon some extensive building enterprise. 

The Prince did not take much interest in the works which were goingon under direction of his guardians; and when he rode out, hepreferred to go into the country or to ride through some of thequaint old streets, where nothing had been changed for hundreds ofyears. 

The uncles of the Princess were very different people from theguardians of the Prince. There were three of them, and they were veryquiet and cosey old men, who disliked any kind of bustle ordisturbance, and wished that every thing might remain as they hadalways known it. It even worried them a little to find that thePrincess was growing up. They would have much preferred that sheshould remain exactly as she was when they first took charge of her. Then they never would have been obliged to trouble their minds aboutany changes in the manner of taking care of her. But they did notworry their minds very much, after all. They wished to make herguardianship as little laborious or exhausting as possible, and so, divided the work; one of them took charge of her education, anotherof her food and lodging, and the third of her dress. The first sentfor teachers, and told them to teach her; the second had handsomeapartments prepared for her use, and gave orders that she should haveevery thing she needed to eat and drink; while the third commandedthat she should have a complete outfit of new clothes four times ayear. Thus every thing went on very quietly and smoothly; and thethree uncles were not obliged to exhaust themselves by hard work. There were never any new houses built in that city, and if any thinghad to be repaired, it was done with as little noise and dirt aspossible. The city and the whole kingdom were quiet and serene, andthe three uncles dozed away most of the day in three greatcomfortable thrones. 

Everybody seemed satisfied with this state of things except thePrincess. She often thought to herself that nothing would be moredelightful than a little noise and motion, and she wondered if thewhole world were as quiet as the city in which she lived. At last, she became unable to bear the dreadful stillness of the place anylonger; but she could think of nothing to do but to go and try tofind the Prince with whom she had eaten a philopena. If she shouldwin, he must marry her; and then, perhaps, they could settle down insome place where things would be bright and lively. So, early onemorning, she put on her white dress, and mounting her prancing blackhorse, she rode away from the city. Only one person saw her go, fornearly all the people were asleep. 

About this time, the Prince made up his mind that he could no longerstand the din and confusion, the everlasting up-setting andsetting-up in his native city. He would go away, and see if he couldfind the Princess with whom he had eaten a philopena. If he shouldwin, she would be obliged to marry him; and then, perhaps, they couldsettle down in some place where it was quiet and peaceful. So, on thesame morning in which the Princess rode away, he put on a handsomesuit of black clothes, and mounting a gentle white horse, he rode outof the city. Only one person saw him go; for, even at that earlyhour, the people were so busy that little attention was paid to hismovements. 

About half way between these two cities, in a tall tower which stoodupon a hill, there lived an Inquisitive Dwarf, whose whole object inlife was to find out what people were doing and why they did it. Fromthe top of this tower he generally managed to see all that was goingon in the surrounding country; and in each of the two cities thathave been mentioned he had an agent, whose duty it was to send himword, by means of carrier pigeons, whenever a new thing happened. Before breakfast, on the morning when the Prince and Princess rodeaway, a pigeon from the city of the Prince came flying to the towerof the Inquisitive Dwarf. 

"Some new building started, I suppose, " said the Dwarf, as he tookthe little roll of paper from under the pigeon's wing. "But no; it isvery different! 'The Prince has ridden away from the city alone, andis travelling to the north. '"

But before he could begin to puzzle his brains about the meaning ofthis departure, another pigeon came flying in from the city of thePrincess. 

"Well!" cried the Dwarf, "this is amazing! It is a long time since Ihave had a message from that city, and my agent has been drawing hissalary without doing any work. What possibly can have happenedthere?"

When he read that the Princess had ridden alone from the city thatmorning, and was travelling to the south, he was truly amazed. 

"What on earth can it mean?" he exclaimed. "If the city of the Princewere to the south of that of the Princess, then I might understandit; for they would be going to see each other, and that would benatural enough. But as his city is to the north of her city, they aretravelling in opposite directions. And what is the meaning of this? Imost certainly must find out. "

The Inquisitive Dwarf had three servants whom he employed to attendto his most important business. These were a Gryphoness, a WaterSprite, and an Absolute Fool. This last one was very valuable; forthere were some things he would do which no one else would think ofattempting. The Dwarf called to him the Gryphoness, the oldest andmost discreet of the three, and told her of the departure of thePrincess. 

"Hasten southward, " he said, "as fast as you can, and follow her, anddo not return to me until you have found out why she left her city, where she is going, and what she expects to do when she gets there. Your appearance may frighten her; and, therefore, you must take withyou the Absolute Fool, to whom she will probably be willing to talk;but you must see that every thing is managed properly. "

Having despatched these two, the Inquisitive Dwarf then called theWater Sprite, who was singing to herself at the edge of a fountain, and telling her of the departure of the Prince, ordered her to followhim, and not to return until she had found out why he left his city, where he was going, and what he intended to do when he got there. 

"The road to the north, " he said, "lies along the river bank;therefore, you can easily keep him company. "

The Water Sprite bowed, and dancing over the dewy grass to the river, threw herself into it. Sometimes she swam beneath the clear water;sometimes she rose partly in the air, where she seemed like a littlecloud of sparkling mist borne onward by the wind; and sometimes shefloated upon the surface, her pale blue robes undulating with thegentle waves, while her white hands and feet shone in the sun liketiny crests of foam. Thus, singing to herself, she went joyously andrapidly on, aided by a full, strong wind from the south. She did notforget to glance every now and then upon the road which ran along theriver bank; and, in the course of the morning, she perceived thePrince. He was sitting in the shade of a tree near the water's edge, while his white horse was grazing near by. 

The Water Sprite came very gently out of the river, and seatingherself upon the edge of the grassy bank, she spoke to him. ThePrince looked up in astonishment, but there was nothing in herappearance to frighten him. 

"I came, " said the Water Sprite, "at the command of my master, to askyou why you left your city, where you are going, and what you intendto do when you get there. "

The Prince then told her why he had left his city, and what heintended to do when he had found the Princess. 

"But where I am going, " he said, "I do not know, myself. I musttravel and travel until I succeed in the object of my search. "

The Water Sprite reflected for a moment, and then she said:

"If I were you, I would not travel to the north. It is cold anddreary there, and your Princess would not dwell in such a region. Alittle above us, on the other side of this river, there is a streamwhich runs sometimes to the east and sometimes to the south, andwhich leads to the Land of the Lovely Lakes. This is the mostbeautiful country in the world, and you will be much more likely tofind your Princess there than among the desolate mountains of thenorth. "

"I dare say you are right, " said the Prince; "and I will go there, ifyou will show me the way. "

"The road runs along the bank of the river, " said the Water Sprite;"and we shall soon reach the Land of the Lovely Lakes. "

The Prince then mounted his horse, forded the river, and was soonriding along the bank of the stream, while the Water Sprite gaylyfloated upon its dancing ripples. 

 * * * * *

When the Gryphoness started southward, in pursuit of the Princess, she kept out of sight among the bushes by the roadside; but spedswiftly along. The Absolute Fool, however, mounted upon a fine horse, rode boldly along upon the open road. He was a good-looking youth, with rosy cheeks, bright eyes, and a handsome figure. As he canteredgayly along, he felt himself capable of every noble action which thehuman mind has ever conceived. The Gryphoness kept near him, and inthe course of the morning they overtook the Princess, who wasallowing her horse to walk in the shade by the roadside. The AbsoluteFool dashed up to her, and, taking off his hat, asked her why she hadleft her city, where she was going, and what she intended to do whenshe got there. 

The Princess looked at him in surprise. "I left my city because Iwanted to, " she said. "I am going about my business, and when I getto the proper place, I shall attend to it. "

"Oh, " said the Absolute Fool, "you refuse me your confidence, do you?But allow me to remark that I have a Gryphoness with me who is veryfrightful to look at, and whom it was my intention to keep in thebushes; but if you will not give fair answers to my questions, shemust come out and talk to you, and that is all there is about it. "

"If there is a Gryphoness in the bushes, " said the Princess, "let hercome out. No matter how frightful she is, I would rather she shouldcome where I can see her, than to have her hiding near me. "

The Gryphoness, who had heard these words, now came out into theroad. The horse of the Princess reared in affright, but his youngrider patted him on the neck, and quieted his fears. 

"What do you and this young man want?" said the Princess to theGryphoness, "and why do you question me?"

"It is not of our own will that we do it, " said the Gryphoness, veryrespectfully; "but our master, the Inquisitive Dwarf, has sent us toobtain information about the points on which the young man questionedyou; and until we have found out these things, it is impossible forus to return. "

"I am opposed to answering impertinent questions, " replied thePrincess; "but in order to rid myself of you, I will tell you thereason of my journey. " And she then stated briefly the facts of thecase. 

"Ah, me!" said the Gryphoness. "I am very sorry; but you cannot tellus where you are going, and we cannot return until we know that. Butyou need not desire to be rid of us, for it may be that we can assistyou in the object of your journey. This young man is sometimes veryuseful, and I shall be glad to do any thing that I can to help you. If you should think that I would injure you, or willingly annoy youby my presence, it would grieve me to the heart. " And as she spoke, atear bedimmed her eye. 

The Princess was touched by the emotion of the Gryphoness. 

"You may accompany me, " she said, "and I will trust you both. Youmust know this country better than I do. Have you any advice to giveme in regard to my journey?"

"One thing I would strongly advise, " said the Gryphoness, "and thatis, that you do not travel any farther until we know in whatdirection it will be best to go. There is an inn close by, kept by aworthy woman. If you will stop there until to-morrow, this young manand I will scour the country round about, and try to find some newsof your Prince. The young man will return and report to you to-morrowmorning. And if you should need help, or escort, he will aid and obeyyou as your servant. As for me, unless we have found the Prince, Ishall continue searching for him. There is a prince in the city tothe north of my master's tower, and it is not unlikely that it is hewhom you seek. "

"You can find out if it is he, " answered the Princess, "by askingabout the philopena. "

"That will I do, " said the Gryphoness, "and I will return hither asspeedily as possible. " And, with a respectful salutation, theGryphoness and the Absolute Fool departed by different ways. 

The Princess then repaired to the inn, where she took lodgings. 

The next morning, the Absolute Fool came back to the inn, and seeingthe Princess, said: "I rode until after night-fall, searching for thePrince, before it occurred to me that, even if I should find him, Iwould not know him in the dark. As soon as I thought of that, I rodestraight to the nearest house, and slept until daybreak, when Iremembered that I was to report to you this morning. But as I haveheard no news of the Prince, and as this is a beautiful, clear day, Ithink it would be extremely foolish to remain idly here, where thereis nothing of interest going on, and when a single hour's delay maycause you to miss the object of your search. The Prince may be in oneplace this morning, and there is no knowing where he will be in theafternoon. While the Gryphoness is searching, we should search also. We can return before sunset, and we will leave word here as to thedirection we have taken, so that when she returns, she can quicklyovertake us. It is my opinion that not a moment should be lost. Iwill be your guide. I know this country well. "

The Princess thought this sounded like good reasoning, and consentedto set out. There were some beautiful mountains to the south-east;and among these, the Absolute Fool declared, a prince of good tastewould be very apt to dwell. They, therefore, took this direction. Butwhen they had travelled an hour or more, the mountains began to lookbare and bleak, and the Absolute Fool declared that he did notbelieve any prince would live there. He therefore advised that theyturn into a road that led to the north-east. It was a good road; andtherefore he thought it led to a good place, where a person of goodsense would be likely to reside. Along this road they thereforetravelled. They had ridden but a few miles when they met three men, well armed and mounted. These men drew up their horses, andrespectfully saluted the Princess. 

"High-born Lady, " they said, "for by your aspect we know you to besuch, we would inform you that we are the soldiers of the King, theoutskirts of whose dominions you have reached. It is our duty toquestion all travellers, and, if their object in coming to ourcountry is a good one, to give them whatever assistance andinformation they may require. Will you tell us why you are come?"

"Impertinent vassals!" cried the Absolute Fool, riding up in a greatpassion. "How dare you interfere with a princess who has left hercity because it was so dull and stupid, and is endeavoring to find aprince, with whom she has eaten a philopena, in order that she maymarry him. Out of my way, or I will draw my sword and cleave you tothe earth, and thus punish your unwarrantable curiosity!"

The soldiers could not repress a smile. 

"In order to prevent mischief, " they said to the Absolute Fool, "weshall be obliged to take you into custody. "

This they immediately did, and then requested the Princess toaccompany them to the palace of their King, where she would receivehospitality and aid. 

The King welcomed the Princess with great cordiality. He had no son, and he much wished he had one; for in that case it might be hisPrince for whom the young lady was looking. But there was a prince, he said, who lived in a city to the north, who was probably the veryman; and he would send and make inquiries. In the mean time, thePrincess would be entertained by himself and his Queen; and, if herservant would make a suitable apology, his violent language would bepardoned. But the Absolute Fool positively refused to do this. 

"I never apologize, " he cried. "No man of spirit would do such athing. What I say, I stand by. "

"Very well, " said the King; "then you shall fight a wild beast. " Andhe gave orders that the affair should be arranged for the followingday. 

In a short time, however, some of his officers came to him and toldhim that there were no wild beasts; those on hand having been kept solong that they had become tame. 

"To be sure, there's the old lion, Sardon, " they said; "but he is sodreadfully cross and has had so much experience in these fights, thatfor a long time it has not been considered fair to allow any one toenter the ring with him. "

"It is a pity, " said the King, "to make the young man fight a tamebeast; but, under the circumstances, the best thing to do will be torepresent the case to him, just as it is. Tell him we are sorry wehave not an ordinary wild beast; but that he can take his choicebetween a tame one and the lion Sardon, whose disposition andexperience you will explain to him. "

When the matter was stated to the Absolute Fool, he refused withgreat scorn to fight a tame beast. 

"I will not be degraded in the eyes of the public, " he said; "I willtake the old lion. "

The next day, the court and the public assembled to see the fight;but the Queen and our Princess took a ride into the country, notwishing to witness a combat of this kind, especially one which was sounequal. The King ordered that every advantage should be given to theyoung man, in order that he might have every possible chance ofsuccess in fighting an animal which had been a victor on so manysimilar occasions. A large iron cage, furnished with a turnstile, into which the Absolute Fool could retire for rest and refreshment, but where the lion could not follow him, was placed in the middle ofthe arena, and the youth was supplied with all the weapons hedesired. When every thing was ready, the Absolute Fool took his standin the centre of the arena, and the door of the lion's den wasopened. The great beast came out, he looked about for an instant, andthen, with majestic step, advanced toward the young man. When he waswithin a few paces of him, he crouched for a spring. 

The Absolute Fool had never seen so magnificent a creature, and hecould not restrain his admiration. With folded arms and sparklingeyes, he gazed with delight upon the lion's massive head, his longand flowing mane, his magnificent muscles, and his powerful feet andlegs. There was an air of grandeur and strength about him whichcompletely enraptured the youth. Approaching the lion, he kneltbefore him, and gazed with wondering ecstasy into his great, glowingeyes. "What glorious orbs!" he inwardly exclaimed. "What unfathomableexpression! What possibilities! What reminiscences! And everywhere, what majesty of curve!"

The lion was a good deal astonished at the conduct of the young man;and he soon began to suppose that this was not the person he was tofight, but probably a keeper, who was examining into his condition. After submitting to this scrutiny a few minutes, he gave a mightyyawn, which startled the spectators, but which delighted the AbsoluteFool; for never before had he beheld such a depth of potentiality. Heknelt in silent delight at this exhibition of the beauty of strength. 

Old Sardon soon became tired of all this, however, and he turned andwalked back to his den. "When their man is ready, " he thought tohimself, "I will come out and fight him. "

One tremendous shout now arose from the multitude. "The youth hasconquered!" they cried. "He has actually frightened the lion backinto his den!" Rushing into the arena, they raised the Absolute Foolupon their shoulders and carried him in triumph to the open square infront of the palace, that he might be rewarded for his bravery. Herethe King, followed by his court, quickly appeared; for he was as muchdelighted as any one at the victory of the young man. 

"Noble youth, " he exclaimed, "you are the bravest of the brave. Youare the only man I know who is worthy of our royal daughter, and youshall marry her forthwith. Long since, I vowed that only with thebravest should she wed. "

At this moment, the Queen and the Princess, returning from theirride, heard with joy the result of the combat; and riding up to thevictor, the Queen declared that she would gladly join with her royalhusband in giving their daughter to so brave a man. 

The Absolute Fool stood for a moment in silent thought; then, addressing the King, he said:

"Was Your Majesty's father a king?"

"He was, " was the answer. 

"Was his father of royal blood?"

"No; he was not, " replied the King. "My grandfather was a man of thepeople; but his pre-eminent virtue, his great ability as a statesman, and the dignity and nobility of his character made him the unanimouschoice of the nation as its sovereign. "

"I am sorry to hear that, " said the Absolute Fool; "for it makes itnecessary for me to decline the kind offer of your daughter inmarriage. If I marry a princess at all, she must be one who can traceback her lineage through a long line of royal ancestors. " And as hespoke, his breast swelled with manly pride. 

For a moment, the King was dumb with rage. Then loudly he shouted:"Ho, guards! Annihilate him! Avenge this insult!"

At these words, the sword of every by-stander leaped from itsscabbard; but, before any one could take a step forward, the Princessseized the Absolute Fool by his long and flowing locks, and put spursto her horse. The young man yelled with pain, and shouted toher to let go; but she held firmly to his hair, and as he wasextraordinarily active and fleet of foot, he kept pace with thegalloping horse. A great crowd of people started in pursuit, but asnone of them were mounted, they were soon left behind. 

"Let go my hair! Let go my hair!" shouted the Absolute Fool, as hebounded along. "You don't know how it hurts. Let go! Let go!"

But the Princess never relinquished her hold until they were out ofthe King's domain. 

"A little more, " cried the indignant youth, when she let him go, "andyou would have pulled out a handful of my hair. "

"A little less, " said the Princess, contemptuously, "and you wouldhave been cut to pieces; for you have not sense enough to take careof yourself. I am sorry I listened to you, and left the inn to whichthe Gryphoness took me. It would have been far better to wait therefor her as she told me to do. "

"Yes, " said the Absolute Fool; "it would have been much better. "

"Now, " said the Princess, "we will go back there, and see if she hasreturned. "

"If we can find it, " said the other, "which I very much doubt. "

There were several roads at this point and, of course, they took thewrong one. As they went on, the Absolute Fool complained bitterlythat he had left his horse behind him, and was obliged to walk. Sometimes he stopped, and said he would go back after it; but thisthe Princess sternly forbade. 

 * * * * *

When the Gryphoness reached the city of the Prince, it was night; butshe was not sorry for this. She did not like to show herself much inthe daytime, because so many people were frightened by her. After agood deal of trouble, she discovered that the Prince had certainlyleft the city, although his guardians did not seem to be aware of it. They were so busy with a new palace, in part of which they wereliving, that they could not be expected to keep a constant eye uponhim. In the morning, she met an old man who knew her, and was notafraid of her, and who told her that the day before, when he was upthe river, he had seen the Prince on his white horse, riding on thebank of the stream; and that near him, in the water, was somethingwhich now looked like a woman, and again like a puff of mist. TheGryphoness reflected. 

"If this Prince has gone off in that way, " she said to herself, "Ibelieve that he is the very one whom the Princess is looking for, andthat he has set out in search of her; and that creature in the watermust be our Water Sprite, whom our master has probably sent out todiscover where the Prince is going. If he had told me about this, itwould have saved much trouble. From the direction in which they weregoing, I feel sure that the Water Sprite was taking the Prince to theLand of the Lovely Lakes. She never fails to go there, if she canpossibly get an excuse. I will follow them. I suppose the Princesswill be tired, waiting at the inn; but I must know where the Princeis, and if he is really her Prince, before I go back to her. "

When the Gryphoness reached the Land of the Lovely Lakes, shewandered all that day and the next night; but she saw nothing ofthose for whom she was looking. 

The Princess and the Absolute Fool journeyed on until near the closeof the afternoon, when the sky began to be overcast, and it lookedlike rain. They were then not far from a large piece of water; and ata little distance, they saw a ship moored near the shore. 

"I shall seek shelter on board that ship, " said the Princess. 

"It is going to storm, " remarked the Absolute Fool. "I should preferto be on dry land. "

"As the land is not likely to be very dry when it rains, " said thePrincess, "I prefer a shelter, even if it is upon wet water. "

"Women will always have their own way, " muttered the Absolute Fool. 

The ship belonged to a crew of Amazon sailors, who gave the Princessa hearty welcome. 

"You may go on board if you choose, " said the Absolute Fool to thePrincess, "but I shall not risk my life in a ship manned by women. "

"It is well that you are of that opinion, " said the Captain of theAmazons, who had heard this remark; "for you would not be allowed tocome on board if you wished to. But we will give you a tent toprotect you and the horse in case it should rain, and will send yousomething to eat. "

"While the Princess was taking tea with the Amazon Captain, she toldher about the Prince, and how she was trying to find him. 

"Good!" cried the Captain. "I will join in the search, and take youin my ship. Some of my crew told me that yesterday they saw a youngman, who looked like a prince, riding along the shore of a lake whichadjoins the one we are on. In the morning we will sail after him. Weshall keep near the shore, and your servant can mount your horse andride along the edge of the lake. From what I know of the speed ofthis vessel, I think he can easily keep up with us. "

Early in the morning, the Amazon Captain called her crew together. "Hurrah, my brave girls!" she said. "We have an object. I never sailwithout an object, and it lights me to get one. The purpose of ourpresent cruise is to find the Prince of whom this Princess is insearch; and we must spare no pains to bring him to her, dead oralive. "

Luckily for her peace of mind, the Princess did not hear this speech. The day was a fine one, and before long the sun became very hot. Theship was sailing quite near the land, when the Absolute Fool rodedown to the water's edge, and called out that he had something veryimportant to communicate to the Princess. As he was not allowed tocome on board, she was obliged to go on shore, to which she was rowedin a small boat. 

"I have been thinking, " said the Absolute Fool, "that it is perfectlyridiculous, and very uncomfortable, to continue this search anylonger. I would go back, but my master would not suffer me to returnwithout knowing where you are going. I have, therefore, a plan topropose. Give up your useless search for this Prince, who is probablynot nearly so handsome and intellectual as I am, and marry me. Wewill then return, and I will assume the reins of government in yourdomain. "

"Follow the vessel, " said the Princess, "as you have been doing; forI wish some one to take care of my horse. " And without another word, she returned to the ship. 

"I should like to sail as far as possible from shore during the restof the trip, " said she to the Captain. 

"Put the helm bias!" shouted the Amazon Captain to the steers-woman;"and keep him well out from land. "

When they had sailed through a small stream into the lake adjoining, the out-look, who was swinging in a hammock hung between the tops ofthe two masts, sang out, "Prince ahead!" Instantly all was activityon board the vessel. Story books were tucked under coils of rope, hem-stitching and embroidery were laid aside, and every woman was ather post. 

"The Princess is taking a nap, " said the Captain, "and we will notawaken her. It will be so nice to surprise her by bringing the Princeto her. We will run our vessel ashore, and then steal quietly uponhim. But do not let him get away. Cut him down, if he resists!"

The Prince, who was plainly visible only a short distance ahead, wasso pleasantly employed that he had not noticed the approach of theship. He was sitting upon a low, moss-covered rock, close to thewater's edge; and with a small hand-net, which he had found on theshore, he was scooping the most beautiful fishes from the lake, holding them up in the sunlight to admire their brilliant colors andgraceful forms, and then returning them uninjured to the water. TheWater Sprite was swimming near him, and calling to the fish to comeup and be caught; for the gentle Prince would not hurt them. It wasvery delightful and rare sport, and it is not surprising that itentirely engrossed the attention of the Prince. The Amazons silentlylanded, and softly stole along the shore, a little back from thewater. Then, at their Captain's command, they rushed upon the Prince. 

It was just about this time that the Gryphoness, who had beensearching for the Prince, caught her first sight of him. Perceivingthat he was about to be attacked, she rushed to his aid. The Amazonsailors reached him before she did, and seizing upon him they beganto pull him away. The Prince resisted stoutly; but seeing that hisassailants were women, he would not draw his sword. The AmazonCaptain and mate, who were armed with broad knives, now raised theirweapons, and called upon the Prince to surrender or die. But at thismoment, the Gryphoness reached the spot, and catching the Captain andmate, each by an arm, she dragged them back from the Prince. Theother Amazons, however, continued the combat; and the Prince defendedhimself by pushing them into the shallow water, where the WaterSprite nearly stifled them by throwing over them showers of spray. And now came riding up the Absolute Fool. Seeing a youth engaged incombat with the Amazon sailors, his blood boiled with indignation. 

"A man fighting women!" he exclaimed. "What a coward! My arm shallever assist the weaker sex. "

Jumping from the horse, he drew his sword, and rushed upon thePrince. The Gryphoness saw the danger of the latter, and she wouldhave gone to his assistance, but she was afraid to loosen her hold ofthe Amazon Captain and mate. 

Spreading her wings she flew to the top of a tree where she depositedthe two warlike women upon a lofty branch, from which she knew itwould take them a long time to get down to the ground. When shedescended she found that the Absolute Fool had reached the Prince. The latter, being a brave fellow, although of so gentle adisposition, had been glad to find a man among his assailants, andhad drawn his sword to defend himself. The two had just begun tofight when the Gryphoness seized the Absolute Fool by the waist andhurled him backward into some bushes. 

"You must not fight him!" she cried to the Prince. "He is beneathyour rank! And as you will not draw your sword against these Amazonsyou must fly from them. If you run fast they cannot overtake you. "

The Prince followed her advice, and sheathing his sword he rapidlyran along the bank, followed by some of the Amazons who had succeededin getting the water out of their eyes and mouths. 

"Run from women!" contemptuously remarked the Absolute Fool. "If youhad not interfered with me, " he said to the Gryphoness, "I shouldsoon have put an end to such a coward. "

The Prince had nearly reached the place opposite to which the shipwas moored, when the Princess, who had been awakened by the noise ofthe combat, appeared upon the deck of the vessel. The moment she sawthe Prince, she felt convinced that he was certainly the one for whomshe was looking. Fearing that the pursuing Amazons might kill him, she sprang from the vessel to his assistance; but her foot caught ina rope, and instead of reaching the shore, she fell into the water, which was here quite deep, and immediately sank out of sight. ThePrince, who had noticed her just as she sprang, and who felt equallyconvinced that she was the one for whom he was searching, stopped hisflight and rushed to the edge of the bank. Just as the Princess roseto the surface, he reached out his hand to her, and she took it. 

"Philopena!" cried the Prince. 

"You have won, " said the Princess, gayly shaking the water from hercurls, as he drew her ashore. 

At the request of the Princess, the pursuing Amazons forbore toassail the Prince, and when the Captain and the Mate had descendedfrom the tree, every thing was explained. 

Within an hour, the Prince and Princess, after taking kind leave ofthe Gryphoness, and Water Sprite, and of the Amazon sailors, whocheered them loudly, rode away to the city of the Princess; while thethree servants of the Inquisitive Dwarf returned to their master toreport what had happened. 

The Absolute Fool was in a very bad humor; for he was obliged to goback on foot, having left his horse in the kingdom where he had sonarrowly escaped being killed; and, besides this, he had had his hairpulled; and had not been treated with proper respect by either thePrincess or the Gryphoness. He felt himself deeply injured. When hereached home, he determined that he would not remain in a positionwhere his great abilities were so little appreciated. "I will dosomething, " he said, "which shall prove to the world that I deserveto stand among the truly great. I will reform my fellow beings, and Iwill begin by reforming the Inquisitive Dwarf. " Thereupon he went tohis master, and said:

"Sir, it is foolish and absurd for you to be meddling thus with theaffairs of your neighbors. Give up your inquisitive habits, and learnsome useful business. While you are doing this, I will consent tomanage your affairs. "

The Inquisitive Dwarf turned to him, and said: "I have a great desireto know the exact appearance of the North Pole. Go and discover itfor me. "

The Absolute Fool departed on this mission, and has not yet returned. 

When the Princess, with her Prince, reached her city, her uncles werevery much amazed; for they had not known she had gone away. "If youare going to get married, " they said, "we are very glad; for then youwill not need our care, and we shall be free from the greatresponsibility which is bearing us down. "

In a short time the wedding took place, and then the question arosein which city should the young couple dwell. The Princess decided it. 

"In the winter, " she said to the Prince, "We will live in your city, where all is life and activity; and where the houses are so wellbuilt with all the latest improvements. In the summer, we will cometo my city, where everything is old, and shady, and serene. " Thisthey did, and were very happy. 

The Gryphoness would have been glad to go and live with the Princess, for she had taken a great fancy to her; but she did not think itworth her while to ask permission to do this. 

"My impulses, I know, are good, " she said; "but my appearance isagainst me. "

As for the Water Sprite, she was in a truly disconsolate mood, because she had left so soon the Land of the Lovely Lakes, where shehad been so happy. The more she thought about it, the more shegrieved; and one morning, unable to bear her sorrow longer, shesprang into the great jet of the fountain. High into the bright airthe fountain threw her, scattering her into a thousand drops ofglittering water; but not one drop fell back into the basin. Thegreat, warm sun drew them up; and, in a little white cloud, theyfloated away across the bright blue sky. 

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THE BOY'SLibrary of Pluck and Action. 

A JOLLY FELLOWSHIP, By Frank R. Stockton. HANS BRINKER; OR, THE SILVER SKATES. A story of life in Holland. By Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge. THE BOY EMIGRANTS, By Noah Brooks. PHAETON ROGERS, By Rossiter Johnson. 

Four volumes, 12mo, in a box, illustrated, $5. 00. Sold separately, price per volume $1. 50. 

In the "Boy's Library of Pluck and Action, " the design was to bringtogether the representative and most popular books of four of thebest known writers for young people. The names of Mary Mapes Dodge, Frank R. Stockton, Noah Brooks, and Rossiter Johnson are familiarones in every household, and a set of books, to which each hascontributed one, forms a present that will delight the heart of everyboy who likes manly, spirited, and amusing tales. The volumes arebeautifully illustrated and uniformly bound in a most attractiveform. 

SCRIBNER'S LIST OF JUVENILE BOOKS. 

 * * * * *The great legend of the Nibelungen told to boys and girls. * * * * *

THE STORY OF SIEGFRIED. 

By JAMES BALDWIN. 

With a series of superb illustrations by Howard Pyle. One volume, square 12mo. $2. 00. 

Mr. Baldwin has at last given "The Story of Siegfried" in the way inwhich it most appeals to the boy-reader, --simply and strongly told, with all its fire and action, yet without losing any of that strangecharm of the myth, and that heroic pathos, which every previousattempt at a version, even for adult readers, has failed to catch. 

THE STORY OF ROLAND. 

By JAMES BALDWIN. 

With a series of illustrations by R. B. Birch. One volume, square12mo. $2. 00. 

This volume is intended as a companion to "The Story of Siegfried. "As Siegfried was an adaptation of Northern myths and romances to thewants and the understanding of young readers, so is this story asimilar adaptation of the middle-age romances relating to Charlemagneand his paladins. As Siegfried was the greatest of the heroes of theNorth, so, too, was Roland the most famous among the knights of theMiddle Ages. 

"We congratulate the boys of the land upon the appearance of thisbook. We commend it to parents who are selecting literature for theirchildren, assured, as we are, that it will convince them that booksmay be found which will engage the attention, and stimulate theimagination, of the young, without dissipating the mind, or bluntingthe moral sensibilities. "--Philadelphia Messenger. 

THE FIRST REALLY PRACTICAL BOY'S BOOK. 

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THE AMERICAN BOY'S HANDY BOOK;

Or, WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. 

By DANIEL C. BEARD. 

With three hundred illustrations by the author. One volume, 8vo. $2. 00. 

Mr. Beard's book is the first to tell the active, inventive, andpractical American boy the things he really wants to know, thethousand things he wants to do, and the ten thousand ways in which hecan do them, with the helps and ingenious contrivances which everyboy can either procure or make. 

The author divides the book among the sports of the four seasons; andhe has made an almost exhaustive collection of the cleverest moderndevices, besides himself inventing an immense number of capital andpractical ideas. 

FRANK R. STOCKTON'S POPULAR STORIES. 

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THE STORY OF VITEAU. 

With sixteen full-page illustrations by R. B. Birch. 

One volume, 12mo, extra cloth. $1. 50. 

In "The Story of Viteau, " Mr. Stockton has opened a new vein, and onethat he has shown all his well-known skill and ability in working. While describing the life and surroundings of Raymond, Louis, andAgnes at Viteau at the Castle of De Barran, or in the woods among theCotereaux, he gives a picture of France in the age of chivalry, andtells, at the same time, a romantic and absorbing story of adventureand knightly daring. Mr. Birch's spirited illustrations add much tothe attraction of the book. 

A JOLLY FELLOWSHIP. 

Illustrated. One volume, 12mo, extra cloth. $1. 50. 

"'A Jolly Fellowship, ' by Mr. Frank Stockton, is a worthy successorto his 'Rudder Grange. ' Although written for lads, it is full ofdelicious nonsense that will be enjoyed by men and women. . . . The lessserious parts are described with a mock gravity that is theperfection of harmless burlesque, while all the nonsense has a veinof good sense running through it, so that really useful informationis conveyed to the young and untravelled reader's mind. "--PhiladelphiaEvening Bulletin. 

THE FLOATING PRINCE, AND OTHER FAIRY TALES. 

With illustrations by Bensell and others. One volume, quarto, boards. $1. 50. 

"Stockton has the knack, perhaps genius would be a better word, ofwriting in the easiest of colloquial English, without descending tothe plane of the vulgar or commonplace. The very perfection of hiswork hinders the reader from perceiving at once how good of its kindit is. . . . With the added charm of a most delicate humor, --a realhumor, mellow, tender, and informed by a singularly quaint and racyfancy, --his stories become irresistibly attractive. "--PhiladelphiaTimes. 

NEW EDITIONS OF OLD FAVORITES. 

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ROUNDABOUT RAMBLES IN LANDS OF FACT AND FICTION. 

One volume, quarto, boards, with very attractive lithographed cover, three hundred and seventy pages, two hundred illustrations. A newedition. Price reduced from $3. 00 to $1. 50. 

TALES OUT OF SCHOOL. 

One volume, quarto, boards, with handsome lithographed cover, threehundred and fifty pages, nearly two hundred illustrations. A newedition. Price reduced from $3. 00 to $1. 50. 

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Charles Scribner's Sons, Publishers, 743 and 745 Broadway, New York.