Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-01-01

that. Still, he would give Boots another
chance. Now there was the chief councillor,
who was the wisest man in all the world.
Did Boots think that he could fool him also ?
We'll, yee, Boots thought that 1t might be
done.
Very well; il be could befool the chief
councillor 70 ~ to bring him to the castle
the next morning against his will, Boots
should have the princess and the half of the
| kingdom II he did not do so he should have
! his beating.
Then Boots went away, and the king
| thought that be was rid of him now for good
and all.
As for the chief councillor, he was not
| pleased with the matter at all, for he did not
like the thought Of being fooled by a clever
| rogue, aud taken here and there against his
will. So when be had come home, he armed
all bis servants with blunderbusses, aud then
waited to give Boots warm welcome when
| he should come
But Boots was not going to fall into any
such trap as that No, indeed not he. The
next morning he went quietly and bought a
| fine large meal sack Then he put black
wig over his beautiful red hair, SO that no
one might know him. After that be went to
the place where the chief councillor lived,
aud when he had come there be crawled in
side OF the sack, and lay just beside the door
| OF the house.
By.and.by came one Of the ma i'd servants
to the door, and there lay the great M al sack
with somebody in it.
"Ach - cried she, "who il there 2"
but Boots only said, "Sh b h-h.hl"
Who are you Z" said she.
But Boots only said, "Sh -h-h-h.h!"
Then the serving maid went back into the
house and told the chief councillor that one
lay outside in a great meal sack, aud that all
be said was, "Sh-h h h.hi"
SO the councillor went himself to see what
It was all about What do YOU want here :"
said he
Bot Boots only said, "Sh-h h-h.h!"
What are you doing there 2" said the
chief councillor.
'Sh h.h.h-h :" said Boots II am not to
be talked to now. This is wisdom sack.
aud am learning wisdom as fast as one can
| pick peas.
And what wisdom have you learned ?"
| said the councillor.
Oh he bad learned wisdom about every
thing in the world He had learned that the
clever scamp who had fooled the king yester-
| day was coming with seventeen tall men to
take the chief councillor, Willy nilly, to the
castle that morning
When the chief councillor heard this, he
fell 10 trembling till Lis teeth ratified in his
| read. And have you learned how can
he
Oh yes; Boots had learned that easily
| enough
So, good Then il the wise man in the
sack would tell the councillor how to escape
the clever rogue, the councillor would give
the wise man twenty thAlers.
But no, that was not to be done wisdom
was not bought so cheaply As the chief coun.
cilor seemed to think.
W.H Nha A.
dred thalers.
That was good. A hundred thalers were a
hundred thaleTs II the councillor would
| give him that much he might get into the
sack himself and then he could learn all the
wisdom that he wanted, and more besides
SO Boots crawled out of the sack, and the
councillor paid his hundred thalers and
| crawled in.
As soon as he was in, all snug aud safe,
Boots drew the mouth OF the sack together
and tied it tightly. Then he flung sack
councillor and all over his shoulder, and
started away to the kings house, and any
body who met them might see with half an
eye that the councillor was going against his
will.
When Boots came to the kings castle he
laid the councillor down in the goose house,
and then he went to the king
When the king saw Boots again he bit his
you fooled the councillor :" ----------'
Oh yes =: Boota I.-s .s---s ."at'
- aah lie Brought the councillor with
himy
Oh yes, he had brought the councillor
along too.
And had the councillor come against bis
will
Well, yes; on the whole Boots thought
that he had come against his will
And where was the councillor now?
Oh Boots had just left him down in the
goose-house. He was tied up safe and sound
in sack, waiting till the king should send
for him.
So the councillor was sent for, and when
he came the king saw at once that he had
come against his will.
And now may 1 marry the princess ?"
said Boots.
At this the king hemmed and hawed and
scratched his head just as he had done be-
fore. No, no Boots must not go so fast.
There was more to be done yet before he
could marry the princess and have half of
tho kingdom. II Boots would come to NOR
row morning he might have the princess and
welcome, but he would have to pick her out
from amongst fourscore other maids Just
like her Did he think that he could do
that?
Oh yes, Boots thought that that might be
easy enough TO do.
So good Then come TO. morrow but he
must understand that if he failed he should
have good whipping and be sent packing
| from the town.
So of went Boots and the king thought
that he was rid of him now, for he had new
er seen the princess, and how could he pick
her out from amongst eighty others2
But Boots was not to give up so easily as
all that. No, not he. He made a little box,
aud then he bunted up and down until he
had caught live mouse to put into It,
When the next morning came, he started
away to the kings house, taking his mouse
along with him in the box.
There was the king standing in the door
way looking out into the street. When he
saw Boots coming toward him, he made a
wTy face. "What !" said he "are you back
again ?"
Oh yes, Boots was back again. He was
not for giving up so easily as all that. And
now il the princess was ready, he would like
10 go and find her, for lost time was not 10
! be gathered again, like fallen apples.
The king hemmed and hawed, but there
was nothing for 1t but to let Boots have his
trial. So of they marched until they had
come to a great room, and there stood eighty
and one maidens, all as much alike as peas in
| the same dish.
Boots looked here and there, but, even IL
he had known the princess, be could not
have told her from the others. But he was
ready for all that. Before any one knew
what he was about, he opened the box and
! out ran the little mouse amOnst them all,
| Then what a screaming and hubbub there
was Many looked as though they would
have liked TO swOon, but only one Of them
did 80. As soon rs the others saw what had
happened, they forgot all about the mouse,
and ran TO her, and fell to tanning her and
slApping her hands and chatting her temples.
"This is the princess, said Boots
And so II was.
| After that the king could think OF nothing