The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-04-27
MORAL.

You very soon will rue it.
So Jack-in-the-PUipit," 81. Nicholas for Nay.
The King of Nimporte's Meetingswith His
Bride.
Once upon time-if my memory
serves me correctly it was in the year 81
His Intensely-Serene-a and Altogether
Perfectly-Astoundin Highness the King
of Nimporte was reclining in his royal
palace. The casual observer Though it
must be said that casual observers were
as rigidly excluded from the palace OF
Nimporte as if they had been tramps)
ty was displeased.
The fact is, if His Majesty had been a
little boy, he would have been whipped
and sent to bed for the sulks; but, even
during this early period of which am
writing, the strangeness of things had
reached such pitch that, in the very
moment at which this story opens, the
King of Nimporte arose from his couch,
seized by the shoulders his Grand Vizier
(who was not at all in the sulks, but was
endeavoring, as best he could, to smile
from the crown of his head to the soles
of his feet, and kicked him down stairs
As the Grand Vizier reached the lowest
step III the course Of his tumble, a courier
covered with dust was in the act of put
ting his foot upon the same. But the
force of the Grand Vizier's fall was such
as 20 knock both the courier's legs from
under him and as, in the meantime, the
Grand Vizier had wildly clasped his arms
around the courier's body, to arrest his
own descent, the result was such n mis-
cellaneous rolling of the two men that
for q moment no one was able to distin-
guish which legs belonged to the Grand
Vizier and which to the courier
Has she arrived ?" asked the Grand
Vizier, as soon as his breath came.
"Yes," said the courier, already
Fastening up the stairs.
At this magic word, the Grand Vizie1
again threw his arms around the courier,
kissed him, released him, whirled him.
self about like teetotum, leaped into
the air and cracked his heels thrice be-
fore again touching the earth, and said
"Alah be praised Perhaps now we
shall have some peace in the palace.
In truth, the King of Nimporte had
been waiting two hours for his bride
whom he had never seen; for, accord
ing to custom, one of his great lords hao
father. where he had married her by
proxy for his royal master, and whence
he was now conducting her to the pal
ace. For two hours the King of MIN
porte had been waiting for courier t.
arrive and announce to him that the
cavalcade was on its last days marcel
over the plain, and was fast approaching
the city.
As soon as the courier had delivered
his message, the King kicked him down
stairs (for not arriving sooner, Hi
Majesty incidentally remarked), and or
dered the Grand Vizier to cause tn At
strip of velvet carpet should be laid iron
the front door of the grand palace, ex
tending half-mile down the street il
the direction of the road by which tin
cavalcade was approaching; adding tina
it was his royal intention to walk thi
distance, for the purpose of giving hi
bride more honorable reception thai
any bride of any King of Nimporte Ina.
ever before received.
7 The Grand Vizier lost no time in carry
ing out his instructions, and in shoi
time the King appeared stepping alon
the carpet in the stateliest manner, fo
lowed by vast and glittering retinue c
courtiers, and encompassed by multi
tudes of citizens who had crowded to sc
the pageant.
AS the King, bareheaded and bare
footed (for at this time everybody wei
barefoot in Nimporte), approached til
end of the carpet. he caught sight of hi
bride, who wass but a few yards distaI
on her milk-white palfrey.
Her appearance was so ravishingl
beautiful that the King seemed at fir
dazed, like man who has looked at I'll
sun: but, quickly recovering his wit
he threw himself forward, III the ardC
of his admiration, with the intention
running to his bride and dropping O
one knee at her stirrup, while he woul
gaze into her face with adoring humilit,
And as the King rushed forward wit
this impulse the populace cheered wit
the widest enthusiasm ut finding hi
thus capable of the feelings of an ord
nary man.
But in an instant a scene of the wilde
commotion ensued. At the very fir
step which the King took beyond the Ell
of the carpet his face grew sudden
white. and, with loud cry of pain,
fell fainting to the earth. He was imm
diately surrounded by the anxious cour
iers: and the court physician, after fee
ing his pulse for several minutes, al
induiring very carefully of the Graz
Vizier whether His Majesty had on tn
day eaten any green fruit, was in the a
of announcing that it was a violent 9
tack of very Greek disease, indee
when the bride (who had dismounted al
run 10 her royal lord with wifely devotio
called the attention of the excited coul