The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-01-11

Thsrs was great desolation throughout
the kingdom because the daughter OF the
king was dying OF hunger. whats Of
hunger A princess We're there no
more cattle in the fields, game I'm the
forests, vegetables In the garden or fruit
In the orchards? Were there no more
cooks i'm the Kitchen What catastrophe
had happened? 1ow had IL come to pass
that such a noble and rich person did not
have that which was rarely wanting to
the peasant In his cottage. to the begRar
In his hut-a bit Of breAds Well, II
there was not ~ much bread as she
wished she could have the swestest cake
I'm the world. 1t needed only a sign and
there would be placed upon the table be-
fore her the most sayory meat, the most
delicate venison. peas, strawberries. ike
drops OF dsw, peaches of violet velvet and
oranges OF gold.
food that sustained other men and
women. The fairest that leaned over her
cradle at birth had decided that she
should only be nourished by newly opened
flowers, or the butterflies poised thereon.
Now. for two weeks n hurricane had
gardens, broEen and destroyed the bushes,
so IL was actually impossible to find
petal OF eRlantne or chalice OF cactus
SO the princess was In the most pitiable
state imaginable. She was paler than the
palsst flowers, one alone of which would
have been enough TO save her. She would
certainly die IL her fast were prolonged
for a few hours, and as she mad rather u
difficult disposition, even when she hau
enough TO eat you can Imagine the rage
into which she flew when tine ladies OF
honor entered the royal cham Der without
brinaing her the least little fioweret from
the fields CT the forest.
snid--aDd had reason to say-that the
whole Kingdom was In despair on account
of the approaching deauh OF the princess.
You would not have recognized the king
he had grown so gray In u few days, and
the ministers, the cnam bcrlains, the
major domos were pit,ful TO ses because
10 would have been truly u3becomipg for
the major dotnos and the cham Der lains
and the ministers to he in q & rod humor
when the head Of the govei nment was
so sad.
But the sincerest, the greatest, desola-
tion was In tie heart Of little page. For
long time he had hopelessly adored the
princess. The thought that she must die
plunged him i0to such DESPAIR that the
tigers In the forest ane the rocks In the
mountains would have sympathized with
his misery II the tigers and the rocks
had been there to see il. 1t was not that
he had any clemency from the princess
TO be grateful for. Quite the con trary. No
words could give anv idea OF the cruelty
she had shown this little page who was
In her service. When he sighed. she
smiled; when he approached her In the
evening 10 be of assistance to her she did
not turn away, as would have been
charitable, but she looked him In the eyes
ana said TO him.
ssWnlI q 90 iu,a IN, IN,
sleep. Draw of my stockings / pray
you.
Then she went away mocking at him
with her ladies. who were cruel also. But
they were excusable, not being beloved
by the poor hoy.
Such bsrbsrity did .,ot hinder him
from being the tendertst lover in tho
world IL you had said TO him the princess
was not as sweet as the lambs in the
meadows he would have been furious
and you would have hau an affair with
him.
When he learned that the kings
daughter was perishing because of the
hurricane which had carried off all the
flowers with their butterflies, he did not
hesitate a moment. He began To run
through the kingdom seeking roses lii
lies, daisies, no matter what, for the re-
past Of her ho loved But he aid not find
ttem. He continued 10 seek. When some
one said to the princess, docs your high
ness know that the little page has gone
out hoping to gather you breakfast"
sho smiled disdainfuly.. lt seemed she
would breakfast with regret on tho
flowers the poor boy brought her, and
sho said:
An. how hungry ! AMI"
Nevertheless. he secured the whole
country in search of blossoms. He de-
soenced into the valley, he climbed the
steepcst hills. hoping that perhaps he
would find between two rocks near the
glaciers the little blue, mysterious flow
ers OF the Ais which would have kept
from death the one he loved so much.
But no. even on the bighest noun
tains, even in the deepest valleys, was
not one flower, So fierce and destructive
had been the TEMPEST He returned from
esc attempt In auRu sh OF failure.
II foresaw IT," said the princess. 1T is
really ridiculous TO contiue TO sucn emil
dren the care of royal persons. -
When the little page became aware
that she had uttered these cruel words,
he felt his heart clutcbed ana torn as If a
vulture had cast itself with opened claws
upon this little red bird. Since she had
the, doubls misfortune Of being i'll and
not being grateful for the care of those
who wished to cure her, he resolved To
live no longer as she was dying. He
ran to a neigL boring stream, very clear
ana deep, determined to cast hin self into
into 10. He soon came to the border of
the stream. After looking carefully TO
see IL not n single lotus remained, for
lotus would have been enough for
luncheon for the princess. he leaned over,
wishing To fall. Then he hesitated, for it
IL sad tn uie when one Is SO young and
there are SO many beautiful things in the
world.
A thought camo Co him.
He had read In an old book that a