The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-06-13

proceeding was highly inconvenient; and
there were plenty OF people who limited that
1t was pity that the prince should have
lost nothing but his eyebrows
NOW in neighboring Kingdom hved
princess who was said to be so clever and so
beautiful that our prince fell in love with the
mere report of her accomplishments, and sent
her the following letter:
dere princis-i am goin to marry Won mex
weak SO pleas com W my palas eS soon eS you
kan. Prince Toto.
This note he sent by magnificent t. ain of
one hundred ambassadors. and though the
king and queen were sorry and ashamed
enough, they dared not interfere. According
ly it was brought with all due solemnity TO
the princess Wno on reading it laughed hear
tily. But when on questioning the embassa-
doris they assured her that the prince had al
WAYS been favored with the best masters and
when she heard that Mr.. Dictionary had
taught him the alphabet, and the great, st
traveller geography, and that he had finished
his spelllng-book in week, and learned
arithmetic in an hour, and every accomplish
ment that could be mentioned in a year, she
concluded that there must be some hidden
meaning in this ridiculous note which she
was not clever enough to find out, and decid-
ed to go and see the prince herself.
When the queen heard that the princess
had actually returned with the ambassadors
she was so much astonished and in such a
furry that she could not get her crown
straight, and was obliged to go down with it
very much over her nose, so that it tumbled
of as she embraced the princess. She had
hardly recovered from the confusion OF this
unlucky accident when dinner was served,
and as the princess was hungry they sat down
| at once.
But where is the prince?' asked the prin-
cess, looking about her.
"Boohv, squeaked somebody near her, and
| the prince, who had been creeping about ON
his hands and knees, sprang up, laughing.
MY love, this is the princess" said the
queen, turning very red, and the princess got
up, and made him fine courtesy.
less, know! Come, marry me-" return
| Ell the Prince, sitting down, and commencing
| to carve at once
Inc princess sat down also blushng as red
as the queen had done, and thinking to her
sell, Marry you, indeed! Why he talks like
baby, and behaves like asavagew
Bring water! Don't want wine," exclam-
ed the prince, suddenly, and before any one
could reach HIM he threw his glass filled with
WINE across the table. This, as you know,
was an everyday matter, and certainly not so
bad as a boat full OF gravy, but then it came
| full in the princess's face. Her hair was
| dripping, her dress was ruined. Everybody
cried out, and the princess sprang to her
| feet.
"What's matter?" asked the prince.
"Matterw cried the princess, spluttering
and crying. "You are an idiot, sir. You
know nothing at ALL"
"She has done it! She has done itw
screamed all the courtiers together. "She has
reproyed him, and his prosperity is at an
end"
| The queen tainted, the princess ran away
and the court went into mourning.
| Then everybody asked why the court went
into mourning"
Because" answered the wise ones, "the
strange princess has reproved our prince"
"But why did she reprove him?"
Then followed the story.
"But how did she reprove him?"
Then the wise ones whispered that she had
called him an idiot.
idiot! Why, bless me- so he u.s." answer
ed everybody. Il have always thought so,
only never put it in words before"
And by-and-by everybody said to his neigh
| Dor:
"The king and queen should have known
from the beginning that boy who was new
er corrected must be as ignorant and mis-.
chievous as an idiot. We will not have him
for our king. Send him to school or to an
asylum"
And then it was all over.