The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1884-01-25

| ueioIe bdlu I1dSuTger. AFTER Ill, you
learned folks are very stupid in everyday
matters. OF course I'll have the royal road
to learning found Immediately"
Then the Prince called for all the chief men
OF his kingdom, and held great consulta
ton, and sent horsemen and heralds all over
his dominions, to offer large rewards to any
one who would give information about this
particular route
Meantime" said the Prince, thoughtful
ly, what can be doneP AS child, whenever
l was naughty they used to fetch another
little boy and whip hm-perhaps if some
body else learned for me that would do Just
as well. Juet try it on my chamberlain"
81 will do as you desire, of course, Prince"
| returned the hermit; "but / fear however
much the chamberlain learns, you won't feel
| any cleverer for it,"
TRY, at any rate" said the Prince.
80 the chamberlain, who was an old gen
| tleman OF about seventy, was at once put
| through course of ancient and modern his
tory, geography, botany, conchology, astrol-
ogy and philosophy, and the Prince insisted
| upon his studying from six in the morning
| till eleven at night. The consequence was
that in about week the old chamberlain was
| almost out of his mind.
AT length the messengers came back from
their fruitless errand. They couldn't find the
royal road to learning anywhere, nor hear
any tidings oft.
Then the Prince sent out an army to scour
| the country.
ut is to be found somewhere" said he,
land l will have it found, so it's no good
talking"
At last news was brought the Prince that
| certain witch or wise woman living at the
| other end of his kingdom knew something
| about it.
Bring her here this minute" cried the
Prince. "Pll soon get it out of her. l must
| find the royal road to learning, for after all
it's quite true that l don't feel the least bit
cleverer for all the stuff that has been cram.
med into the head Of that dolt my chamber
lain"
The wise woman trembled very much when
she was brought before the young Prince,
who was on his throne surrounded by his
court, to receive her in great pomp and state.
He was very gracious.
II hear that you have found out this road
for which l am searching. Tell me all you
know about it, and will make You rich and
powerful"
"Riches and power" said the old woman,
have little attraction for those who are on
the verge of the grave, mighty Prince. But
if can aid you in any way will.
There's a good old soul p cried the young
man. "1f you weren't quite SO old and so
ugly. I'd marry you and make a queen of
you"
Youth and wisdom are seldom found to-
tiously.
well now-tell us about the road Where
is it ?" said the Prince, eagerly,
THE way, great Prince, leads through the
valley of humility, and the path is up the
ladder Ofpatience, and across the wide, bar
rem plains of perseverance, and"
Goodness me" exclaimed the Prince, in.
terrupting, sit would take month to get
there?"
MANY months, your Highness."
well, you must take me there We'll make
q sort of Summer excursion of it."
The old woman shook her head.
You won't ?" asked the Prince, angrily.
| can't, Sir. This is a path that each one
must find for himself"
Have you been there YOURSELF" demand
ed the Prince
81 have"
And do you mean that you dare to stand
there, you wicked old woman, and refuse to
show me? What business have you to find
out secret ways in my kingdom that you keep
all to yourself?"
II can point out the way, Prince but
can not lead you there, or 60 with you, said
she.
Take her away, and chop off her head i'm.
medalely," cried the Prince in great rage
'she's an imposter and cheat, Just like the
man who pretended he knew the way to the
waterfall, when we were out hunting last
OF my boots and caught cold. Chop off her
head this minute l say She ,retends to
know the way, and she doesn't bit"
81 have told you Sire"
Rubbish cried the Prince "a parcel of
directions that couldn't make head or tail
of. You want to lead me into another bog,
that l may lose another boot. Cut of her
head l say, or shall think you are all in
a plot against me"
After the old womans head was off, the
Prince bethought him that it would have
been better, after all, if he bad been little
more coaxing with her.
II might have got more out of her" he
said, land yet feel sure she was only an i'm
poster If she's really found out the royal
road, and she'd have been willing enough to
take me there, you may be sure"
Now that her head was off the wise woman
certainly could not tell the Prince any more
about it, and if she had really discovered such
a road as the Prince fancied, the secret died
with her, for no one since has so much as
lighted upon vestige of it.
The Prince, after considerable time, and
after he had beheaded half his ministers for
stupidity, gave up tho search, and died as he
had lived, Ounce.
Alice went on with her music lessons, and
practiced every day for half an hour-and Il
very long-half hour it seemed sometimes, es-
pecially when Rover hung around waiting
for a romp with her in the garden. But she
really made steady progress, and her mother
was quite proud of her little pupil
The scales were the worst things, especial
ly 'horrid minors" as Alice called them,
that didn't go up and down the same"
"Mother," she said one day, when she was
struggling very hard over G sharp minor
and her fingers absolutely refused to go upon
the right notes, mother, l think 1 must be on
royal road to learning, for I'm sure this is the
the Ladder of Patience"
yes" said her mother, "and if you follow
the track across the Plains of Perseverance,
l shall be very much surprised if you don't
find yourselfin the grand Castle of Success"
CANNED FRUIT IN PoMPEn.-It is singular