The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-02-04

roads and pathways gayly dressed
throngs were hurrying to pay their re-
spects to their princes daughter; the
great seigneurs on horseback, the noble
danes in bullock cars or the regular
nourimanos.
Fiah fastened to descend. The dai-
milo met upon the terrace steps and she
threw herself into his arms with a cry
of, "Fatherl fatheri thou art in truth a
godr'
Then they strolled the park and gar
| dens to admire this magic spring. Fiaki
laughed and danced and clapped her
hands like a child, and Immediately a
great chariot shaped like pavilion, all
aglow with gold stars and drawn by
white bullocks, drew up at the terrace
steps for the princess and her maids of
honor to take a ride through the coun-
try. Then the visitors entered their
cars and fell in lisle and it was one long,
! joyous, brilliant and interminable pro-
cession.
The prince led the way, the prime
minister beside him. grave and impassi-
BILE in his triumph. The scene of en-
chantment was the same along all the
roads, the warmth of the sun and the
light golden fog that family yelled the
face of nature rendering still more COM
plete the illusion of spring, richer, more
howery, more generous in all respects
/ than the real springtime.
"And what a delicious perfume!"
cried the happy little princess, every
instant thrusting her pretty little head
out of the chariot to see the better.
what delicious perfume floats in the
air from all these fowersr'
| Delicious indeed! The dailnio him
self smelled it-scent fountains and
atomizers, in fact, hidden in the harness
ing of the beeves, the spray from which
mingled itself with the breath of the
animals.
| Ever and ever SO far they went into
the country. Wild with delight, Fiaki
could not abridge her happiness. Then
she wanted to return by another road
was it possible?
A little uneasy, the prince regarded
his impossible minister.
docs the princess desire demanded
| he, Ito return by the hills or the orch
ards?'
THE orchards, by all means,'' the
i young girl responded: lit is further and
more beautiful"
/ And by the orchards they returned; as
Fiaki had said, more beautiful than all
they had seen. Soon the pink blossoms
of a plum tree caught the princess at,
! tention.
Il must have it," she cried, .'a branch
of that plum tree to carry with me as
souvenir of this wonderful spectacle. -
"The game is upi" moaned the prince
to himself, throwing an appealing glance
upon his minister.
But the minister had neither paled nor
tremb1ed.
81 will do myself the honor of pluck
ing it for you" said he. putting spurs to
/ his horse and returning a moment later
with superbly fowered branch.
No sooner done than the maids of
honor wanted piece, and then all the
noble DANES, seeing that they were really
permitted to pluck the blossoms, leaped
from their cars and demanded fragrant
souvenirs on their own account.
Really this was too much. The prince
paled with anger and was going to order
them to move on, but the minister reas-
sured him with an imperceptible shrug;
he knew women well-he had foreseen
this also, and at sign to an assistant
a cart drove up loaded to the top With
dewy blossoms, and all were provided
with that which they demanded.
| Nai-Dai-Tsin had unhesitatingly pill
laged all the Conservatives of the pal
aces and had men mingling with the
crowd with bags full of flowers till the
word was given. The prince, who had
not OWNED this very simple device, was
speechless with amazement.
Thou art truly wonderful man. -
he murmured in the minister's ear, as
they re-entered the palace, "and thou
hast done far more than could possibly
have hoped; but even in the delight of
this wonderful fete, there has been in
me- dull disquiet-how shall we ever
be able to surpass this spectacle for the
coming Year,
Meanwhile as the daimio tarried to
| speak to his minister, Fiaki descended
from her chariot; at the same time the
son of the prince of Satsou1na, who had
far to come and who had just arrived at
the palace with a brilliant escort, ad-
vanced to salute her. ~
A very handsome young man, too, and
: SO brave that in spite of his youth he was
already much talked about. Deeply
moved at SO much beauty, he stood be-
fore Fialzi, and she, no less blushing and
confused, buried her face in the fragrant
blossoms in her hand and could say not
a word
I = Nai-Dai-Tsiu, who seemed Ito see
everything, called the princes attention
to them, and to the mutual mental dis
turbance that seemed to leave them
both tongue tied.
"When the seventeenth year of your
daughter arrives for her, my lord" said
he, "give her for husband that hand
some prince there, and she will love him
more than today she loves the spring.
The dai1nio's face broadened into a
delighted smile and he hurriedly thrust
a gold and bronze trinket into the prime