Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-09-20
The Queen Bee...a German Fairy Tale.

Two kings sons once upon time went out
into the world to seek their fortunes but
they soon fell into a wasteful, foolish way of
living, that they could not return home
again. Then their young brother, who was
little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for
his brothers; and when he had found them
they only laughed at him, to think that he,
who was so young and simple, should try 10
travel through the world, when they, who
were so much wiser, had been unable to get
on. However, they all set out on their jour
ney together and came at last to an ant-hill.
The two elder brothers would have pulled it
down, in order to see how the poor ants in
their fright would run about and carry off
their eggs. But the little dwarf said, 'Let
the poor little things enjoy themselves. 1
will not suffer you to trouble them"
So ON they went, aud came to lake where
many ducks were swimming about The two
brothers wanted to catch two, and roast them.
But the dwarf said, Let the poor things en-
JOY themselves; you shall not kill them"
Next they came to bees'-nest in hollow
tree, and there was so much honey that it ran
down the trunk and the two brothers want
ed to light fire under the tree and kill the
bees, so rs to get their honey. But the dwarf
held them back and said, LET the pretty in
sects enjoy themselves, cannot let you burn
them"
At length the three brothers came to a cas-
tie, and, as they passed by the stables, they
saw fine horses standing there, but all were
of marble, and no man was to be seen. Then
they went through all the rooms, till they
came to a door on which were three locks
but in the middle of the door was q wicket
so that they could look into the next room.
There they saw little gray old man sitting
at a table, and they called to him once or
twice, but he did not hear; however, they
called a third time and then he arose and
came out to them.
He said nothing, but took hold of them and
led them to a beautiful table covered with all
sorts of good things. And when they had
eaten and drunk he showed each of them to
a bedchamber
The next morning he came to the eldest
and took him to marble table, where were
three tablets, containing an account of the
means by which the castle might be disen-
chanted.
The first tablet said: 'In the woods, un-
der the moss, lie the thousand pearls belong
ing to the kings daughter; they must all be
found, and if one be missing by set of sun,
he who seeks them will be turned into mar
ble."
The eldest brother set out and sought for
the pearls the whole day but the evening
came and he had not found the first hundred.
So he was turned into stone as the tablets had
foretold.
The next day the second brother under
took the task. But he succeeded no better
than the first, for he could only find the sec
ond hundred of the pearls, and, therefore, he
too was turned into stone.
At last came the little dwarfs turn, and he
looked i'll the moss. But it was so hard-to
lind the pearls, and the job was so tiresome
So he sat down upon stone and cried.
And as he sat there the king of the ants
(whose life he had saved came to help him
with five thousand ants and it was not long
before they had found all the pearls and laid
them in heap.
The second tablet said The key of the
princess's bed chamber must be tished up out
of the lake"
And as the dwarf came TO the brink of the
lake he saw the two ducks, whose lives he
had saved, swimming about. And they dived
down and soon brought up the key from the
bottom.
The third task was the hardest 1t was to
choose out the youngest and the best of the
kings three daughters. Now they were all
beautiful and all exactly alike. But he was
told that the eldest had eaten piece of sug-
ar the next some sweet syrup and the young
est n spoonful of honey; so he was to guess
which it was that had eaten the honey.
Then came the queen of bees, who had
been saved by the little dwarf from the fire;
and she tried the lips of all three but at last
she sat upon the lips of the one that had eat
en- the honey; and SO the dwarf knew which
was the youngest. Thus the old spell was
broken, and all who had been turned into
stones awoke and took their proper forms.
And the dwarf married the youngest and the
best of the princesses and was king after her
fathers death but his two brothers married
the other two sisters