Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-01-23

I
| a handsome young prince who just could
not bear music. He mad studied almost
( everything there was to study, and as
] ne was a studious youth he learned al
most all his teachers could teach him;
/ that is, all but mis- music teacher. He did
\ not like music at all, and the more he
/ studied it the less he liked it; so, of
/ course. he just learned a lot of notes and
| things without knowing what they meant,
| and when he tried to play for his teacher
it was exactly as If he had tried to bound
| the District of Columbia by means of
| compound fractions. Now. this was very
| unfortunate, for his father could play the
bass drum beautifully and his mother
| could play the tamborine as well as any
| one could. OF course, all the lords in wait
| ing and all the ladies in waiting, and, in
fact. every one else played the drums and
| tambourines every spare moment that
/ they had, for you see, IL was the fashion,
and. besides, it pleased the King and
Queen immensely, for they were so fond
| of music.
Things went on this way until after
while the King grew SC worried over some
| affairs of state that he could not sleep at
! night. He tried his BEST but it was of no
use, and by morning he was so tired out
| trying to go to sleep that he would just
! doZe of and sleep all day. Then the next
| night he would be wide awake again, and
| then, of course, half of the court would
| have to sit up with him and play on the
] bass drums and tambourines, while the
I other half would play all day to the
! Queen. Then the Prince, whose name was
, Roland, grew desperate. One morning,
\ without saying word to anyone, he emp
| tied the money from his little bank into
! his pockets and started off to seek his
fortune and TO find some place where he
j would not have to listen to music all the
1 time.
The Prince was fond of company and
| did not like 10 travel alone, so he would
| bow and smile very politely to any trav-
eler whom he saw going his way and walk
along with him. But he soon grew tired OF
this, for every traveller in that country
was musical, too, and most of them car
/ ried musical instruments OF some kind
with them. Those who did not have any
instruments would either sing or whistle
until the poor Prince grew almost dis
tracted. Still, he die not want to travel all
| by himself, and at last he thought Of his
money. He paid each one he walked With
to keep quiet, and so he got along very
| nicely.
| After travelling for a long time Roland
came to beautiful city. 1t was surround
! ed by walls so high that he could not see
/ the top without bending his neck back so
| far that II got a erink in It, and you know
that when wall is as high as that it is
/ very high, indeed. He went in the gates
| with crowd of people. and as he was
| very tired he found the best inn and
stayed all night. The next morning as he
was paying his bill the innAeeper asked
| him what line of business he was in. Il
| have no business. am only seeking my
| fortune" replied Roland. do you know
| of any fortune around here that can be
| found without too much trouble?"
Yes. yes" said the innkeeper. IT know
/ of fine one. Why don't you go and kill
| the giant?"
What gIant?'' asked Roland.
i why. the giant that lives on the noun
tain over. there?" said the innkeeper
why should kin him?'j asked Roland.
] He never did anything to me-.
| But the giant has the fortune" ex-
| planned the innkeeper. Anyone who kills
him can have ii. He is a very fierce
| giant, too. He used TO come here to this
city and behave shamefully. He used to
| pick up our houses and turn them upside
down. Then he would shake them and
| all the gold and silver that fell out of
| them he would carry off. If people said
! anything to him he would just step on
/ them and squash them fat"
"Oh. N.Y." said Roland. You don't
think there is any danger of his coming
! here now, do your"
None at ALL" said the inkeeper. He
| has not been able to get in since we built
] those high walls around the city"
oh said Roland. IT was just wonder
! ing if he would come along, so 1 could
L
| to the trouble of going all the way to the
! mountain where his castle is
AS soon as Roland said that the inn
keeper ran out in the street and began to
| wave his arms. jump up and down and
/ shout. A great crowd of people gathered
/ at once, and the innkeeper told them that
| Roland was going to kill the giant and
| that he could hardly wait to get at him.
| Then all the people eheered and the
/ mayor of the city came up and shook
! hands with Roland and patted him on
/ the head. He said that Roland was a
brave youth, and he hoped he would not
/ get eaten alive by the giant. Roland
( said that he certainly hoped not too. and
/ the mayor said that if he did, he should
| have the handsomest monument that
! money could buy, and what more could he
| want?
! OF course. Roland could not back out
| then, although ne did not want to kill
! that giant one single bit, for all those peo-
| pie would be so disappointed and then
| they might think he was afraid Of the
| giant and that would never do.
/ Then all the people cheered some more, !
| and they put him on fiery steed and
gave him a spear. The city gates were
| opened and an immense procession form
! ed There were six dozen brass bands in
front of Roland and six dozen behind him.
/ and they played all the popular songs,
| with all the people joining in the chorus.
They made such a noise that Roland
| thought to himself he would rather kill
giants all tie rest Of his life than have
| that racket kept up for an hour. The
people and the bands left him at the city
/ gates, and he rode on alone.
| Roland rode for a long time without
| seeming to get much nearer to the noun
| tain on which stood the giants castle.
| The spear he carried was so heavy that it
| made his arms ache, and as he did not
/ know how to use it, anyway, he threw
| it away He seemed to get on much bet
/ ter after this. and 1t was just about noon
! when he rode up to the giants castle. The
| giant was painting the front porch. and
| he stopped and frowned fearfully when
| he saw Roland. Here's another one of
| them" he growled. He was so large and
/ Roland was so frightened that he just
sat still on his horse without saying a
word Well what do you want?" said
the giant. You came up here to kill me