Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-12-11
ed Bobbie, "and never came back any

| ed BoDDle, 'and never came back any
more
Though as long as she lived, the
princess thought he would, and waited
for him, said Mary.
Bobb;e always looked solemn when
they came to this part of the story. In
some inexplicable way he thought that
he could remember the princess, and
that he had known her. hnl had not
her eyes been brown as his Mary's!
81 feel sorry for the princess, he said.
/ Then Mary kissed him.
lie jingled his pennies once more.
"DO you think pen-wipcrs are nice,
Mary?'
"Very nice" said his sister; ''and
those little red and black ones around
the corner are just beautiful
'Ain't theyW cried the delighted
Bobbic. "Two little black blocks and
one little red one. Oh, Mary, but they're
five cents, and I've only got four!"
She held out the coveted penny.
81 think Katie Smith might like one
for Christmas gift"
ooh, no, no, noh shouted Bobbic
"but it's not for Katie Smith; it's for"
Then he put both hands over his foolish
little mouth and chuckled softly.
YOU'D better go away, or you might
tell me Secrets" laughed Mary.
And Bobbic, chuckling harder than
ever, ran out into the street.
The little old lady who kept the little
old shop where he had spicd the pen.
wlpcrs, was very busy that afternoon.
The tiny place was full of old-fashioned
people who were buying her scarlet nit.
tens, or her dainty tasseled hoods and
jackets, or even the glass eyed canton
flannel elephants that stood in her win
dows and stared out at the naughty
world.
Bobbic slipped into corner, away
from the crowd of bustling people and
looked on.
Presently the door-bcll tinklcd, and
another customer came in. lie was o
tall man with II very brown face, and he
wore a shaggy coat that fell down to his
heels. lie stood there at the door and
scanned the faces of the buyers, one by
one. Then he caught Bobbie's eyes, and
smiled down at him.
"Im looking for somebody, he said,
"but can't find her at all" Now the
smile died out of his face and sad look
came instead.
A queer idea was in Bobbie's head
lie looked up at the shaggy man and
said wistfully:
"Are you the prnce2 Are you look.
ing for the princess9 Did you go away
| and never come back any more, till now?''
"Who told you that?" asked thu
shaggy man.
''My sister" said Bobbie; "its a story.
once there was prince and he loved
the princess; but he went away and
never came back any more.n
'Ihat's sad story" said the shaggy
man.
Its good enough for Happy Court, u
said Bobbie; and, oh, but that was a
wise thing for him to say.
"There's only Mary and me-" he be,
gan, but just then the o!d lady called,
And what can do for you, sir?" and
he went forward to buy his little red and
black pen n-wiper.
He looked very important as he trotted
out into the street, with his precious
present tied up carefully in pink blottng
paper. lie opened a corner of the tiny
package, and let the man who had fol-
lowed him take peep at it.
"lt's for my sister. Amt it beautiful
Tor only five centsW
every" said the man, gravely. "Win
she use it often-does she write a great
deal-your sister2"
"Well, no." said Bobbie, looking q
shadow less happy, "but-n and his face
lit up again-''shc used to, when we
didn't live in Happy Court; letters and
letters, and they went out to big shin
i'll the waterway off over the water"
Now they had reached the corner o.
Happy Court.
"Good-bye, "said Bobbic, blithely. But
the man caught him fast by the arm.
'Little boy" he said. ''havent seen
you somewhere beforc9 Now tell me
true"
"No, you haven't" said Bobbie,
promptly; "and never saw you either. i
"Well, said the shaggy man, 81 guess
am fool. Merry Christmas, laddie p
Down the Court, through the windy
yellow light and the falling dead leaves
ran Bobbie as fast as he could. But the
man followed him. He followed him M
the rickety stairs aud to the very door Of
the shabby little room.
ooh, Mary" cried Bobbic, "it's Just
be au-tifulm
Mary's head came out of the darkness
by the cupboard door.
"Well, Bobbie, she began-but ther,
she stopped and stood as still as {
stone.
'And the prince came back again,
said the shaggy man from the door
way.
Then something wonderful happened
Bobbie saw it with his own two beautiful
eyes. The shaggy man took Mary intC
his arms, and she put her head down on
his shoulder and cried as Bobbie haG
never heard her cry before. And the
shaggy man kissed her, and kept on kiss
ing her, and he told the strangest story
to Bobbie and her.
II was about ship and a storm and
an island all alone in the sea. l; wa.
about letters unanswered and long spell
oil sickness and weary months of seeking
1t was all about the prince who came
back once more to the beautiful faith
ful princess. $50 they married, and
were happy ever after - Lisette Wood
sOorth Reese, IN 81. Louis Magazine.