Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-05-05
A FAIRY STORY.
an Iutcrcsting story by an Old-Fnsh-
famed Fellow

him had they Cared. he cut such a
queer figure with his long beard and
his great pipe thG~ he was forever
smoking. The King however, thought
it no laughing matter. for here was a
fellow that could kick a fellow over
his palace, If he happened to get In
rage; and what in the world could
they find for this great clumsy mon
ster to do? So be called all the wise
men in the kingdom, and they sat in
the council-hall and looked very SOL
emn for seven days, but said never a
word.
At the end of that time the Princess,
the Kings daughter, who was exceed
ingly silly, came tripping into the hall,
La" said she, what a great fuss
you make over nothing! / can settle
the matter. l want page in buttons
and he is precisely the proper person.
l will take him into my service"
"EXactlyr' said all the wise men al
together. THAT is just what We were
going to propose when her Royal High
ness took the words out of our
MOUTH" although nobody but such a
foolish girl as the Princess would ever
have thought of making a giant TWEEN
ty-five feet high a page in buttons.
The King, however. could see no
other way out Of the difficulty; so he
sent for tailor, and the tailor, rest
ing ladder upon the giants shoulder,
went upon it and took his measure.
1t required many yards of cloth, you
may be sure, to make a suit for this
astonished page, and a whole cartioad
of buttons; for you see they had but
tone on all the seams and all over the
jacket. and on his cap and sleeves, and
they would have had one on his nose,
/ believe. If they could have sewed
one on. When the suit was finished,
the giant, who was very stupid, as
most giants are, thought, however.
that he had never looked SO well in his
life; ard his silly mistress being very
vain of page twenty-five feet high,
took him with her when she called on
the other ladies of rank who We're her
neighbOrs; and these ladies, thinking
that they had never seen anything so
ridiculous, giggled behind their fans,
while they pretended to admire him
and said: Dear Princess, we really
envy gOu. hCiC hCNCi was any thihs,
so line as your page"
At last one of the ladies', more ma
licious than the rest, said to the Prin-
cess:-"Now that you have your page,
you have all that Princess can pos
sibly require, with the exception Of
one thing"
what is that?" asked the Princess.
you should get the King, your IA
Their, to make law" replied the lady,
"that no one except the Lady High
Fiddlestick, the Dame of the Slippers.
and tie Queen, your mother. shall
touch so much as your hand on pain
of instant death. You are too great
a Princess to be approached like
common mortal.
why, so l am" said the Princess,
Though l never thought of that be-
fore"
At home she posted to urge the King
to pass this admirable law, without
w6iSA she was fully persuaded she
conld M longer exist. The King and
-,sss. Cart, having nothing better to do,
were quite ready to crafty her; there
fore decree was posted on all the
trees and fences making it high trea-
son for any one but the Queen. the
Lady High Fiddlesticks ana the Dame
of Slippers to touch even the Prin-
ces:ss hand under any circumstances.
The Princess now thought herself the
grandest and happiest of human be-
ings; ana though every one was laugh
Ing at Ecr simplicity. it made no differ
eiice to her, since sue heard nothing
of it.
Now the Princess had a habit Of
walking out every morning. followed
by her huge page i'm buttons; aud
one line day. coming to n great
quaking bog, the princess. grew very
curious to see what was on the other
side of it.
"But your royal highness can't cross
1t" said the giant; you viii sink"
"A common person might sink" said
the princess, disda:nfuily; "but a prin-
cess can't sink, especially In her own
territory. This land belongs to me, and
should know its duty better than to
let me sink"
"Oh. OF course" said the giant; for
even his stupidity was not quite sure
whether the bog would make the dis
tinctson between n princess and peas
ant girl; and after step or two lie
Said, "Royal mistress, don't you think
you had better let me carry you over?
You will get your slippers muddy"
mot for the world" cried the prln-
cess, much shocked. Have you for
gotten that it is high treason to touch
meT'
SO, holding up her trail and trying to
keep her slippers OH, she began TO pick
her way across; but first she tore her
gown and then she lost one slipper,
and then the other, and then she stuck
fast
"Royal mistress" beloved the giant,
don't you think l had better pull you
outT
You stupid idiot!' cried the princess
GROSSLY, haven't l told you it is high
treason to touch me? Run for the
lueen."
Away went the giant, three steps at
time, and, coming to the court in
mighty hustle, asked for the queen:
but, alas, she had gone on ten days
journey: and instead of telling any
body his errand. the stupid fellow
posted back to the quagmire, where
the princess by this time had sunk to
her waist.
princess" said the giant, "thc
queen has gone on ten days jour-
ney."
Mercy on usr' gaspcd the princess;
run for the Lady High Fiddlestick"
Away trotted the giant four steps at
n time, and, coming to the court, found