Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-25
~THE CAT MAY LOOK AT TIE KING"
A Tale for Very Little Folk.


dearie, there was . country very far Oh over
the seas; and good king with broad good,
nstured smile and great gold crown ruled the
people very much to their content But the
old king had been born. O. ever 80 long ago.
so that at last he died. All the people wept
bitterly and went to the funeral, and they loved
the old king SO dearly that for many months
after all the gardens were bare because all the
flowers had been plucked 70 pile upon the good
old kings tomb.
Now, Young Prince DONTYoULooKATME
became the King and although he had had 90
good father. he was very. ue'y proud, and, I
am afraid, thought more Of himself than he
did Of his peoples happiness He made his
Prime Minister, Sir WRITEITD0WN, issue .
great many foolish and silly orders and proc
lamations, telling the people that he was the
greatest King that had erer lived and that has
crown had more gold in it than any other
Kings crown.
His people were very patient and good and
did all that the Prime Minister bade them; TAX
Ing on their hats as the young king went by
and even keeping them off whole weeks and
months, as was commanded, 30 that great
many OF them caught cold and sneezed very
loudly But they did not complain nor grum-
Bile mite, only rubbing their noses we'll with
mutton tallow the last thing on going TO bed
and e1claiming Long Live the Kingw
And SO 1T went on, command followed COM
mand until at last the young king became SO
very Gerry proud that he told his Prime Minis.
ter to issue an ORDER bidding the people
,'ere' to look up into his ROYAL FACE THAT
Is the way it was written1, but to keep their
eyes on the ground:-'Because," said his
Majesty. 81 am a very great King and my face
IL so fierce and bright that to even look upon it
Will dazzle their eyes and put them out" Now
this was very foolish, don't you think so? And
many OF the people thought SO, too, and they
even began to grnmble tiny wee bit. The
Prime Minister became frightened and told the
klng, though Of course he was very fdgety
about 1t, that it would be wiser to change so
stern command. The King became very
angry at this and declared at first that he
would never do it, but after listening to the
Prime Minister for three whole weeks, he
changed his Royal command and said that his
subjects might look at him ON Sundays and
thursdays, but that they should be sure to wear
green goggles Dust like those we have to wear
sometimes when the snow is made dazzling by
the sunshine). 'Then," observed his majesty,
my face may not bewilder their vision" He
thought this very fine remark and was SO
pleased with it that he always began his State
speeches in that way.
So all the people who had pennies bought
green goggles and the man who sold spectacles
and eye glasses became very rich. But many
so that they were Obliged to keep their eyes al
ways fixed on the ground, which made them
very sad, and, dear ne. angry too sometimes,
for they often bumped into ono another and SO
had many hard knocks. They could not help
grumbling again, could they?
All this was in the winter time, and, as the
pavements were very often slippery, they were
obliged anyway to look down to keep their feet
steady. So they managed to bear it. But when
the springtime came they wanted very much to
look up at the beautiful sky, but they were
afraid to, for the king might come along just
fhan and fhnv 1ifr1f1
would never do, for the people were very much
afraid Of the kings terrible temper.
At last came beautiful May day and all the
people were out in their gardens. for the flowers
were In bloom, and the good people could rot
help thinking of their dear old king who was
dead and who had been SO kind to them. They
were having a merry time. however, in spite of
their cares. and everybody was really beginning
to smile and to be happy when they heard the
herald's trumpet from the castle gate. and
their smiles died away because they knew that
it meant that the king was coming out for an
airing. Some Of the people turned their eyes
down upon the ugly cobble walks and others
took from their pockets the green goggles and
put them on. One or two very fat men had
lost one OF the glasses of their goggles and so
i had to keep one eye tightly shut They did not
like this, you may be sure, and had just begun
to grumble about it when the king came along.
So they said nothing
All was quiet, very quiet. and you could only
hear the tramp, tramp of the fierce soldiers and
the sound OF the wheels Of the king . chariot.
Suddenly, oh, how their hearts jumped and
bumped against their sides, they heard great
outcry. 1t was surely the king that spoke, and
his voice sounded SO loud and terrible. How
dare your" they heard his majesty cry out
Brute, reptile. beast, how darest thou brave
my gaze?' Yes surely it was the kings voice,
but they heard nobody answer
''Who was it?' What was it?" each asked
himself, and longed to look up for just one wee
minute, but they dared not, for was not their
terrible king in a great rage?
Then they heard the king, his voice wild with
rage, scream out: Rascal! villain! how darest
thou? IL not my face so fierce and SO bright
that to look on it dazzles your vision?"
This was too much for one OF the fat men.
who became SO excited that his left eye popped
wide open SO that he looked straight through
the place where the green google ought to have
been. And what do you think he SAW
There stood the young king, Tuning with
rage, and there, on the garden WALL sat blink
ing in the sunshine, but looking right at the
king, great gray grimalkin.
.'Why," said the fat man, under his breath,
''the cat is looking at the king" He said this
very low indeed, but his neighbor heard it and
repeated it just little louder and his neiehbor
heard it and then the next one and the next.
and one by one they looked up. And then all
the people heard it and they all looked up and
shouted at what they saw, for they could not
help 1t, why, surely, the cat may look at the
king"
And their voices altogether sounded 90 loud
that the king was badly frightened and Jump
ing from his chariot ran back to his castle and
there shut himself up and would not see any
body for seventeen whole days.
The prime minister saw him at last and told
him that the people had thrown away their
green goggles and declared they would never.
never wear them any more. No, not even blue
ones. Then at last his majesty repented Of his
pride and declared that he would try to make
bis people happy. So he told'the prime minis
ter to burn all the strict commands and to re-
issue all the laws the good old king, his father.
had made. And if, ever after. the prime min
lister found the young king in passion and
about to interfere with his peoples happiness
all that he had to say was: Your majesty,
there ia gray cat on the garden wall"
And if any of you, my little lads and lassies
dearie, are ever tempted by false pride, re-
member the story have told you Of that which
happened so long ago in the country, oh, ever
so far OF over the seas. MURRAY HAMILTON.
Two Years for Shooting . Man.
Surgeon Major Breton. who on September
%. shot and killed dentist named Genisset at