Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-07-26

1
meals. They groaned with despair every
time that they saw her.
"Oh, unhappy girl r. they said to her
"By your birth you ought to become q
queen. but, alas no one will wish to
marry you"
AS she grew older the poor princess
became palmer and palmer.
| When she was IS, she said to her
father:
II can no longer remain shut up thus.
Let me go away. Perhaps 1 may find
happiness in travelling.
Her father was unwilling to have her
! go, but she .entreated so earnestly that
he finally yielded. He gave her large
sum of money, and one night, when
every one was sleeping, she slipped out
of the palace and started on her Journey.
She walked and she walked, and the
next noon she seated herself under a
tree.
Suddenly she heard a plaintive cry.
She looked around her, and finally dis
covered little lizard, which was lying
on the grass moaning with pain.
"Why doyou cry" asked Solina, bend
ing over it.
IA naughty child trod on me. [ have
lost the end OF my tail and l wish to
find it."
The compassionate princess found the
lost tail and gave it to the little creature.
Thanks ~ said the lizard. "Take this
for reward" And it gave Solina an
onion.
But what am I to do with this2" she
asked.
Keep it, Some day it will be useful
to you"
oolina put 1t in her pocket and con-
tinued her journey. After walking some
distance she met an old woman carrying
sack OF wheat upon her back. The sack
broke and the wheat fell upon the ground.
the poor woman began to lament.
'Do not Weep" said the princess to
her. 81 will gather up the wheat that
has fallen from the sack"
"Ah!' replied the poor woman, call
the grains are counted, and If there is one
missing my husband wi beat me-"
Bending over the ground with re-
markable patience, Solina gathered up
every grain.
Thanks, my good GIRL" said the
woman. "Here, take this for your re-
ward"
And she gave her little knife with
two blades.
What am I to do with thisP" asked
the princess.
be useful to you"
Solina put IL in her pocket.
She walked and she walked, and came
to ditch, at the bottom of which lay
little goat.
"What are you doing there, asked the
princess.
Unfortunately fell into this ditch
and | have broken my leg"
The kind Solina drew it out of the ditc h
and bound up the broken leg with her
handkerchief
"i hanks" said the little goat "Sinc
you have been SO good to me l will give
you my bell"
"What shall do with it,"
keep it carefully. Some day il will bs
useful to YOU"
Solina put it in her pocket
She walked and she walked. and in the
evening arrived at a lonely farmhouse.
Christian souls, she said, II pray you
give me shelter for the night"
WHO are you? Where are you going?"
asked the farmers wife who was prepal-
ing the supper.
Solina told her truthfully her whole
story.
Every WELL" said the woman, "you
shall be cared for"
A moment later, seeing her husband
returning to the house, she ran To meet
him, and repeated to him the strange
story she had heard, and asked:
81 have an idea which may make our
fortune. 1t is this. We have daughter
as beautiful as the sunlight. We will
present her to the king as his own
daughter transformed by fairy, and
shut up here this ugly girl, the sight of
whom he cannot endure"
But it will be impossible to deceive
the king, as you propose"
"Our daughter will tell him certain
particulars which will certainly allay any
suspicious"
''Well," replied the husband 1--WE will
try it,"
So in the night the poor princess was
taken to the attic and locked up there.
the next morning the farmer and his
wife took their daughter to the palace.
The king and the queen admired her
beauty, and the more beautiful they
found her the less could they believe that
she could really be their poor Solina, yet
could not but think So
The third day the unfortunate Solina,
overcome by hunger, cried, and in a
loud voice, implored pity.
No one answered her
Suddenly she recolIected what the liz
ard had promised her She drew the
onion from her pocket.
Can you give me something to cat2'
she asked.
Immediately" replied the little vege-
table.
In an instant little table appeared,
with delicious dinner spread upon it.
And Solina, after eating with the great
est relish, took the little knife which the
old woman had given her, and said
"Can you open that door?"
"1n a moment, replied the knife.
And at once the door was cut in two.
Solina took the bell and rang it.
Immediately an enormous flock of
goats appeared.
"What do you wishp" asked the largest.
"Go into the fields and devour all the
grass and herbs"
In an instant tho vines, the garden
and the fields belonging to the farmer
were ravaged.
The princess then left the house, and
walked and walked until she reached a
city whore lived king who had an only
son, who was very ill. All the physicians
in the kingdom had been called in consul
tation, but none of them could tell what
was the matter with him. Some said that
he was mad. He seemed, however, per-
fedtly rational. But he had strange ca
prices, and he grew worse and worse.
One day as ne was seated at his win