Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-11-16

er be quiet till the Fruit King himself catches
you"
Pooh the Fruit King :" said the naughty
boy, scornfully, and snapped his fingers :;
what nonsense you do talk"
Bang and down came big, f.ripe ap.
pie exactly upon his nose and made it bleed
Sigismund looked up at the tree in puzzled
way, and then of he ran.
Some days afterward Sigismund's parents
were invited out, and they were hardly gone
before he saw through the window the old
gardener setting out for the city, and the
man who helped take care of the garden fol
lowing him with a hand-cart full of bloom
ing house. plants. Such a good chance to
crafty his appetite had not offered itself for
long time. It was beautiful fall evening
The moon had risen, and lighted up with
wonderful distinctness the richly laden apple
and plum trees. Especially bright shone the
trellis yonder, hanging full of ripening
grapes Our Sigismund did not pause long
to consider He slipped slyly out of the
house into the flower garden, looking about
him to see if any servant girl were watching
him and when he was quite alone, one, two,
three, and he was over the palinR in the
neighboring garden. A few minutes later
and he was sitting comfortably on the broad
branches of plum tree, and filling his pock.
cts with the ripe, fragrant fruit he saw and
heard nothing to disturb him, and felt very
safe. Involuntarily he thought of the last
time, when the old man had caught him; and
laughing and eating he said, half aloud II
wonder if the Fruit King will catch me-"
"Yes, youngster, that he will" suddenly
answered very clear voice above him and
when he looked up, almost falling from the
tree with fright, he saw upon the highest
twig remarkable creature sitting 1t was
wee man, about the size of a large doll; his
head was nothing but great round apple !;
the black eyes we're two whortleberries the
nose was made from plum, and the mouth
of red cherries, which were parted and show
ed instead of teeth, a row of little white
cherry In the place of hair duAnti-
ties Of white currants hung like curly locks
about his head, which was crowned with
beautiful wreath woven of all kinds of fruit
blossoms. The body of the little man con.
sisted Of yellow, ribbed melon which had
hazel nuts for buttons. His short legs were
made OF long pears whose crooked stems
looked like tiny shoes. His arms we're great
clusters of grapes, and with the lowest grape
of the right hand be held little bit of grape
vine fast, the head Of which was adorned
with golden apricot. From the shoulders
of this Fruit King hung cloak woven of
trailing vines, and a chain of 6re-red cram
berries, like badge of honor, encircled his
neck.
Sigismund stared with wide-open eyes at
the little man sitting so cozily there, and who
now began to speak again.
Thou thoughtst there was no such person
as l in the world, didst thou, my son And
yet thou vert such lover of my subjects
That thou mayst know henceforth where
live, will now take thee to my dwelling"
mo, oh, no, Sir Fruit King" said Sgis.
mund, whining. II do not care to know,
and l would rather stay here"
II cannot help that" quoth the Fruit King
and hoped with springdown to the branch
on which Sigismund was covering and clasp
ed the boy around with his grape arms,
which were not soft at all, but felt hard as
the hardest grapevine. Then, with the
strugglug, crying boy, he began to spring
with great leaps from one fruit-tree to anoth
er across the garden into the next, away on,
on, far into the country into an unknown re.
gion. Sometimes he took fearful leaps, for
often the fruit trees we're miles apart, and
Sigismund grew so dizzy that ne could see
and hear nothing more.
When he came to his five senses again, the
Fruit King had let go of him, and he stood
in a strange looking place where he had new
er been before. 1t must have been the trop
ical lands of which he had heard and read so
much for the trees which grew here were
quite different from those at home. There
were tall palms, bread.fruit trees, and giant
ferns. There were burning-red Towering
bushes and broad-leaved shining rubber trees
in short new, strange world. In the midst
of the brood, green square stood a marvellous
house. The foundation was masonry of great
cocoanuts. On this firm base rose lighter
walls of red oranges and pomegranates, the
openings between which were filed up with
close packed figs. The roof was matched with
dates and Brazil nuts. There were no win
dows, but oval openings admitted light and
were festooned with punches of raisins. The
wide entrance was arched over with golden
yellow lemons which gave it a charming ap-
pearsnce.
The Fruit King was standing beneath this
arch. He motioned for Sigsmund to follow
him, which he did at once, for he was much
too anxious to offer any resistance. Yet he
expected no good from this invitation. The
inside of the house was even more inviting
than the outside. There was one great hall on
whose walls hung every sort of fruit that the
world gives. Each kind was also arranged
by itself in the most charming pyrAmidal
manner, and On the top of each pyramid sat
a little figure, mostly like little women, who
all wore vine mantles so that their persons
were hidden, but their heads bore a wonder.
full resemblance TO the fruits which each had
to guard. They all arose with low bows as
the Fruit King entered, and gszed with as
tonishment at the human child by their mas.
ter's side.
The Fruit King seized sigismund's hands
with his grape fingers, and said with empha-
sis:
81 have brought guest if any one recog-
nizes him, let him step forth"
With fabulous speed all the little creatures
who sat by the German fruits leaped from
their fruit pyramids, and, standing in a semi
circle around the trembling Sigismund, cried
with one voice
"We know him we know him! He is a
fruit thief he is a fruit thief He throws
stones at us He beats US with poles He
steals us He eats us !"
Then judge him." said the Fruit King
| grayely, as he sat down upon his throne, which
was built Of all manner of gilded fruit seeds.
Sigismund tremblsd and looked helplessly
at the curious company around him. They
were all little women-folk, except one little
mantle apple-who looked well-fed and
pompous. 1t was not he, however, but Mad
am Melon, who conducted the trial.
"What shall we do with him ?" asked Mad
am Melon, and shook her thick head.
"We will wall him in with nuts" cried the
little nut guardian; for she had hard head,
though her heart, If one could once get at 1t,
was quite sweet.
mo, we will pelt him with green apples, u
said the apple man with dignity.
"We might drown him in grape juice
suggested the proud grape girli "but no
that would be too royal death for a fruit
thief"
"How would it do to have our servants, the
twigsl beat him as long as he lives?" inquired
the prickly chestnut burr, who.was always in
ill.temper.
And so it went on.
Meantime two tiny little fruit maidens pui
their pretty heads together and whispered K
one another that it would be too cruel 10 put
the poor sinner to death. They were th'
tenderest-hearted creatures in the world, and
when they saw poor Sigismund's sorrowfu
face they had compassion on him.