The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1872-02-02
Young Folks.


that had been said by the person who
sat last in it, and the woman valued 1t
more than she would have done cas-.
tie.
1t happened, one day, the king was
hunting in the forest where the poor
woman lived, and, being weary, went
into her cottage. When he had sat there
while, he asked the woman who liv
ed in the tower on the edge of the wood
"Indeed, now, answered the woman,
~ cannot tell, though Dame Martin
York was telling me but yesterday.
She said it was the Marquis of-Mar-
quis of-Chair, what was it that Dame
Martin said?"
"She said that the Marquis of Mis-
tletoe lived there" answered the chair,
at once.
"You have remarkable chair there"
said the king chow does it happen
that chair can talk ?'
at was not the chair, your majesty"
said the woman, frightened at having
told her secret. 81 answered myself"
"Why, then, did you call on the
chair ?" asked the king.
"Oh, that is q foolish way l have of
talking" returned the woman.
"Will you sell me the chair?" asked
the king, again.
"Oh, your majesty, dare not" said d
he woman. at was my great.great-
at-great grand. fathers chair; and
when dying, he declared that if the
chair ever went out of the family, all
our luck would so with it,"
OF course the king did not believe
word of this; and when the woman
went out of the room, he sat down in
the chair aud said
"Intery, mintery, cutlery, corn Then
getting up he asked the.chair, "Chair,
what did l say Just now 2"
"Intery, mintery, cutlery, corn an
swered the chair, at once.
SO the king, being sure that the chair
could talk, went away; but the next
day he came with his officers of the
court, and said to the woman.
"Will you sell me your great-great-
great. great grandfather chair 10 day p
"Alas!" said the woman, "I have
told your majesty that cannot"
"Chair," asked the king, "what did
the last person who sat down in you
say ?"
"Oh, what il great fool the king is -
replied The chair.
"It is not trus. l said nothing of the
sort !" cried the woman.
at is true" said the king, and you
shall go to prison for it. For the chair,
| will take care of it myself"
And so he had it brought home to
his place, and placed it in his receiving
room.
No one thought anything about the
chair, it was such plain affair; but it
also looked so comfortable, that nearly
every one sat down in it. So the king
observed who sat in it last, and shut
ting all the doors, asked the chair:
"Chair, what did the Lord High Fiddle
sticks say, when he whispered TO the
Dame of the Powder. closet ?"
"He said that your majesty was a
greater simpleton than ever" answer
ed the chair.
"I don't believe i'll" cried the king,
very angry; but, of course, the chair
had nothing to say to that.
The king, who had always thought
himself the wisest of men, could not
forget what the chair had said. He was
also just as anxious to know why it was
that the Lord High Fiddlest ticks
thought him such simpleton. He |
tried to remember what silly things he
had done; but, on looking back, all his
actions seemed to him remarkably Gle
ver In short, he SO tormented himself
that he did not get wink of sleep that
night. The next day it happened that
a beautiful princess, whom the king de-
sired to marry, sat down in the chair,
and sat there long time, and, ofcourse,
the king was even more anxious than
before to hear what the chair had to
say.
''She said," answered the chair, that
she really must go home, for that you
gave her no peace, but worried her
continually, by trying to make love to
her."
81 do not believe itn roared the
king 81 do not believe it ~ but of |
course, the chair was mum, rs before.
The next day, the princess happened
to sit in the chair again, and the king |
was just as anxious to know what she
had said as before.
"She said," answered the chair, "that |
she was ready TO die Of laughing when
ever she saw you; that you had the |
grace of an elephant and the politeness
of bear; and she only wished that you
could see, yourself, how stupid and |
disagreeabIe you seemed to others ~
The king was 50 afflicted 60 hear thi
that he forgot even to be angry; but |
seeing, few days after, his best and |
dearest friend seat himself he came
once more to ask the chair what had |
been said.
HE said" answered the chair, "that
you were tyrant; that you had reign.
ed too long, and your people were tired |
OF you, and that he would soon take |
your crown away from you"
II do not believe it," called out the |
king, but the chair was mum, as be- |
fore.
Then the king flew into a violet rage. |
Miserable thingW he said to the |
chair, you have made me unhappy for
the whole of my life"
And, seizing a hammer he broke the
chair into bits, and threw the pieces into
the fire, so that the chair was of little
service, after all.