Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21
.HUMMINGBIRD CASTLE.
ERNEST H. HEINRICHS.

you talk that way, and if the Inhabitants oi
Hummingbird Castle had been as wise as
you, Hummihgbird Castle would not be in
existence now"
Goldenhair looked at the wizard in
amazement. "You seem to know all about
the castle, Professor"
eyes, do, and 1 now will also tell you:
1 built that castle myself for the King Of
Colorado. This king had daughter, who
was the most beautiful child in this world,
but she was also the most inquisitive. Even
when she was quite little girl she would poke
her little nose In everybody's business. II
the lords of the Kingdom Of Colorado sat in
counsel, and put their wise heads together to
expound upon the benefits of the country,
this little inQuisitive princess would run
straight among them and ask them the most
curious questions. OF course, this made the
lords mad, and they at last resolved that
the princess should be killed. They went
to the King and demanded his child's death
of him.
1.-The chief mover in this frightful plot,
however, was an old lord with bald head
and one eve, who was incensed against the
child because she had once asked him why
he only had one eye and why he did not
have any hair on his head. However, the
king, when he was told that he would have
to kill his child, became very grieved. You
see he loved his child with all her faults,
Just like any other father would, you know.
He did not know what to do, because the
lords were inexorable in their demand. In
this perplexity came to the kings rescue.
/ went to him and told him that / would
take charge of his child and cure her OF her
bad habit. / went before the lords of Colo
RADIO and told them would take the child
a way from the country. They were salts
fed with this, because they said they did
not care what became of the princess so
long as she was not there to insult them.
So took her to this castle, which 1 built
some hundreds of years ago for my own
pleasure and amusement. OF course, you
who know that am a spirit and not man,
that am an immortal wizard and not q
being of clay and dust, you know that can
do that.
But now, to return to these people in this
land. 1 am going to give them good les
son. They have worried themselves so much
to find out the mysteries of Hummingbird
Castle. Now will give them chance to
do so. But how 1 will punish them you
shall find out later on. You have been the
only one worthy of being my friend, be-
cause you did not stoop to waste your life
by troubling about the inside of house
that did not belong to you, and you shall
get your reward. Now, 90 into the market
place and tell all the people to assemble
there and walt until come, because will
show them the way into the Hummingbird
Castle"
Goldenhair went and did as he had been
hidden by the wizard.
The people hailed him with delight when
they heard what he had to tell them, and
there was a procession going toward the
market place in a very short time that was
truly astonishing. Old men and gray
haired women, aud people of all ages were
in the train, rushing and pushing with an
esgerness and anxiety as if they were en-
gagged in the race for eternal life and saliva
tion. At last the wizard appeared.
He went to Goldenhair and whispered q
few words into his ear, then turning around
to the multitude he shouted:
"Do you still persist in your wish to see
the inside of Hummlngbird Castle?"
eyes," all of them said in one voice, ap-
parently.
"All right, then," replied the wizard;
mind you, there is not much to see there,
and yon are taking a great risk! Do you
still persist in going?"
''Yesl' they all shouted again.
"But supposing you all get killed."
sit makes no difference to us, they cried,
1--WE want to see the castle, and that settles
it. We don't care for our lives, but we
want to know"
Then all the blame falls on your own
heads" replied the wizard. "Now, if you
follow Goldenhair he will lead you into the
castle, but must say good-by, for I have
other business to attend to-
Then he vanished and Goldenhair turning