The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-01
THE MAGIC
CUP

One fine June day. all the cousins. with
Uncle Frank TO keep them safe, went down
10 the sea. All the morning they played
upon the beach. picking up shells. building
sand forts and doing the hundred other
things that only children can think Of. BY
dinner time al were hungry and tired,
and so after they had eaten their lunch
they gathered around Uncle Frank in the
shade OF a big rock and asked him TO tell
them a story while they rested. Perhaps it
was the restless beauty of the waves with
the June sun upon them. perhaps IT was the
eagerness in the faces Of all the little peO-
pie that made the young man happy. At any
rate he smiled kindly upon the children and
then he began:
"One summer day. long years ago. the
light waves dashed against the boat Of
a Norwegian boy as ne made ready TO
start from a little harbor. He was a hI.s-
looking young fellow, much too handsome
70 be the son Of common fisherman, al
though his clothing seemed TO show that
that was his occupation. However. his
coming TO the island upon which he now
lived had been very strange. One morn
ing, many years before. an old man catch
ing crabs on the beach saw a boat driven
by the wind coming over the water. There
was no man at the HEINZ no lusty fellows
rowing. The boat itself was unlike. any
that he had ever seen. AS ne gazed steadily
at the incoming craft. the fiutter Of a hand
caught his eye. and in a few moments more
the keel Of the boat grated on the sand.
Then the old man saw in the bottom of the
vessel d woman who held in her arms
smiling boy.
In weak voice the poor mother begged
for shelter and food and as the old crabber
was kind-hearted he led the way to his
home. There, after the strangers had re-
ceived bread and drink, the woman told
how, in a distant city OF which her hus-
band had been king, some wicked men had
killed him and had placed herself and her
son in an open boat and set them adrift
on the sea. The old fisherman and his wife
pitied the strangers very much and told
the mother that she might live with them.
Thus we find, many years afterward, that
her son. who is really prince, does the
work of common fisherman. The old man
was too poor to allow any one to live with
him who did not work. and fishing was all
that he could teach the young man. The
lad, whose name was Oscar. loved the ex-
element of the life on the sea; and his
broad shoulders and fearless eye showed
what hard. honest work had done for him.
Now. all the people of the island were
not so good and kindly as the old fisher
man. The king of the island had heard
much, in the course Of years, of the beauty
of Oscars mother. He had made up his
mind 10 marry her; but she did not like
him and had always put him off by saying
that she was busy teaching her son. Dur
ing the last few years, however, Oscar
had grown so tall and large that he no
longer needed teaching, and was able to
protect his mother. So when the king saw
that the young man was likely to stand
In his way he made up his mind to send
him on some dangerous journey from which
he should never return. The bad monarch
told his courtiers what he intended to do;
and they all applauded him, and with one
voice cried out:
Send him after the Magic Cup
Very good" replied the king. I'll do it,.
'ThereupOn he sent for his chief marshel
and told him TO bring Oscar before him.
In a few hours, when the officer came
back with the young man. the king told
him what he was 10 do. But the youth
refused; then the king became very angry
and cried out that unless he did go after
the cup. he should be Immediately taken
out and hanged. OF course, with such a
fate in store. Oscar agreed to go. although
he did not like TO leave his mother with
out protection. And so, on this bright sum
mer morning. we find the brave lad Ieav-
ing the harbor, going in search of the Magic
Cup.
Now, my little friends" continued Uncle
Frank. this Magic Cup was said to be OF
gold and to be able to give its possessol
whatever he should wish. On this account
the king wished very much to have it
But badly as he wanted il, he never dared
10 go after it himself or to send any OF
his friends after it. For an old magician
had said that the cup was guarded by
a terrible creature called Loka, who lived
in cave under the sea. This monster was
reputed TO be very fierce and strong II
was said that with his teeth and claws
he was able 10 kill anything or anybody
who tried to steal the cup; and if they es
capped that death. he held them under water
until they drowned. All this the bad kinl
knew; and so he sent oscar after the treas
ure, thinking that he surely would be killed
I'm getting it,
oscar himself knew not where the cuT
was or by what a monster II was guarded
When he set sail on his journey, therefore
he was very much discouraged. He let his
boat drift on with the wind all day. neither
knowing nor caring where it went To
wards evening he saw in the distance
little island; and as he did not wish t.
spend the night on the sea he steered to-
ward it. The sun was just sinking when h,
tied his little craft for the night and a.
he sat in the lonely stiffness upon tn,
beach, far from home and friends, his cour
age failed him 50 much that he wept a.
he cried he felt suddenly a hand upon hli
shoulder and heard gruff voice say:
What's the matter. my boy2"
when he looked UP he saw before hin
an old man. whose long white bearC
reached his waist and whose keen eyes
glittered under his bushy eyebrows Xix,
stars through heecy clouds. Somehow tn,
old mans smile seemed friendly. and ;,
Oscar told him the whole story of hi
trouble
a" Ho. hor laughed the old fellow. H
sent you after the Magic Cup did he
What are you going 10 co about IT.?
- Alas. what can l dO?' sighed Oscar
Here I am, hunting for something that
never even heard of until yesterday