Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-11-08

marble one was nearly full of silver. one
Of gold aud one Of gems Of all sorts
GAN this is mine, said the old man, ''and
after | am gone it shall be yours. 1t was
left to me, as will leave it to you, and in
the mean time you may come and go as
you wish to. But there is Il thing you must
not do; you must not open the door yonder
at the back Of the room. Should you do
so, III luck will he sure 10 overtake you
Oh no the fiddler would never think Of
doing such IA thing as opening the door.
But since the old man had given him leave,
he would just help himself to a few Of the
fine things. So he stuffed his pockets full,
and followed the old man up the steps and
out into the sunlight again.
It took him maybe an hour to count all
the money and Jewels he had brought up
with him. After he had done that he be.
gan to wonder what was inside of the little
door at the back Of the room. First he
wondered then he began TO grow curious;
then he began to itch and tingle and burn,
as though fifty thousand l-want-to know
nettes were sticking into him from top TO
toe At last he could stand it no longer
'l'll just 20 down yonder,' says he, "and
peep through the key-hJle.'
So down he took the key, and off he
marched 10 the garden. He opened the
trap door and went Gown the steep steps to
the room below. There was the door at the
end Of the room. but when he came to look
there was no key-hole to it. "Pshaw ~
said he here is a pretty state of affairs
Tut tut Well, as have come so far, it
would be pity TO turn back without see
ing more So he opened the door and
peeped in.
Before him was a great long passageway,
and at the far end of it he could see
spark Of light, as though the sun were
shining there. He listened, and after a
while he heard sound like the waves beat
ing on the shore. well" says he, ''as |
have come so far, may as well see the end
Of it, So he entered the passageway and
closed the door behind him.
He went on and on and the spark of light
kept growing larger and larger, and by
and-by-pop out he came at the other
end OF the passage
Sure enough, there he stood on the sea
shore, with the waves beating and dashing
on the rocks All of sudden something
came with whz and a rush, and caught
him by the belt, and away he flew like a
bullet
He managed to screw his head around
and look up, and there it was Ill-luck that
had him. II thought So said the fiddler,
and then he gave over kicking
Well, on and on they flew, over hill and
valley, over moor and mountain, until they
came to another garden, and there lll-luck
let the fiddler drop.
Swash down he fell into the top of an
apple tree, and there he hung in the
| branches.
1t was the garden Of the royal castle,
aud all had been weeping and woe Though
/ they kalriuuiptr tp nick their
smiles again. and this was the reason why:
the king of that country had died, and no
one was left behind him but the queen.
She was prize | can tell you, for not only
was the kingdom hers, but she was as
| young 5 a spring apple and as pretty as a
| picture. 50 that there was no end of those
/ who came a-wooing Even that day there
were three princes at the castle, each one
wanting the queen for his own, and the
wrangling and pickering and squabbling
that was going on were enough to deaten
body. The poor young queen could stand
| it no longer, and 50 she had come out into
| the garden for bit of rest, and there she
sat under the shade of an apple tree, fan
ming herself and crying, when
| Swash down fell the fiddler into the ap
| pie tree, and down fell dozen apples, pop
ping and tumhling about the queens ears.
The queen looked up and screamed, and
the fiddler climbed down. From where
did you come - said she.
ooh Ill luck brought me- said the
fiddler.
Not so, said the queen 'you fell from
| heaven, for | saw it with my eyes and
heard it with my ears. | see how it is now.
! You were sent here to be my husband, and
my husband you shall be. You shall be
| king of this country, half and half with
! / 4. IL "a . l...
side me
You can guess whether or not that was
music to the fiddlers ears
So the princes were sent packing, and
the fiddler regned in that country.
Well, three or four days passed, and all
was sweet and happy as spring day.
But at the end Of that time the fiddler be
gan to wonder what was to be seen in the
castle The queen was very fond of him,
and was glad enough to show him all the
| fine things that were TO be seen so hand
in hand they went everywhere, from gar
ret to cellar
What is behind that door - said he.
"Ah that said the queen, ''you must
not ask or wish to know. Should you open
that door, Ill luck will be sure to overtake
| you.n
"Pooh :" said the fiddler, 81 don't care
to know, anyhow" and off they went,
hand in hand.
Oh yes, that was a very fine thing to say,
| but before an hour had gone by the fiddler's
head began to hum and buzz like bee
hive. Il don't believe said he, there
would be grain of harm in my peeping
inside that door all the same, will not
do it. will Just go down and peep through
the key hole" SO off he went to do as he
said but thcre was no keyhole to that
door either. "Why, look ~ says he, lit is
| Just like the door at the rich mans house
over yonder. l wonder if it is the same
inside as outside, and he opened the door
and peeped in. Yes there was the long
passage and the spark of light at the far
end, as though the sun were shining. He
cooked his head TO one side and listened.
"Yes, " said he Il think | hear the water
rushing. bat ! am not sure | will Just go
a little further in and listen" and so he en-
tered and closed the door behind him.
Well, he went on and on until he came to
the further end, and before he knew what
he was about-pop he had stepped out
upon the sea shore just as had done before.
Whiz Whir Away flew the fiddler
like bullet, and there was lll-luck carry
ing him by the belt again, Away they
sped over hill and valley, over moor and
mountain until the fddlers head grew so
] uELN lildI ne lhl 70 suuJ nus eyes Dhh7
denly H. luck let him drop, and down he
fell thump bump on the hard ground.
Then he opened his eyes and sat up, and,
10 and behold there he was under the oak
tree whence he had started. There lay his
fiddle Just as he had left it. He picked it
up and ran his fingers over the strings
trum twang Then he got to his feet and
brushed the dirt aud grass from his knees.
He tucked his fiddle under his arm, and off
he stepped upon the way he had been go
ing at first.
Il would either have been the richest
man in the world, said he cor else would
have been king, if it had not been for Ill
| luck"
That is the way we all of us talk -Ho,c-
did Pide in Huper'S Young RcOpie.
At an up town dance few nights ago it
was noticed that the belle of the evening