The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-01-14
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!: The ENCHANTED
: WHISTLE +;


his kingdom to the effect that all those
who had any pretensior to her hand
were to assemble in a widespread mead
ow.
Her would be suitors being in this way
gathered together, the princess would
throw into the air a golden apple, and
whoever succeeded in catching it would
then have to resolve three problems, aft
er doing which he might marry the
princess and, the king having no son. in
herit the kingdom.
On the day appointed the meeting took
place. The princess threw the golden ap-
pie into the air, and it fell into the hands
of a young shepherd, who was the hand
soonest but at the same time the poorest
of all the competitors.
The first problem given him to solve,
certainly as difficult as problem in
mathematics, was this:
The king had caused 100 hares to be
shut up in a stable. He who should sue
coed in leading them out TO feed upon
the meadow where the meeting was be-
ing held the next morning and conduct
them all back to the stable the next
evening would have resolved the first
problem.
The shepherd Immediately took his
way to the forest to mediate there on
the means Of accomplishing the task set
him.
With down bent head he slowly trav-
ersed a narrow path running beside a
brook, when he came upon a little old
woman with snow white hair, but spar
king eyes, who inquired the cause of his
sadness
The young shepherds heart was SO
heavy that he needed no entreaty to tell
her his story.
She took from her pocket an ivory
whistle and gave it to him. This whistle
was just like other whistles in appear
ance, so the shepherd, thinking that it
needed to be blown in a particular way.
turned to ask the little old woman how
this was, but she had disappeared. Full
of confidence, however, in what he re-
garded as good genius, he went next
day to the palace and said to the king:
Il accept, sir, and have come in search
of the hares to lead them to the mead
ow."
On hearing this the kin, rose AMI said
to his minister Of the interior:
Have all the hares turned out of the
stable"
The young man placed himself on the
threshold of the door to count them, but
the first was already far away when the
last was set at liberty, so much so that
when he reached the meadow he had not
a single hare with him.
He sat himself down pensively, not
daring to believe in the virtue of his
whistle. However, he had no other re-
source, and, placing the whistle to his
lips, he blew into it with all his might
Immediately, to his great astonish-
ment, from right and left, from before
him and behind him., from all Sides in
fact, leaped the hundred hares and set to
quietly browsing on the meadow around
him
News was brought to the king how the
young shepherd had probably resolved
the problem of the hares. The king CON
ferred on the matter with his daughter.
Both were greatly vexed, for if the young
shepherd succeeded with the two other
problems as well as he had with the first
the princess would become the wife of a
simple peasant, than which nothing could
be more humiliating to royal pride
The princess retired to her chamber
and disguised herself In such a way as
to render herself unacceptable Then
she had horse brought for her. mount
ed it and went to the young shepherd.
The hundred hares were frisking joy
ously around him.
Twill you sell me one of your hares ~
asked the young princess.
Il would not sell you one of my hares
for all the gold in the world" replied the
shepherd, but you may gain one
"At what price?' asked the princess.
BY dismounting from your horse and
sitting by me on the grass for a quarter
of an hour
The princess made some objections
but, as there was no other means of OBJ
tanning the hare, she descended to the
ground and seated herself by the young
shepherd
The hundred hares leaped and bounded
around him
AT the end of a quarter of an hour,
during which the young shepherd said a
hundred tender things to her, she rose
and claimed her hare, which the shep-
herd. faithful to his promise. gave her.
The princess joyfnlly shut II in a bas-
ket which she carried at the bow of her
saddle and rode back toward the palace
But hardly had she ridden a quarter of
league when the young shepherd
placed his whistle to his lips and blew
into it, and at his imperative call the
hare forced up the lid of the basket,
sprang to the ground and made off as
fast as his legs would carry him.
A moment afterward the shepherd saw
a peasant coming toward him mounted
on donkey. 1t was the old king, also
disguised, who had Quilted the palace
with the same intention as his daughter.
large bag hung from the donkey's
saddle
"Wili you sell me one of your hares ~
he asked Of the young shepherd.
my hares are not for SALE" replied
the shepherd, ''but they may be gained"
What must one do to gain one?"
The shepherd considered for a moment.
You must kiss three times the tail Of
your donkey" he said.
This strange condition was greatly re-
pugnant to the old king. who tried his
/ hardest to escape it. going so far as to
offer $4,000 francs for single hare, but
the young shepherd would not bulge
from the terms he had named. At last
( the king, who held absolutely to getting
possession of one of the hares submit
ted to the conditions humiliating as they
were for a king. Three times he kissed
the tail of his donkey, who was greatly
surprised at king doing him so much
honor, and the shepherd, faithful to his
promise, gave him the hare demanded
with so much insstence.
The king tucked his hare into his bag
and rode away at the utmost speed of his
donkey.
Bit he had hardly gone a quarter of a
league when a shr;n whistle sounded in
the afr, on hearing which the hare nib
bled at the bag so vigorously as speedily
to make hole, out of which it leaped to
the ground and fed.
"Well?' inquired the princess on see
ing the king return to the palace.
Il hardly know what to tell you. my
daughter" replied the king. This young
shepherd is an obstinate fellow, who re-
fused to sell me one of his hares at any
price But don't distress yourself. He'll
not get so easily through the two other
tasks as he has done with this one"
1t need hardly be said that the king
made no allusion to the condition under
which he had for moment had posses
sion of one of his hares or that the
princess said nothing about the terms of
her similar unsuccess.
'.That is exactly my case" she remark
ed 81 could not induce him to part with
one of his hares either for gold or sill
ver''
When evening came, the shepherd re-
turned with his hares. He counted them
before the king. There was not one
more or one less. They were given back
to the minister of the interior, who had
them driven into the stable.
Then the king said:
'"The first problem has been solved.
The second now remains to be accom-
plished. Pay great attention, young
man."
The ahenherd listened with all his ears