The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-25
FOR THE YOUNG FOLKS.

A Pretty Story of Hundreds of Years Ago.
Springfield Republican.
Away off In the beautiful country of Greece.
long. long time ago. there lived little maiden,
the daughter of king Her name was Gorge
not very pretty name, perhaps, to US, VINO
are used to cal my little girls Maud, ana EtneL
and Helen. but strong name. and therefore quite
appropriate TO the little maid who bore IL, as you
shall see. In those old times there used TO De
many wars. and the country of Sparta, the part
OF Greece where Gorge lived. was famous FOR It's
brave warriors. whonever thought for moment
of their own safety when their country was IN
danger Sometimes these were not good wars,
but wars for spite and revenge instead of for
freedom and for loyalty to beautiful Greece.
Some wicked man would wish to avenge an in
jury he had received, and in order to do thie he
would go about among the different Kingdoms
and persuade the rulers to join with him and
try to overcome his enemy, and then there
would be terrible bloodshed in order to satisfy
one wicked mans revenge. Aristagoras was
such man as this. He was dissatisfied with
his king and wished to become king himself in
stead. One day he came to Sparta en- this evil
errand, and tried to persuade King Cleomenes,
the father of little Gorge, to help his base
project. He talked with the king long time.
He promised him power, and honor, and mouey
If he would do as he wished; more and mcre
money. and as the king refused. still more and
more money he offered, and at last the king
almost consented.
But it had happened that when Aristagoras
had come into the presence of the King, the
Kings little daughter was standing by his side
with her hand in his Aristagoras wanted Gle
omenes to send her away, for he knew very we'll
that it is much harder to induce man to do
something wrong when there is dear little child
at his side. But the King had said: 'No: say
what you have to say in her presence, too" And
so little Gorge had sat at her fathers feet. look
ing up into his face with her innocent eyes and
listening intently to all that was said She felt
that something was wrong and when she saw
her father look troubled, and hesitate, and cast
down his eyes, she knew the strange visitor was
trying to make him do something he did not
quite want to do. She stole her little hand softly
into her fathers and said:
Papa, come away; come, or this strange man
will make you do wrong"
This made the King feel strong again, and,
clasping the little maids hand tightly in his own,
he rose and left the tempter. and went away
with the child who had saved him and his coun
try from dishonor. Gorge was only ten years
old then, but she was worthy to be kings
daughter, because. being good and true herself.
she helped her father to be good and true also.
When she grew to be- woman she became the
wife of king, and then she showed herself as
noble queen she had been princess Her
husband was that King Leondds VINO stood IN
the narrow pass of Thermopyl4, with his small
army, and fought back the great hosts OF the
Persians, until he and all his heroic band were
killed But before this happened there was
time when the Grecians did not know that the
great Persian army was coming to try and de
stroy them. and a friend of theirs, who was a
prisoner in the country where the great Xerxes
lived, wislling to warn the Spartans of the COM
ing OF the Persians so they might prepare, sent
a messenger to King Leonidas. But when the
messenger arrived all he had to show for his
message BARE white waXen tablet The
King ard all the lords puzzled over this strange
tablet long time. but could make nothing out
of it. At last they began to think it was done
for a jest and cid not mean anything.
But just then the young Queen Gorge said:
''Let me take it," and after looking it all over she
exclaimed: There must be some writing IN
derneath the wax!'
They scraped away the wax from the tablet.
and there, sure enough, written on the wood be-
meath. was the message of the Grecian prisoner
and his warning to King Leonidas.
Thus Gorge helped her country second time,
for If the SpartanS had not known that the trmy
coming they could not have warned the
other kingdoms, and perhaps the Persians would
not have been conquered. But as it was, Leon
idas and the other kings called their armies to-
gether and when the Persian host came sweep
ing over the plains the Greeks were ready to
meet them and to fight and die for their beauti
full Greece.
So this one little maid of hundreds of years
ago, princess and queen. helped to save her
father from disgrace and her country from ruin.
And we may feel sure that she was strong and
true to the last, even when her brave husband,
Leonidas, lay dead in the fearful pass of Their
mopyla. and she was left to mourn In the royal
palace at Sparta.