The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-05-11
A LITTLE PRINCE OF FAR COUN
TRY.
by FANNIE ROPER FEUDGE.

ties borne by the late King Of Siam dur
ing his childhood; and I will tell you how
he came by it. A hair-pin, in oriental
lands, is a very important, a very cost
y, end ~ very honorable portion of a
princes dress. 1t is important because
used to confine a long tuft of hair on
the foretop of the head that would
otherwise hang i~nconveniently before
the eyes; costly, because composed of
pure gold, and set with diamonds,
pearls, and other precious stones; and
honorable, because the head of an
Eastern Prince is always deemed
sacred, and whatever comes in contact
with 1t is thereby rendered holy. So
when a loving father gives to his darling
little son the name of Chau Chudha
Mani, or "Royal Hair Pin," you will
readily believe that it meant something
more than mere caprice. King Phin
Den Klang, the father, did not take Il
queen until late in life, and he was quite
an old man when his two little sons
were born. They were named re-
spectively Chau Fa Yai, exalted
Prince the Elder" and Chau Fa moi,
Exalted Prince the Younger" but the
titles by which they were always ad-
dressed in their youth were Chau Fa
Mongkut, "Royal Crown" and Chau
Chudha Mani, "Royal Hair Pin" the
two most sacred objects the old King
could think of indicative of his tender
regard for his dear little sons.
They were lovely, black-eyed little
boys-the elder quiet, thoughtful, and
studiOus, and the younger brave, ardent
and very alfectionate in disposition. 1t
is of the second, especially, that | wish
to tell you in this little SKETCH and there
are many incidents told of his boyish
life that are more honorable than his
lofty titles; and traits of character that
far outshone his princely rank. l learn
ed many of these incidents from an old
priest who used often to visit ne when
| was living at the Siamese cap tai. He
had been one of the tutors of t c royal
boy, and he seemed never weary of tell
ing how wise and good and gracious his
little pupil had always been.
Once when the little "Hair lin" was
only six years old, as he sat pt rched on
i.iD fauhOi.o hiiov cnJoyi.s his ~s.aI
romp before retiring for the night, one
of the judges camein to learn the Kings
pleasure in regard to a daring robber
who had been taken with great difficulty
and after the f~iercest resistance. The
sovereign and the judge conversed to-
gether for some time, the judge advis-
ing the immediate execution of the
criminal, and the King, agreeing that
he deserved no mercy, was about to give
orders for the fatal sentence to be car
ried out. The little Prince, who had
been listening attentively to every word
of the conversation, now burst into
tears, and, clasping his dimplcd arms
about his fathers neck, said: "Please,
papa, don't kill the poor bad man. l
will take him for mt of my boatmen,
and teach him to be good" Then
turning to the culprit, who lay pros
trate, in shame and terror, at the lower
end of the saloon, the sweet child said,
entreatingly: "You won't be wicked
any more will youP" So the
wee Prince became security for the
daring robber, and he was p~ardoned.
The King and every body else thought
the bad man would be sure to go on in
his evil courses but they were all mis-
taken. He began a new life from that
very hour, and lived to old age a faith
full and trusted follower of the noble
young master who had saved his life
and believed his promises to reform.
Not very long after this, while the lit
tie Prince was out in his boat for an
airing on the river, his boatmen care
lessly upset a small sampan that con-
tanned a peddler of glass and crockery,
with his entire stock in trade. The
man was not hurt, for these natives all
swim, but his whole fortune, being in
vested in the frail wares he carried in
his boat, was lost by the unlucky acct
dent. The royal child, with a thought
f~ulness beyond his years, observed the
whole affair, and babe his own boatmen
turn about and row toward the spot
where the poor peddlel having just sue
cesded in righting his little craft and
getting aboard, sat in bewildered grief
gazing down at the depths where lay
all his lost treasures. Gently address
ing the poor man, the little Prince babe
him present himself at the royal palace
within an hour; and then ordered his
own boat home, though he had just set
out for al afternoons recreation. Az
ter consulting his mother and gaining
her permission, he placed himself, with
a purse of bright silver ticals-probably
twice the value of the submerged crock
ery-at one of the doors of the palace.
Soon the poor man made his appear
ance, trembling with fear, expecting,
no doubt, a severe reprimand, if moth
ing worse, for daring to cross the path
of so great a parsonage as the son OF
his King. You may Judge, Their, his as
constituent on hearing the little Prince
say how sorry he was for the accident,
and his still greater joy on being pre-
sented with more bright silver coins
than he had probably ever seen at one
time in his whole life.
! When a few years older, Prince
Hair Pin" was one morning seated in
his gilded sedan chair, and being borne
in state to visit his mothers lotus gar
dens. The Queen was already in her
lovely pavilion surrounded by her low-
ers, and eagerly expecting the arrival
Of the sons she loved so fondly, when to