Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-01-06

per week. should have been glad to
do more for them, for ! had become
knight to princess. but they drew a
line and entered protest. To go be-
yond that line was to hurt their feel.
ings and offend their dignity.
Sometimes in my knocking about l
found the Princess on the street, and l
had no cause to wonder that the half
drunken women and rude boys treated
her with respect 1t had somehow got
about the street that she was real
princess who would come into her own
some day, and she must be treated dif.
ferent from the other girls. There were
weeks and weeks ut a time when the
faith Of the Princess in her future would
not let doubt creep in. Then there
would come a blue day, and after sit
ting with her chin on her hands for q
long hour while talked with grandma
she would earnestly inquire:
do you think l shall ever be real
princess? Won't some other girl get
the place ahead of me before l am old
enough?"
Then would look around at the EVIL.
dence of poverty, l would feel the
pinching, the grinding, the bitterness
hemming her in. and | would reply
with deceit on my tongue. | would en-
courage her to keep fast hold OF her IL
lusions, to drive any menacing DOUBT
away. She believed in me and was the
happier for 1t, and it was also worth
the sin to receive the grateful looks OF
the poor old woman whose span OF lie
was almost closed. When / had re-
stored her courage, the Princess would
tell me of her plans when she should
come into her own. There was never
plan that die not include the better
ment of humanity. There would be no
enemies to punish, no laws to oppress,
no charity to hurt the sensitive. The
multimillionaire who would carry out
that girls plans would be admired by
all men and blessed by thousands.
Our friendship lasted year and its
end was both sudden and tragical. AS
she attempted to cross the street one
day the Princess was knocked down
and run over by heavy vehicle. A
dozen people rushed to pick her up, but
each and every one of them realized at
first glance that her end had come.
She was broken and crushed, but not
unconscious. They wondered that she
did not scream out in her pain, and
when the ambulance surgeon spoke In
admiration Of her pluck she quietly re-
piled:
"Sir, shall be princess some day,
and q princess never cries in public"
They took her to the hospital, and
the doctors did not need two minutes
to satisfy themselves that she had only
q few hours to live. They expressed
coincidence because she was child,
but words Of sympathy brought no
tears to her eyes nor groans to her
lips.
rs it bad?" she quietly asked OF the
nurse after the doctors had withdrawn.
"very bad" was the reply as soft
hand was laid upon her forehead.
Tiff it's too bad, then l won't nev-
er get to be princess, will /"
Poor child"
ITS years and years." said the girl
as her lips trembled at last. ME and
granny have been cold and hungry and
ragged, but we never gave up. was
to be a princess some day, and then
we'd live in palace and have every
thing we wanted. II I'm hurt too bad
to ever be Il princess, what will granny
do!"
Then came delirium, and the rawlings
told the nurse such story of mingled
romance and poverty that she wept
over 1t. A simple illusion had carried
that child through years Of uncom-
planning penury without complaint. 1t
had safeguarded her amid the lowest
and vilest. 1t had kept her face to
God, and it had made her reverenced
by men. Half an hour before death
came the delirium passed. Then she
looked at the nurse with her big blue
eyes and asked:
"Is It bad-very badT
"You may never get WELL" replied the
nurse, with sob.
There was a long silence. The gates
of pearl must have been opening when
the Princess asked:
"Will-will l ever be princess?"
"Yes. dear-up there among the an
gels you shall come into your king.
DOM"
The nurse went back to the window
and leaned her elbows on the sill and
sobbed as IL the life Of sister was de-
parting. When she turned, the little
face was growing white and the eyes
had closed.
And so the knight of the Princess sits
with poor old granny and talks Of that
which was and tries in vain to offer
comfort.