The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-08-20

Ills Soul lI'iil IlS Wv II b''tIN llllo llllt
which his unsuspccting master had just
abandoned-for he had equally learned
the practice of this occult art from one
of his ancestors. who was n most re-
doubtable magician.
The helpless king. become an ante
lope, saw with rage his minister become
a king, mount the royal charger, ard.
plying whip and spur, gallop away in
full career But very soon the fear OF
being cNtcrminatcd by the traitor. who
would without doubt return upon his
steps, impellcd him to flee with all the
swiftness his new limbs could command
toward the distant plains and the most
inaccessible mountain heights.
The traitor sped onward to the place
where the royal cquipagc was kept.
The courtiers pcrcciving him whom
they mistOok for thci: master, rushing
at such gait, Immediately conceived
that some grave accident had occurred
The false king, in fact, related to them
in broken-heartcd manner that he had
just seen his minister fall from his
horse. The hunters and The cavaliers
quickly y mounted their stccds, and set
off with all haste toward the place indi-
Gated. There they picked up the in
animate body of him whom they Lc-
lieved the victim of an untimely disas-
ter. They caught the ridcrless horse,
and bore the body of the minister tc-
ward the city. Meantime the traitor
secured the forest. but could not find
the least trace of the antelope Of which
he told the courtiers he had lost sight
when the misfortune came to his late
minister. Weary and inwardly dis
turbed, he determined to abandon far
ther search and returned to the town.
He did not fail to provide most lavish
ly for the expenses of the obsequies OF
his dear friend, his second brother, his
devoted and faithful friend. who had
been snatched from him in SO tragic Il
fashion. Nor did he forget to provide
with princely generosity for the str;ck-
ell heirs, whom he would always regard
as his children. Then he proceeded to
carry forward his own selfish purposes;
denying himself nothing, bcstowing
upon himself unbounded praise for the
success of his odious stratagcm, and
congratulations on the conccalment OF
his high perlidy and ignoblc treachcry.
However. from the first day of his
imperial rule, he discovered that there
existed one dccomptc in his stolen hap.
piness, for in the evening, when he
sought the society of the fair young
queen. sh" showed marked GOODNESS to-
ward him, and did not ut all give him
the warm welcome for which he had
hoped. She had Instantly remarked
his awkward manners. and her l.clrt
burned with just suspicious rs to the
personality of this man, whom all her
world seemed to accept as indeed their
| rOyal master. She instinctively re-
PEELED him, alleging constantly, in Or
der to remove herself from him, rea-
sons of health or Other excuses. which
fortunately for her, were a,lm;,,>>,.
And thus it was that, while she con.
tinued i'll, the king continued to be an
antelope, and the traitor Il king.
Meantime the real prince, despite his
handicapped enfouroge and his unskill
el gambols, had the tact to secure wei
come entrance into the wild fellowship
of his new conyencrcs, and after short
study he readily learned all about theil
life and habits. Thus he passed away
the time, mingled with the savage
herds in delightful promenades, though
his heart melted in blood. and that
blood flowed without truce, under the
form of the tears which rolled down hi:
| checks.
| One day, rs he WAS grazing. he saw
| r.1l
green and as fresh as the grass ol
which the poor bird stretched itself tt
breathe out its last sigh. Here wa:
an opportunity, and the imprisoned
soul of the king swiftly quilted the an
tclope-body to enter Il new form unde
the plumage of the parrot, and to fly
away into the free air. He soon Join
ed a flock of those birds, and passe(
among his fellows rs the most intelli
gent of gros-Jecs. They proclaimed
him their chief and the director of al
their movements.
| Now it CHANGED that Il brd-deale
| had spread som" nets which had es
capped the notice of these parrots, an,
even the scrutiny Of their new chief
The poor birds all fell into the snarcs
including also the king parrot. TIL,
circumstances were threatening. bu
he did not lose his cooness. Seeing
all his subjects plunged into profoun,
desolation, he terminated their cour
age by this little address:
''IIcrc we are, friends. fallen into tn,
nets OF the bird-catcher, who will not
delay coming for his prey! Certain
death or perpetual captivity, worse
than death, awaits us. There is, how
ever, one means Of Savin" ourselves:
. let us die,-that is to say. let us
teign death. There is no other saliva
! ton for lis, and it will BE- hv this III st