The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-07-07
me seel What

supper, said she. "Let me see! What
is he fond Off
At that moment one of the pages came
into the kitchen carrying cage full of
blackbirds. He had seen flock of them
twittering at the window at the palace
nursery, and had caught them by put
ting salt on their tails, little thinking
who they we're.
"The very thingl" cried the cook.
6" His Majesty likes nothing better than
blackbird pie. Polly, put the kettle,
on, and fetch me ont the rolling PIN"
Then she proceeded to make tho black
birds-and four. and-twenty there were
of them exactly-into .rie, paying no
attention to the way in which they
scratched and hoped about and looked
up to her face, trying to let her know
that they were the young princes and
p-incesses.
In the meanwhile messages were ar.
irving every five minutes at the palace,
cabs, letters, kilograms, couriers, but
none brought good news. The royal
children were nowhere to be found, and
it was supposed that they had all gone
to slide and fallen into the water. Many
persons, however, did not believe this,
as it was the height of summer and there
was no ice. Some suggested that they
had gone ont in boat, but there wasn't
boat within twenty miles of the palace.
Then, again, ii was mentioned as likely
that they had been eaten up by wild
beast, though wild beasts were not
known in that country, except at the
geological gardens. Four regiments of
infantry, two of cavalry, and twenty
cannons were sent out at once to scour
the woods, and nobody in the palace
would go TO bed until something was
known for certain of the fate of the poor
princes and princesses.
At length, in spite of his grief, the
King began to feel rather hungry, and
supper was ordered. Among other
things, the blackbird pie was put On the
table, and the Lord High CHAMBERLAIN
took knife and fork, and set to work
cutting it open to the sound of slow
music, as was the custom at all the royal
banquets. And now most extraortli-
nary thing happened.
Four-and-t twenty blackbirds popped
their heads out of the pie dish, and be-
gan 20 sing so beautifully and tenderly
that all present would have been de-
lighted if they had not been too much
alarmed. The ladies of the court
shrieked, the lords stared and grasped
the hilts of their swords. The King and
! Gu Ell started up in amazement, asking
each other what this might mean. Only
little Y recognized the voices of her
brothers and sisters, and bent over the
pie, crying bitterly.
And now was seen still more extraor-
binary thing-the most extraordinary
thing that ever happened in that coun-
| try. AS fast as Y's tears fell on each of
the birds their human shape came back
to them, and soon the whole four and
twenty princes and princesses were flock
ing round their father and mother and
thanking Y for having set them free from
this terrible enchantment. 1t was Y who
had done it, for the tears of love and
pity are far more powerful than the
strongest arts of the most wicked witches.
Now imagine the delight of every
body; how the King and Queen
kissed their children thousand times
how all the royal family sat up to
supper, and had cake and honey and
lemonade how the bells were rung for
JOY over the whole kingdom how the
soldiers and policemen who had taken
part in the search were treated to beef
and beer in the kitchen of the palace
how it was ordered that in honor of the
event the school-boys and schoolgirls
throughout the land should from that
day have three months extra HOLIDAYS
every year and how their young Royal
Highnesses grew up without any further
misfortune, and lived happily all the
rest of their days. 1t is supposed that
they were the original Inventors of
"Spelling Bees" which should properly
be called the Game of the Spelling
Blackbirds.