News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-10-15
Fragile Hearts
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who had three beautiful daughters,
and the organism of these three
princesses was remarkable for their
each being furnished with a heart
of glass.
"Children, children" said the
queen when the princesses were still
quite small, whatever you do, take
care of your hearts, for they are of
fragile make"
The children therefore tried to
be very careful, and for some time
all went well and the hearts re-
manned unbrolen.
But one day the eldest girl, who
was leaning out Of the window,
looking down into the garden be-
low, noticed a little bee which was
buzzing busily around some flowers.
The little creature interested her
so much that she leaned out far
Their, so as to be able to watch it
more closely, when suddenly, smash!
there came a sound Of broken glass.
The young princess had crushed her
heart against the window sill, and
so, alas, the poor girl expired.
After this exceedingly sad acct
dent the other two sisters were still
more careful about their hearts.
Some time after the death of the
nrincoss the second daughter very
thoughtlessIy drank a cup of rather
hot coffee, and when she had it fin
ished something was suddenly heard
to crack, and she fell back fainting
into an armchair. The sound on
this occasion, however, was not SO
loud as on the first. The queen
rushed to where the princess lay
and on examining her found, to her
great delight, that the heart was
only slightly cracked and not bro
ken and that her daughter was still
alive.
"What are we to do with our
daughter?" said the king to the
queen. "For, although the injury
to her heart amounts only to a
crack at present, this may increase
to a decided fracture"
But the princess begged them not
to worry themselves about her.
''For you know" said she, cts
the cracked pitcher that goes often
est to the we'll"
Meanwhile the youngest daughter
grew up and became most beauti-
full as well as a most remarkably
clever girl, and many a handsome
and wealthy prince from distant
lands came to ask for her fair hand.
But the old king did not forget the
bitter, experiences he had had with
his two elder girls.
81 have only one daughter left
with whole heart, and hers is also
Of glass. Therefore if | give her
in marriage to any one it must be to
king who is at the same time a
glazier and who understands how
to treat an article so fragile, so
that IN case Of accidents he would
know how to rivet the cracks"
Unfortunately none of the young
princes and mobiles who had come
as suitors to the princess knew any
thing at all about how to rivet bro
ken glass and were none of them
glaciers by profession, so they had
to return 70 their native lands mis-
cradle and disappointed lovers.
Among the royal pages in the pal
ace was one whose term as page was
shortly to expire. He had still to
carry the train Of the youngest prin-
cess three times, and after that he
was to be promoted to full blown
courtier.
On the first occasion when the
page had to carry the young prin-
cess train she glanced at him, and
as their eyes met she blushed. When
next he carried her train, she waved
her hand to him at parting, and the
unfortunate youth was unable to
sleep the whole of that night in con-
sequence.
The third time when the young
fellow bore the princess train the
king came forward to meet them
half way and dismissed the page,
saying:
"You have done your duty now,
young man, and you may 60. [
thank you and have also to congrat-
ulate you on your promotion"
With that the king turned and
walked away, while the princess
bent forward to where the page
stood and said:
"You carried my train so beauti-
fully, better than any one else. Oh,
why are you not king and a gla-
zier %
The unfortunate young man felt
so confused as well as delighted
that he was unable to utter a word
in reply. He managed, however,
to make very graceful and polite
bow. When the princess had left
him, he ran as hard as ever he could
to the nearest glazier and asked