Middletown transcript., 1898-04-23

came to her with full apron ana sa1o.
"Hold up your lap and I'll pour them
in. They'll get You good husband. "
Then Princess Osra suddenly bent
and kissed Gertrude's cheek, and she
said gently:
II hope you have got good husband,
my dear, but let him do some work for
himself and keep the 900 crowns as a
present from me, for he will value you
more with 800 than with 900. "
The eyes Of all three were fixed on
her in woader and almost in fear, for
her tone and manner now were differ
ent. Then she turned to the miller, and
she bit her lip and dashed her hand
once across her eyes and said:
.'And you, miller, are the only sensi-
BILE man I have found in all the king
dom; therefore good luck and a good
wife to you." And she gave little
short laugh and turned and walked out
Of the cottage, leaving them all spell.
bound in wonder. But the miller rose
from his chair and ran to the door, and
when he reached it the king was just
lifting Osra on to her horse, and the
miller knew the king and stood there
with eyes wide and cheeks bulged IN
wonder, and he could gasp out no more
than ''The king, the kingp' before Ru-
dolf and Osra had ridden away, and
they could none of them, neither the
miller nor Gertrude nor the priest, tell
what the matter meant until one day
King Rudolf rode again to the miller at
Hofbau and, having sent for the priest,
told the three enough of the truth, say
ing that the affair was the outcome of q
Jest at court, and he made each OF them
handsome present and vowed them to
secrecy by their fealty and attachment
to his person and his honor.
ssThen she would not have married
me anyhow" asked the miller.
81 think not, FRIEND" answered Ru-
dolf, with a laugh.
"Then we are but quits, and all is
we'll. Gertrude, the jug, my lass.
And SO, indeed, it seemed to the king
that they were but quits, and he said 50
to the Princess Osra. But he declared
that she had SO far prevailed with the
miller as to make him desire marriage
as a wholesome and useful thing in it.
self, although she had not persuaded
him that it was of great moment whom
a man married. Therefore he was very
anxious to give her the bracelet which
he had promised, and more than once
prayed her to accept 1t. But Osra saw
the laugh that lurked in the kings eye
and would not consent to have the
bracelet, and for a long while she did
not love to speak of the miller Of Hof-
bau. Yet once, when the king on some
occasion cried out very impatiently that
all men were fools, she said:
"Sire, you forget the miller Of Hof'
bau, !" and she blushed and laughed and
turned her eyes away.
And one other thing she did which
puzzled very greatly Queen Margaret,
and all the ladies of the court, and al
the waiting women, and all the serv'
ant maids, and, in fine, every person
high or low, who saw or heard OF it,
except the king only. For in winter
evenings she took her scissors and hel
needle, and she cut strips Of red ribbon
each foot long and couple Of inchel
broad, and she embroidered on each ant
every one Of them a motto or legend
and she affixed the ribbons bearing th'
legend to each and every one Of tn
mirrors in each Of her chambers a
Strelsau, at Zenda and all the othe
royal residences. And her waiting wo
men noticed that whenever she hat
looked in the mirror and smil'd at he
own image or shown other ligns o
| pleasure in it she would then cast be
eyes up to the legend and seem to rea'
| It and blush little and laugh lit
tie and sigh little. the reason TO
which things they could by no mean
understand.
For the legend was but this: "Re
member the miller of Hofbau."
TEE END.