Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-17
A STORY IN ASTRONOMY.

How n German Imagination Explains the
Relation of the Sun. the Moon and the
stars-TaIe of the Two Queens and the
Stolen Children.
tADAPrEp FROM THE GKRMAN.1
In a magnificent castle, built of red and
blue marble, there once lived beautiful
and powerful Queen. She wore dress OF
cloth of gold, and whenever she left her
lovely home it glittered and shone so bril-
liantly that one could see her long dis
tance away. and everything above and be-
low grew quite light and clear.
Everyone who knew her loved her dearly,
for she never let a day pass without doing
much good. Her greatest delight, however,
was in her children. Willingly and gladly
thew obeyed her at q word. There were a
great many of them, and each one wore as
beautiful and golden dress as their dear
mother; yes, even the good old servant, who
daily took them for a walk, had just such a
dress too.
Not far from the Golden Queen there
lived another queen in a dark, high castle
She always wore the same black dress, for
she was very sad. having lost all her chill
dren. She glanced with envy at her neigh
bor's happy flock of little ones, and tried to
think of some stratagem by which she
could steal them. She would never have
succeeded had not one of the children been
disobedient.
Now, between the two kingdoms there
stretched a deep, dark blue river. Some
times it belonged to one queen and some
times to the other. When the golden-clad
queen approached the water flashed and
sbone like gold, SO that she naturally re-
garded it as her property. Scarcely, how
ever. had she disappeared than the other
queen stepped forward, and when the
shadow of her robe fell upon it the water
grew dark and gloomy like herself When
ever her neiehbor's children were out play
ing in the garden, this malicious queen
would lurk around, hoping to steal one OF
them.
One day the children were romping near
the water. When the old servant was about
to return to the castle with them, then, O.,
misery and horrorl one of the smallest was
missinel All the others wept and ran
hither and thither, hoping to find their lost
brother.
"Alasr' said the old servant, "the little
fellow was disobedient, and went too near
the water, for yonder stands the wicked
Queen. and Just see how dark the river
grows"
They all stood sadly on the shore and
glanced carefully into the water. Suddenly
there appeared something quite bright, and
a soft little voice called: Dear sister,
give me your hand, I nave fallen into the
water"
They then saw q little golden dress
sparkling beneath the waves, and one of the
children stopped down and held out her
hand to pull out her little brother. This
was the very opportunity for which the
dark Queen had been waiting; quickly she
| caught the little hand and drew also the
second little sister to her arms; then the
third child stopped to give her help, and
was also drawn; and thus one by one all the
children were enticed into the water and the
waves closed over them. As the last dear
little one sank out of sight, the old servant
tore his hair in his grief, and could moi
make up his mind to return to his mistress
and look upon her nursery.
ssSiuce you have taken all my children
avay from me you must take me, too" he
cried weeping, and with one spring he also
vanished beneath the waves.
oh, how happy the wicked Queen wss.
She took the old servant and all the child
rem to her kingdom and fastened them all
to her dark robe; and the smallest she placed
so closely together that they looked like q
silver band on the hem of her dress.
Ever since the poor mother seeks In vain