The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-17


and mounted her steed.
And this was the appearance of Eithne
riding to the Prince OF Ireland's BALL. She
was dressed in a slipper of gold and a
slipper of silver. a stocking of gold and
a stocking of silver, and she had on
white silk gown. Her ten fingers dripped
with honey. nine birds sang over her
head, and she rode a slender brown steed
that was swift as the wind.
As she rode up to the castle, all the
crowds of people who had come TO the
ball turned out to see, and the Princes
struggled 10 help her to alight. But the
young Prince OF ireland himself came out
and insisted on his right to do so, and
he helped her off, gave her steed in charge
OF the men In waiting, led her in and
opened the ball with her.
II Eithne had looked beautiful on che
two nights before she looked ten times
as beautiful this time, Anything to sur
pass her beauty no one there had ever
heard or thought Of for every one was
lost in wonder and amazement.
The young Prince, 1t was plain 20 all,
was very, very much in love with this
mysterious maiden, and he watched her
and waited on her and walked after her
everywhere she went through the room.
Before the ball broke up she tried to slip
away as before, and mounted her steed.
But the Prince had been watching her
more closely this night, and he found her
just as She had got upon her steed. AS
the steed sprang away the Prince reach
ed out to catch hold Of her but he only
got hold of the golden slipper. 1t came
away in his hand, and on her slender
brown steed she rode off, her ten fingers
dripping with honey and nine birds sing
Ing over her, and she went home as swift
as the wind. She was in the kitchen,
dressed in her old soiled dress, among the
pots and pans when her mother and sis
tiers returned from the bail They told
her of the wonderful happenings of that
night again, and of how the Prince had
watched the strange damseI when she
tried TO disappear on her steed; that he
had grabbed al her. but only got hold Of
ner golden slipper, which he still held
and that he gave il out he was going to
travel over all his kingdom, and try the
slipper on every girl within its bountN
and never stop until he would find what
SRI the slipper fitted and that girl he
would marry. And they all thought there
was hope FOR each of them, for every
slrl SAID by hook or by crook. she would
manage to make the slipper fit her
On the very next day after the ball the
young Prince of Ireland. with half a
dozen other princes to accompany him.
set out with the slipper to find the girl
whom 1t would fit.
He travelled before him, and tried the
slipper on every girl whom he met. The
slipper was very, very small and dainty,
and very few girls had a foot small
enough to go into it. But everywhere
he went the girls nipped and clipped their
feet, and pressed and bound them up to
make them fit the slipper but no one of
them would 1t fit.
He came at length TO the house of
Eithne's step-mother to try it upon the
young girls there.
When they found him coming they
said it would be shame to let him see
young Eithne, so they made her lie under
the cateran and hide in the corner.
And when the Prince arrived every
one of the girls put on their sweetest
way; every one volunteered to try on
the slipper. and every one of them nip
ned and clipped and pressed and bound
her foot 10 try and get it into the slipp r
but after they had all tried and tried and
tried again. not one of them could fit her
foot into it, and the Prince asked was
there no other girl in the house.
They and their mother said there was
no other.
But, behold ye, there was thorn tree
grew by the window and a robin was
perched on the branch of this, which
| bent right in through the open window,
and the ribbon now began to sing out:
"Nippet foot and clippet foot
Behind the King would ride.
But bonny foot and handsome foot
Under the cateran hide"
What is that bird singing2" says the
Prince.
"Oh, some nonsensical rubbish" said
they, and they threw something at the
robin.
But the robin didn't move away one
bit-only sang out again:
"Nippet foot and clippet foot
Behind the King would ride,
But bonny foot and handsome foot
Under the cateran hide"
The Prince stretched his ears and ask
ed the robin to say that again, and the
robin sang out:
"Nippet foot and clippet foot
Behind the King would ride.
But bonny foot and handsome foot.
Under the cateran hide"
The Prince looked around the room and
he saw the cateran hide. He went over
and lifted il and Eithne appeared.
He ordered her TO come forward and
try the slipper on her, and when Eithne
put her little foot into the slipper It
slipped on her a once and fitted her like
q glove.
The Prince was rejoiced and ordered
Elthne to prepare to go with him.
Ell0ne DeBStu lot lliUb 10 OIeSS. eone
ran down the garden and the Little Black
Sheep appeared to her; out of his ear she
took the white rod and struck the rocks
and went in, dressed. mounted the steed
and came to the Prince in the slipper Of
gold and a slipper of silver. a stocking
of gold and a stocking OF silver. and
white silk gown her ten fingers dripping
honey aud nine birds singing over her. and
mounted on her slender brown steed as
swift as the wind. And anything so fair
or so beautiful, the young Prince of Ire
land or any other Of the young princes
with him, had never seen nor dreamed
of before.
Off with the Prince she rode to the
King of Ireland's castle, and they were
married The wedding lasted seven days
and seven nights. every day and night
better than the one before. and the last
day and night brighter than all the others
put together.
The King OF ireland gave his son ha'f
of his kingdom, and a happy and lovely
King and Queen they were.
-S-s
-Discouraging-He- think shall
write book on Society AS Have Found
It" She-"How is that! Not at
homer "-IndianapoIis Press.
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