Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-09-13

favor to ask of you. Sell me the rose
tree which bears these roses. | will give
you whatever you may demand for it,"
But the mother answered: Much hon
Dred queen, l cannot do this with my
rose tree. / cannot sell it. Only one
fling | can do, if you are willing. You
have prince, and l will bestow it on
the prince, to have it for his own and
to keep it honored and loved as if it were
a living princess"
Your wish shall be granted, madam,
so that we may only have the rose tree
in the palace, and you may come with
1t and live near us also"
Il have no wish for that, your mai
esty. My rose tree is the only thing
care for. wish that to be happy, for
it is all have to love in the world.
Swear to me by the life of your son that
it shall be as you say"
81 swear to you by the life of my only
son that the tree which brings forth these
roses shall be honored in this palace as
if it were real living princess"
MAY God grant you long life, my
queen. Come by yourself tomorrow,
and take away the rose tree from my
house."
The ball took place in the evening, and
all wondered at the queens roses. Where
had she found them? 1t was quite mar
veil Such flowers in the middle of win
ter!
The next morning the queen lost nc
time before going to secure the rose tree
When the prince heard of the agreement
which his mother had made with the
woman he jumped for joy and got Il
golden vase ready in the palace in which
the rose tree was to be planted. The
queen and the prince went together in a
gold chariot, and stopping before the
humble cottage where the mother and
dwelt they alighted. The mother had
mentioned nothing to her daughter, ex-
cept that the queen kindly intended tc
come in person to thank her for the gift
of roses.
AS soon as the mother and daughter
went out to receive the royal visitors,
the daughter, as she bent down to kiss
the queens hand smiled merely from .
grateful feeling, and rose fell from her
mouth. The queen at first did not un-
derstand how this came to pass, but the
prince ran Immediately to pick it up to
give to his mother and the girl behold
ing him smiled again in her great joy
when the second rose fell.
At one and the same moment the
queen and the prince understood it all.
The queen became very angry, because
she remembered directly that she was
bound by her oath to receive the girl as
a daughter-in-law. She turned, how
ever, to look at her again, when she saw
that the girl was really SO very beauti-
full and so very good that without mo-
ment's longer reserve she threw her arms
around her, saying aloud as she kissed
her: "You are poor girl no longer, but
princess henceforth. You shall come
and live in our palace, you and yom
mother Also"
Now that it has all turned out OK
actly as you wished it," she added, ad-
dressing tho mother, "tell me, lady CO.
mother-in-liw, how your daughter ac-
quired so great a charm as to shower
roses from her mouth whenever she
| laughs"
The mother Immediately told her all
about the fairies and their three prom
ised gifts to her daughter when she was
an infant, and how the first and the last
promise had both come true.
1.-THE second has not taken place then, y
said the queen, with some curiosity; chow
was it that did not happen, for, poor as
you were, had pearls fallen from her eyes
you could have sold them9"
''That did not happen" answered the
mother, because l never made her
weep. Isought only to see her happy
and smiling, preferring to live poor in
my daughters gladness than to become
rich by her grief"
When the queen heard these words she
embraced and kissed her, saying, "You
have indeed been a good mother, and i.
is an honor to queen to make you her
co-mother-in-law."
The girl, who had listened to all that
her mother had said, was now so over.
come by her emotion that her eyes filled
with tears and two large pearls rolled
down. The prince stopped to pick them
up.
"These are not tears of SORROW" he
said. "They are tears of joy. l will
take them and have them made into ear.
rings, and you shall wear them on the
day on which you become my princess. v
Translated for Cassell Publishing Com.
pany From the Greek by Mrs. Edmonds.