Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-04-05

cess. She was only eight years old,
but she WIS reigning. She had taken
away the power from her father and
mother, for she had will, and then she
was extraordinarily beautiful-and rude.
just as soon as the flea had presented
arms and fired of the cannon, she was so
enraptured with him that she said, 'Him
or nobody ~ She became quite wild with
love and was already wild in other ways.
Sweet, little, sensible child!" said her
own father. "If one could only first make
a man of him!''
"Leave that to me, old man." said she,
and that was not well said by little Prin-
cess when talking with her father, but she
was wild. She set the flea on her white
hand.
SNOW you are man, reigning with me,
but you shall do what want you to, or
else I'll kill you and eat the Professor"
The Professor had great hall to live in.
The walls we're made of sugar-cane, and
he could lick them, but he was not
sweet-tooth. He had hammock to sleep
in. 1t was as if he were lying in bal
loon, such as he always wished for him
self-that was his constant thought.
The flea lived with the Princess, sat
upon her delicate hand and upon her
white neck. She had taken a hair from
the fiea's leg, and so she kept him tied to
the great red coral drop which she wore in
her ear-tip. What delightful time the
Princess had, and the flea too, she
thought, but the Professor was not very
comfortable. He was traveller; he liked
to drive from town to town, and read
about his perseverance and cleverness in
teaching q flea to do what men do. But
he got out of and into his hammock,
lounged about and had good feeding, fresh
bird's-eggs, elephants eyes and roast
giraffe. People that eat men do not live
entirely on cooked men-no, that Is
great delicacy.
"Shoulder of children with sharp
sauce" said the Princess's mother, sis
the most delicate"
The Professor was tired of it all and
J would rather GO away from the wild land.
bat he must have his flea with him, for
that was his prodigy, and his bread and
butter. How was he to get hold of him
That was no easy matter. He strained
all his wits, and then he said,
snow have it."
''Prit cess's Father! grant me a favor.
May summon your subjects to present
themselves before your Royal Highness
That is what is called Ceremony in the
high and mighty countries of the world.
HCan l, too, learn to do thatg' asked
the Princess's father.
"That is not quite proper" replied the
Professor; "but shall teach your wild
Partnership to fire cannon off. 1t goes
off with bang. One sits high up aloft,
and then off it goes or down he comes"
"Let me crack 1t Off" said the Prin.
cess's father. But in all the land there
was no cannon except the one the flea hsd
brought, and that was so very small.
Professor. aOniy give me the means.
must have fine silk stuff, needle ant
thread, rope and cord, together with cor
dial drops for the bslloon, they blow one
up so easily and give one the heaves; they
are what make the report in the cannon's
, inside"
"By all means,' said the Princess''
father, and gave him what he called for
All the court and the entire population
came together 10 see the great cannon
cast. The Professor did not summon
|, them before he had the balloon entirely
, ready to he filled and go up. The flea sa
, on the Princess's hand and looked on
The balloon was filled, it bulged out ant
could scarcely be held down, SO violen
did it become.
. II must have 1t up in the air before it ca
be cooled of" !" said the Professor, and too
: his seat in the car which hung below
"But 4 cannot manage and steer 1t alone
t must have skillful companion along {
r help me. There is no one here that ca
j do that except the flea"
81 am not very willing to let him. - sal
the Princess, but still she reached out an
handed the flea to the Professor, VIII
" placed him on his hand.
:, "Let go the cords and ropes"
I, shouted. "Now the balloons going.
! They thought he said "the cannon" an
n SO the balloon went higher and higher, q
n above the clouds, far away from the vii
/; land.
,e The little Princess, all the family an
I. the people sat and waited-they are wal
:. ing still; and if you do not believe it, ju
n take journey to the wild land; evei
le child there talks about the Professor an
,e the flea, and believes that they are comir
: back when the cannon is cooled off; b.
IA they will not come, they are a. home Wi
I. us. they are in their native country, the
d travel on the railway, first class, N
Is fourth they have good success, a gre
re- balloon. Nobody asks how they got the
a. balloon or where it came from: they a
is rich folks now, quite respectable folk
" indeed-the flea and the Professor!-Ha
n Christian Andersen in Scri6ner's for Apr
10 A Jewish Legend.