HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1908-5-7, Page 3Little Princess
Tatters
AND you've lost your crown
foga, my daughter?" asked
the queen, reprovingly.
' The prineces hung her head, "It Was
B heavy old thing, anyway, your ma-
jesty," se petulantly answered; "and
trifles are trifles, AO there's no use wor-
rying over eucit a little 'matter,"
Indeed, there were few matters that
the princess did not consider trifling.
She liked to romp and indulge in the
boylsh games of her brothers. Not at
all cared she for the pastimes of most
little princesses, So then when she
carelessly broke the head of her won-
derful doll, she said it wee a mare tri-
fle, and thought no more about it.
,'When she lost nlagniflcent rings and
other jewels, it didn't matter -..they
weren't of any use 1n games, you know,
And when,in leaping over hedges, she
tore her costly dflken garments almost
into shreds, she ;wasn't troubled in the
least "Trifles aro trifles," said she;
"one moat think of the more Impor-
tant matters."
But the queen mother didn't agree
with her••ecreleas little daughter, who
bad earned the name far and wide of
"Princess Tatters," Something must be
done --and that very soon—unless the
.princess be altogether opened In char-
acter.
One day, however, Princess Tatters
"HUNG HER HEAD IN SHAME"
rushed wildly about the royal grounds,
crying for every one to help her search
for her favorite pony. She had been to
the royal stables, and there she was
told by a. hostler that, somehow, the
pony had escaped. And now she vowed
elle would not eat or sleep until the
pony was found, All the men about the
castle she bade hunt for her pet.
Hardly had the servants begun to do
her bidding, when the queen issued an
order for them to return. to their duties,
and then, calling to her daughter, she
maid:
"1 cannot permit the men to forsake
their work for such a trifle. Trifles are
trifles, you know; and there's really no
use In bothering about such a small
matter."
Princess Tatters bowed her head in
shame. '011, your majesty," sobbed
she, '-I know I deserve this punish-
ment for all my carelessness; but I de
so want my pony. And 1f you'll have
It brought back to me,. I'll promise not
to be Princess Tatters any more. I'll
be a neat, tidy, good little princess."
The queen kissed the princess, and
then whispered a word to an attendant.
Soon the pony was reported back again
safe and sound hi the -royal stable. The
princess was never told, of course, that
her pet had been hidden on purpose.
But no longer was there occasion for
the queen's reproof, and gradually the
name of ""Princess Tatters" was for-
gotten.
"I TRIED TO GET UP, BUT COULD NOT"
(Adapted from "Gulliver's Travels," by so small that I ate them by two and
Dean swift; telling of Gulliver's adventures three at a bite; and the loaves of bread
among the tiny folic of Ltlllput.)
were no bigger than a pea,
THEN I was joined
more than
a boy I joineded t11e crew of
the good ship Antelope, bpuitd
for the far Mast.
We had not sailed very far before the
ship ran on a rock and sank, Six of
the crew and myself manned the life-
boat, but before long a great wave
upset es, and what became of those on
the ship and the men who were with
me I can .nevertell, for I never saw
any of them again,
I was young and strong, and could
swim well, and was able finally to
reach the shore, but I was so tired
that I threw myself down on the shore
and fell at once into a deep sleep.
When I awoke I tried to get up, but,
strange to say, I could not, I heard
strange noises all around me, but could
not aeo their source, as I lay flat on
my back, and could only look up.
By and by I felt somettng moving
on my left leg, and then on my breast,
and at last on my chin, 1 looked down
as far as I could and saw, standing
there, a little man not more than halt
a foot high. All at once I telt at ,least
1200 of the same .little men running all
over me. S gave one loud roar and
they all ran back In fright. I lay all
this time In great pain, and tried hard
to got. loose.
After a time I broke the strings that
held my ]eft arm and hair, and thus
was able to turn around, but the small
men ran off so fast I could not seize
any of them. I heard one of them call
out something, but the words were
strange to me.
All at once I felt a lot of darts stink
In my hands and face. They felt like
sharp pins. The little men soon stopped
when they found that I did not move.
Then one of their clnete made a long
speech, but I did not know one word
he said, By signs I let him know I
was halt dead with hunger, and many
Of the little men got very busy and soon
bad built steps up to my mouth. Up
these ran more than three hundred et
them, each witb a dlah full of. meat.
There were legs and loins of lamb, bat
I made signs to bag them to set me
free, but they shook their beads. I tried
again to buret the bands that bell my
feet, but again they shot the darts into
my face.
At last, tired out, I fell asleep.When
X awoke I ease being moved to what
seemed to be a city. I learned later
that it was their ehlef town of L1111 -
"BUILT STEPS UP TO MY MOUTH"
put, the country of these little men.
It took a long train of mules to drag
me along, They bad a row of guards
on each side of me. Half of them
carried lights, and half bows and
darts to shoot at me if i triad to stir.
The king and all his court came to
meet us.
We stopped before an old church,
which was the biggest place they had
In their whole land, and here I was
to live. The gate was four feet high
and two feat wide, so I was just able
to creep through It. They chained
are here with what seemed to be lit-
tle watch chains.
Great crowds of the small men came
to look at me. The chains were long
enough to allow n10 to stand up and
to walk a few steps,
Theywere very much frightened
arlam
rtIor
PRAT father were alive
and I could learn to be a
soldlerl"
A deep sigh escaped ilttle Rama.
Tor ho was the son of a soldier—a.
Goorklia warrior who had been 'killed
while aiding the British In their -at-
tacks against the savagehill tribes—
and a martial spirit had been be-
queathed to him.
Rama nestled In the grass thatgrew
close within the shadow of the hut,
and looked reflectively at the snow-
capped mountains which seemed- to
tower Immediately above flint, Bet
not even the hoary, majestic Batna-
layaa, silently, watchful over hill and
valley, could soothe, with their
grandeur the chafing restlessness in
Otto soul. They brought to him no
hope—for how could there possibly be
hope? Rama was -sure that for many,
many years he must help hismother
and take care of his little sister. Ho
loved his mother and sister with all
his heart, but than the longing to be a
aoldiar was growing day by day. If
in could only have had time to pier
"soldier" with the other„ brown -skin -
end lads of the village perhaps he
would not have felt thisdiscontent;.
but his many duties about the houls0
end the Humorous chores he Was com-
pelled to do In order to gain a mere
pittance robbed him -of ail leisure.
And then Putal came, Rama and his
mother discovered 11101 Ono morning
lying outside their hut, 111 and f m-
eshod. He ;tad been wounded -inthe
army. was discharged from service,
and had been wandering from place
to place. Poor as the ilttle family
buns, none Was more charitable. He
hospitably given shelter in the
rude little cottage, and llama's moth-
er nursed hlln baok to health.
Although llama's duties were now
greatly increased, he Minded them not
at all. For the old soldier, whowas
now well enough to be eta of bed,
spun mens a. talc of thecamp and
march, Ronna hungg� upon eVOry word
that. camp from the battered war-
rlor's lipe Re, he told of antoiting ekil•-
mish05 and long, Hard campaigns. , A11
,of these descriptions the. boy trees-
: need, and he longed for the time
When the soldier would be reoot'ated
sufficiently to leave the house. Then
he meant to auk 111m abeet0110 use of •
411 warlike weapohs; and to plead for.
instruction in their handling
Long after Petal became Well he lin-
gered about the village, assuming many'
Of the taalcs Itama was Wont 00 do and
intent upon showing hisgratltude,to
i liana's mother by providing her with
a better tieing. And he Was •Rama's
companion as well, He obtained all the
weapons empleYed by the Geerkhas
land, t0. the boy's keen delight, taught
i!ll' Ino: monuel f, nr�yys. Vat=
was
Iit t pupil, ane rapidly became pro-
tn�X19_ 'Mae as has
'" 'S� ill tad of thet
been eugggeeted,, were entealastio 11,
their thither games, They Were (rgan-
ized tato" a little company, each mem-
ber with his 0501)1101nd rank. Uhl
forms they ;tad, with the round cap
Worn by British riflemen and some -
Unita even ema11 alma, .bate once a
there was het
f0rtttl ht a meeting,
g d
Warn,after close eomp5titlon, election
sof oil00rs Wee held,.
Bann was prsSeitt at the next el'ka-
when they aaw me on my feet, and
kept well out of my reach, I was very
kind to .all who came near me, and I
hoped they would e00n let me Tree. I
Would Ile down and let five or eta of
them dance on mY hand. and the boys
and girls would play hide-and-seek
in my hair.
Ono day they set me free when I
told them that I Would obey their
king and not leave thelr country.
The girls made shirts for me. I
would lie down on the ground while
they tools my measure. They put a
cord around my thumb to nee how
big It was, for, they seta, twi'e
around the thumb Is once round the
waist, One hundred tailors made mo
some new suits. I had 300 cooks to
cook my food, and they lived in littlo
huts which they -built around my
house, Each cools made me two
plates of food.
One of their palls of water was not
much of a drink, and a round of beet
was just large enough to make three
bites. I could take up twenty or
thirty' of their chickens On the end
of my knife, Tha lords and ladles
camp to see me eat, and for a while
they thought I was a wonderful
sight.
But one day I saw the man who took
care of the king's gold glance at me
with a sour look, for I ate more than
usual. I held him in my hand near my
ear, and he said:
"The Icing wishes you to do an net
of great use to him. A fleet will .soon
come to fight us from the island, Bel -
00500. The two states of Lilliput and
Belfuseu have been at war for years,
The sting knows your strength, and
trusts that you will help him."
I told him that I would do all I could,
Granny's Cottage
PEOPLE Bald she was a witch. Not
that she had ever harmed them;
on the contrary, many wonderful.
cures had she made among the elek of
this little village h Brittany, But her
very skill in such matters wrought her
reputation 111, for the townspeople
shook their heads and asked one an-
other hew such miracles could be per-
formed save by the aid- of the Evil One.
And did- she not gather mysterious
herbs in field and wood and meadow;
and did she not sit boors at a time
mumbling to herself before the door of
her little cottage—doubtless weaving her
magic spells?
So the children of the village came
to avoid the old woman as did their
elders. One and all gave a wide berth
to the tiny hut that stood beyond the
limits of the town. And not for the
world would the most venturesome
among the lads go near 1t after night-
fall. No one wished to be captured by
the goblins, who, no doubt, helped the
witch In her schemes of evil.
Two of the brightest of the smaller
children In the village—Jacques anal
Jeanne by name—wore wandering upon
a certain day in the woodland tract be-
yond the town. quite unbeknown to
themselves, they drew near to the old
woman's hut: It was not strange, there-
fore, that they should behold her gath-
ering roots by the side of a nearby
stream.
"Let us run," whispered Jacques,
clutching his sister by the arm. To-
gether they stole through the tangled
underbrush, over velvety moss and
through high grass until they reached
the brook. Jeanne skipped lightly from
stone to stone across the water, but
Jacques slipped, twisted his ankle and
fell *with a splash.
The old woman heard his cry, of pain,
and now perceived the bay and gni for
the first time. Silo hastened toward
them. Jacques tried to ralse himself,
"MARCHED AT THE BEAD OF THE TROOPS
tion, Putai suggested that the lad ask'
to be metalled 1n the company,
"'What de you know?" asked•Lamput,
thee cpp
n'
Thereupon Rama rro aoedc
show
what the el soldier lead taught him,
Wonder rew apace ashe rapidly wet
through the mantle; of Woes without n
eing10 mistake, 'Shen he teal What' he
knew of military tactics, . F 01117, he
placed a row of steles In the grouhl,
about eight inches apart; and with thou
heads jest.four feet high, Running'
berets a' dlstemee, lie netted up from be -
hint ..tre a Lound quell -111n t a r
1 a e Ve sol -
afore, end b � the Goo•kha sot-
and which yy. tit heti fres
iters an wh eh H of presented
en.tecl
to Illus, The 001011. Is Very sharp On Its
edge. HOMY telllrling it Rama cast it.
at one of the stances, The head of the
stick Was out' off as nicely as .you
please. And,In succession, Rama, , cut
Off the .head ofeach stake.
Amazed at his dexterity and knowl-
edge, the lads crowded about Ronna,
petted him upon the back, and enthesl-
nstIcally showered Compliments Upon
111111.
24510 time a body' of •troops passed
through to village, the 11tto con-
Pa.ny of Goo.rkha lade tnarcheti in
front, as Wee their est101- Mlatom, But
at their head wag a new eaptein, a
keen -eyed Intl avail tt proud, dignified
bearing every Inch a soldier, you would
have said, 1t Was Ramat
"OUTSIDE THE CABIN DOOR" 1
but 1118 ankle refused to support him.
-
and he sante to the ground, Nor would
Jeanne leave her brother, though ho
bade her flee.
Then, to the surprise of both, the 01d
woman spoke very kindly to them; she
rubbed Jacques ankle with a salve she
carried, and bound It neatly, ao that the
pain vanished. She helpedhimto the
cottage and, while :Manna ran to' tell
her father of the accident, she told him
many nice stories.
And so Jacques anal Jeanne learned
that the old woman waa no witch, but
the kindest and best person they knew,
save mother and father. Many a lino
thereafter they mute to visit "Granny,"
as they called her, and listened to her
Wonderful fairy tales, Nor were they
afraid of her from that time.
Disposing of the Baby
j ITTL'0 Freddy was the only child
l-•' in the faintly. He had no little sis-
ters or brothers to play With him, Bo
When he was told that a baby sister
;tad cone,whe was vary happy, But he
soon found that father and mother 010
y
not a ao 11101511 attention to' him OA
1 pay
they foboo had, and 0100a.by seem-
ed
11 to be conal Bored of more acutohe
than be, This worsted Freddy; but he
suddenly thought of somethlpgg which
would help him out 00 1110 treebl0. Some
Weeks before hls father had put et sign
UP; ',Ashes 00 Give Away',Iltqutre
Within, Freddy lesnomberett that a
man had come and taken the Sebes
away, Se be got to work, and One day
slrpri5Od hie Mather by, dlnppIoying an-
other sign, hum In a prominent place;
"A 11aBy 10 give await., INqulro OF
FreDd']t'd• ' t
"TAKING THE END OF THE ROPE, I STARTED FOR LILLIPUT"
and alerted oft to capture the enemy's
fleet.
When I came up to the fleet, the foes
shot many darts at me, and these stuck
in my hands and face. 1 went on with
my work, though, and h1 Bpite of the
darts I out all the chains about the
ships. When the enemy raw their whole
fleet move off in a row, they sot up a
scream of rage,
When I had got out of their reach I
stood still to pick out the darts that
stuck in my hands and face, Then I
fastened a rope to the ships, and taking
the other end of the rope, started off
for Lilliput.
"JUST ABLE TO CREEP THROUGH"
The king and all the court were stand-
ing on the shore waiting for me. I held
up the end of rhe rope that I had fast-
ened to the fleet, andcried out:
"Long live the great, wise king of
Linlput:"
They gave me great thanks for this,
but not long after the king of Llliiput
and his court told me I rest too much
to keep, and begged me to leave their
land. No words cen tell what joy I
felt at this turn of my affairs, for I had
longed to sre tnu•e more my own dear
land; where 1 arrived safely in two
months' time.
An Occasion for Rejoicing
RECIINTLY the usual morning exer-
Claes of a school were interrupted
by a knock at the door. After reading
e, note which had been handed in, the
principal announced that one of the
teachers would be unable to be at
school for several days, owing to a
slight illness, Immediately two boys
began to whisper. Upon asking what
the trouble was, the boys Bald they
were only talking about the selection
of a hymn.
"And what would you like to sing?"
saidtheteacher.
'Count your blessings,' " was the
quick response.
Telephoning Pussy
DID you ever try to telephone to your
1iJJ own little pussy? You may think
that would be verystrange, but it
Would do no harm to try.
A story is told of a cat which liked
tp visit his friends at their places of
business. Sometimee he caused lots 00
trouble by walking over desks and mix-
ing up valuable papers, for he was a
very inquisitive pussy.
But a -way has been found to get rid
of him.
Ills mistress calls him 011 the tele-
phone, and when pussy hears his name
n a voice he loves, he looks much
pleased and then scampers home as
fast as he can.
Industrious Princesses
Q OMETIMES little American girls
-1 wish they were princesses and had
beautiful toys and nothing to do all day '
but play with them. But if you were
a little girl in the royal family of
Sweden you would find things very dif-
ferent, for tha royal father and mother
do not believe in letting their children
grow up 1n idleness, Instead, they
teach themto be useful in many ways.
The little Swedish princesses wash all
their dollies' clothes.
The Man With the
Stony Glare
gallan10 of meeting people wile bored
1 him with their filo talk an$
laughter, Hui great traveler,
Brownson, ;Journeyed to a wild country
in Hindustan. Here he llvod all alone,
begulling:.,t the time. With -.reading and
bunting, •
One day, fie he was p140141y sitting
under a palm tree, poruslng a tavorlto
volume there appeared UOfcre hhn an
old native with a long beard, who beg-
ged for something to eat,
JirOwnson et first was annoyed that
any one ehould have found his Mange
place; Int hie hospitality Would not per-
mit him
er-mit'him to send array 9lungry the poor
Iiinlloo. So 110 act the very beet of his
food before the old man.
When the Hindoo rose to depart, after
he had refreshed himself with meat and
drink, be bowed, gratefully to Brew/t-
een,and said;
am a great' magiolan; and for
your kindness I wish to teach yoU a
wonderful trlok of my art, hereafter,
whenever you look fixedly at any ob-
ject, whether living or 1100, and utter
the magic words, Chcuffoo, ehouftee!'
that object will immediately be trans-
formed into stone,"
Thereupon the 1Jlndoo departed and
Brownson: straightway . forgot him.
Some weeks later, however, a tiger
came upon hbm unawares, Brownson
gave himself up for lost, when suddenly
Pie remembered the magic Words. Gaz-
ing fearlessly into the eyes of the fera-
eious beast as It sprang toward him,
he muttered the words. And the tiger,
even while in the air, was petrified.
Brownson .used. his .wonderful gift in
many ways thereafter. For instance,
he changed into stone a little tortoise,
PETRIFIED THE TIGER
1n order that he might use it to sharpen
his razor,
'When a year had passed, Brownson
became astired of solitude as formerly
he had been of company. He resolved
to return to his native land. During the
voyage he astonished the passengers
and crew by petrifying- a little dog
wtllpah n landing, het called for a cabman
to drive him to his hotel. But the cab-
man, who already hada passenger,
gave a curt reply and proceeded to drive
on. Angry at the fellow's Impoliteness.
Brownson changed man, horse, cab and
all into stone. And further on, he treat-
ed in a similar' manner a.policeman who
answered him. uncivilly.
Then Brownson began to use his pow-
er In evil ways. His creditors he
changed into stone; his landlord he
changed 10ito stone; and any one who
crossed his temper.
At teat he came to grief. One even-
ing, as he was lookingat his reflec-
tion in a mirror, he absent-mindedly
Uttered the magic words, Instantly he
met the same fate as did his victims.
Because of his own indiscretion, he now
occupies a place in a museum, where
many curious people come to gaze upon
him. Probably the only person able to
lift the magic see;] is the old Medea—
and he, undoubtedly, is far away In
Hindustan,
611A/SES
THEIR' HEADS STUCK IN THE CONES
RE713E0101), the patriarch of the
crows, who revered 11101 for
what they Considered as wis-
dom, was saying solemnly to the circle
of crows and jacicdays about Mint
"Yes, 'tis 0211]' with age that wisdom
comes. You who look at me noW will'
110 doubt hardly believe that at one
time I Was young—and, indeed, as fool-
ish as you. But, my .friends, it wag
only years of vast experience that en-
ahlad 015 to gain ouch store 00 knowl-
edge.. So there Is yet lfope for you.
Remember what I tell you, BY and by
perhaps, you, too, will have -attained
w attained
erti ielll remark y altdg datr'feds'a ay,
gemming that Greybeard .Was all old
braggart' but the middle-aged, craws
Maenad Intently nilcl Were greatly ifl1-
ros ed what. the old eras Ilea a told
s by
talks Were nb tit
�r asides, thetas v 0 n
then B
the only entertainment they has, now
that the MOW ,had fallen 111 the little;
province et holstein, and most other
birds had flown.
His Vanity satisfied Greybeard had
sunk his ]lend upon his breast, signi-
fying itis desire to be alone, and his
audience Was 0bdut to depart, when in
rushed one of - the ,Young Orows,
Oh, woiulerfel wise, omniscient
Greybeard l" cried he; 1 humbly seek
your advice. There are some avenge
bits of paper' lying upon the enlace of
the snow yonder, containingfood, but,
of course, wa Stating knOW-nothinge.
Would not tlrhllc of touchleg 1t Until We
had yourgravities perinlesibn.
None of y0ttr sarcasm, young
"'None
Greybeard, • oyeing This
questloner with a. ttignllled, though
somewhat wateryq stnre,
You deserve to be left to go epee
your Own. silly way," oontnued the old
crow, 'Bet I elep Oso 0110 Meet make
allowances for youth," ha croaked, pre-
paring, t0 0eeompany the ybuing crow,
Greybeard ('0nti0uely inspected the
queer paper canes that 1ny upon the
eurface of the 511bw. Inside them waa
Widens meat. After a while 11e turn-
ed to the assembled birds, saying porn-.
pously:
"My friends, you will observe tbat the
Papers are attached to notbing, There -
fere, there can be no traps. A11 is
safe: yen may eat your 1111 of the meat
containedt of t e )
therein."
tounger crows nudged his
fellow as he whispered;
"You will also observe that Grey-
beard watches 00 see what happens to
theothers before he avails himself of
his own permission to eat. I suppose be
has lived so longg merely because he
never shares the danger.'
For several clays the cones lay upon
the ground each morning. Greybf ard,.
thoroughly convinced now that there
was n0 danger, still insisted upon
examining ell the paper cones, in or-
der,- as he said, to save the .birds
front a passible death, But it way+ no-
ticed that be always picked out the
choicest piece of meat for hi01se11.
The next day, without waiting for
Greybeardto inspect the fund, the
youngsters swooped down to Help ..
themselves. But no sooner were their
heads within the paper cones than
they stuck fart. You see, the hunters
had smeared birdlime, made from'. th1e.
inner bark of the ]folly, all about the
meat.
Greybeard chuckled as he saw the
crows and Jackdaws flapping wildly
about the ground, In their vain en-
deavors to extricate their heads from
the cones. "Ali:" cried he, "you would
not permit me to save you from dan-
ger; now blame yourselves. Old as I
am. I shall still survive you young .
seeders by many years, though I
could have spared you this death."
Just then a rifle cracked, and the
old eroty dropped over dead, Aftee.
all, he was the first to die.
Iie's punished for his lie," croaked
a young crow who still remained un -
beveled; he knew no more of the.
trap than We."
This nes true. Wise as the aid
crow thought himself, he had been
deceived in the paper cones, Well
c110 he dceervo his Rate,
And ns the uncaught crates new
away they laughed to hoar the
hunter exclaim, as he bunt - over.
Greybeard;
"This Is hard luck; I've shot noth-
ing but a feollsh old crow."
Ring Gavle
WV
ITH very little trouble you may
\19./ construct this - game from
V' strong cardboard. Upon the
top of the four, cardboard posts should
be fastened hooka, each being of
st1e11.0 height that 001ten the ring's per-
mitted to swing forward upon the
length of its cord, It may be possible
to encircle the hook with the ring.
The ployers swing the ria in tum.
The object of the game is to encircle
the four poets whish, by the way,
should lit numbered 1, 2 3, 4, First,
No, 1 post must be'eneireled, then Nos,
2, 3 and 4, in order. - The player gains
another tern every time he swings the
READY TO PLAY
cin over a est; bot .r by oha1oe t16
ring should, uncircle the wr011g peat, he
p
must egln odor again with Na. 1 pest,.
Ile who first places thenig olr
the
four nbste in Woad' DillerWes hr
game,