The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-02-12

she did every night, until the servants
found how the food disappeared, and went
and told the kings son.
II see," said Basilopoulo. every we'll, /
will go and catch the thief"
So he went into the kitchen at mid
uight, and saw the little one come out,
and caught her in his arms. And the
kings son, seeing her so pretty and so
sweet, loved her and took her for his
wife.
Then the two sisters said to the Sun:
"Sun, dear Sun, which is now the fair
est one? Is it one of us or she whom we
poisoned?"
And the Sun replied: ut is your
sister, who has the kings son for her
husband"
Meanwhile Basilopoulo had been
obliged to 60 to war, and in his absense
the queen had son. One day a poor
woman came to her and asked to be al
lowed to live in the palace and nurse her
child. The queen did not recognize her
sister, and consented. Presently the sis
ter, whilst dressing the queens hair,
stuck an enchanted pin into her head,
and the queen was changed nto little
bird. Then the other took her garments
and put herself in her place.
When Basilopoulo returned he found
his wife greatly changed and took
strong dislike to her. So he spent the
whole day in room apart, with his child.
One day little bird flew into them and
fondled them both with it's wings, and
then it began to sing:
Sweet be the SUMMERS of the king!
Night bear his child on downy wing!
But let the gypsy woman lie
Full many an hour with sleepless eye!
One day the false qneen heard the
words and she said to Basilopoulo:
care you not going to tell some one to
kill this bird. which deafens US day after
days"
~ shall never give you that PLEASURE"
replied the King, "for while away my
time with that bird"
But the Queen pressed him every day
to kill it, and in the end, wearied out, he
let her have her way. She instantly
ordered her servants to seize the bird and
kill it, but they were to take care not to
let single drop of its blood fall to the
ground.
The servants did not attend to her, and
Il drop of blood fell down, and from this
drop tree OF great beauty grew up.
One day the King went into the garden,
and seeing this wonderful tree, sat down
under the shade of it's leaves. Then the
tree dropped down its long branches, clos
ing them about the King: and the King
was so much delighted that he did not
move from it, and returned every day to
sit there with his sen.
The Queen also took it ilto her head to
sit in the same place, but the tree, drop
ping its branches, parted its leaves and
pricked her with its thorns.
Then she turned to the King and asked
him to cut it down.
At first the King refused, but at last
he ended by consenting. so she ordered
her servants to cut it down by the roots,
and not to give the smallest piece to any
one.
An old woman, who was passing, ask
ed them to give her branch to light her
fire, but in vain. Then the old woman
snatched branch and ran away.
When she got home she forgot to put
it Oh the fire and left it in the corner.
Every morning the old woman went
out marketing. One day, when she came
back, she found the house put straight,
the fire lighted and the floors swept. She
asked her neighbors if they had not seen
any one enter the house, but no one had
done so. On the following day, and
every day afterwards, the same thing
took place.
Once she pretended to go out, ard hid
herself IN the house, in order to keep
watch. Then she saw woman, as beau
tiful as a Nereid, coming out of the
branch; and she Immediately clasped her
, in her arms.
After that these two women remained
together, and the elder one felt great
love for her companion, who was so
beautiful and so good.
The news spread about that the old
, woman had in her house lady as beauti
full as Nereid. The King himself heard
} of it and sent for the old woman to Ques-
ton her. Then the old woman told him
all that she knew.
Basilopoulo at once guessed that it was
his wife, and he sent for her.
So she told him from the beginning all
that had happened to her, and he i'm
mediately ordered that her sister should
be tied to two strong horses and that the
horses should be whipped until they had
torn her to pieces for having pretended
| to be the Queen.
And they lived very happily.
Choice Thoughts.