The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-17

Hum, hum, hum.
! Come come, come.
Little elfin folk,
| Wait you at the oak.
! Come, come, GOMEZ"
Still she spun. Still the voices repeated:
Hum, hum, huml
Come, come, comet
Treasures we will show:
Wonders you shall know.
| Come, come, GOMEZ
Then Caterina arose from the wheel,
| slipped past the nurse who dozed in her
| chair and went aacross the gardens to the
! forest. Down an aisle of great trees she
passed until she came to a giant oak
From it's spreading roots little brown
| forms arose, little hands plucked at her
skirts. On every side a crowd Of mis-
shapen dwarfs pressed about her. They
strucA the trunk of the tree, singing:
open. door of our treasure store;
In our power from this hour
Is the maiden evermorei
Immediately a door in the tree opened
and the elves pushed Caterina inside,
chanting gleefully:
CLOSE the door of our treasure store.
With bitter tears for endless years
Shall she serve forevermore"
In the meantime Cataerina's fight from
the palace was discovered. The kingdom
was secured on fast horses, but no trace
of the princess was found. The king was
Frustrated with grief.
After a week of fruitles search the
nurse sent for Oswald, the page, and told
him the story of the magic song
Alas" she cried. there is said to be
but one charm which ca nundo the spell.
and the secret OF it / fear no one has
no iS arTn7 81
Oswald. for he was wiling TO climb the
skies and fetch down a star for the re-
covery OF the princess.
IF there is one who keeps a flower she
once gave him." returned the nurse, he
must walk in the forest. There bird will
instruct him in the use of the charm. II
he be brave he may break the spell and
win back the princess. And great the re-
ward of such deed" she added.
Then Oswald drew from his doublet the
little flower Caterina had tossed him.
The nurse babe him walk in the forest
and see what might happen.
Through a dark grove Of oaks Oswald
wandered. AS the afternoon wore on he
heard a bird song which TO his great Won
der. he could understand. Look at the
flower she broke from her bower" car
oiled the bird
Oswald gazed intently upon the petals
these words. which he repeated aloud:
open. door. yet once more.
To break the chamr and free from
harm
The princes evermore.
A door in the trunk Of the great oak
beside him few open. AS he was about
to enter the bird flew down with a cluster
Of red berries in her bsak. Oswald took
the berries and hurried down a rough
stair of earth inside the tree.
Below were set tables of rock, laden
with tankards Of gold. silver and copper.
About them Toasted the dwarfs hideous
in merriment, eating and drinking their
fill. Passing among them Oswald saw
maiden, exceedingly fair, but pale and
weary. She held a tray piled with lus-
cious strange fruits. Oswald knew her
10 be the Lady Matilda, STOLEN in the days
OF old. Beside her the Princess CATERING
brewed the beer and filed the hagons
Softly Oswald slipped 70 Carerina's side.
and into every hagon she filed he squeez-
ed the Juice OF the magic berries
No sooner had the dwarfs drunk OF this
beer than they nodded. slept and fen a.
snoring Then Oswald. grasping BY each
hand a maid fed up the stair out into the
world OF sunshine.
In the palace the king and court re-
joiced from the crescent 10 the full mooa
on the return OF the princesses There
was no noble OF the land set above Os-
wa3d who had been but q page The
king threw about his neck his own soid
chain and gave him the iordliest castle OF
that country
In time His Majesty gave the Princes
Matilda IN marriage 20 a kings son % a
neighhoring realm. but the hand Of his
beautiful daughter Caterina he bestowed
upon Sir Oswald. whom al men called the
bravest ard most courteous gentleman %
the court And when at last the king died
fun OF years. CateTfra and Oswald reign /
e. in has stead They ruled wisely and
lived hauryfl~ ali their DAYS