The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-07-28
A FAIRY TALE.

All along the shore the receolnS
waves had left great piles Of moss and
weeds beaded with foam. which glittered
whep the sun touched them like heaps OF
Jewels Fairy jewels. though. L am
afraid for they vanished when grasped
by small brown hands. Harold Gordon,
tired of chasing this Elusive wealth, be-
gan turning over the seaweed to see what
lay beneath, when under bunch OF sea
lettuce he found a sea urchin the gro
tesque prickly bali did not like being
uncovered in this fashion, and tried to
crawl back under the cool green leaves
Harold sat down on the beach beside his
new playmate and partially covered MIN
by g leaf as he said: Hello. Master
Roly Poly. From what part of the ocean
do you Gomez"
A plaintive wall answered his question
and seemed to say. Il come from the
deeps. where the Princess with golden
hair dwells in cave forever.
This aroused Harold's interest, for he
knew truly what beautiful and Won
derful place the ocean was. SO he asked
the sea urchin 70 tell him the story And
this is what the little exile told him:
once long ago, in the pink coral pail
ace of the Mermaid Queen, there lived
a little nerrnaiden with golden hair. She
was the Crown Princess. and all the Won
irous people of the sea We'd with one
another in praising her beauty and in
bringing her gifts.
Each day the little Princess grew more
lovely in face and form. but less lovely
in heart and mind, because she studied
only those things that would give herself
most pleasure
There had lived in the palace beyond
the eldest memory of any very wise
and learned man, called Barjota. He
was the Queens chief adviser and
great magician. Although Barjota talked
often with the Princess and tried 10 I'LL
her mind and heart with beautiful. low
ing thoughts he never praised her beauty
or chided her when she wspt because she
was not an earth child. but only looked
at her with growing sadness as the days
slipped by and she did not try to curb
her DISCONTINUED, selfish temper
Now. of all these things made the
Queen anxious, because, although Barjota
was good and just, he was jealous for the
welfare of her kingdom, and she knew
that he would not think such a princess
great enough to sit on the amber throne
nor worthy of the love of the peoples
of the sea, and she feared him.
Every morning the Princess would sit
in a great red coral chair in the throne
room and wish while around her crowded
the courtiers. willing to risk their lives
from her disconnected but lovely face;
and while she babe this one and that one
go on fruitless errands. from which, per-
haps, they never returned, old Barjota,
his gray beard floating about him. stood
behind the Queens throne and watched
the Princess with calm inscrutable eyes.
And so in jest one day the Princess
babe old Barjota go to far off Mauritius
and bring her the rarest treasure in the
-.oards of the robber crabs of that Isle
This treasure was an enchanted earshell,
which was said TO give one the power to
hear the thoughts running in the mind Of
another. The Princess thought that by
having this shell she should be able to
hear double the number Of compliments
about herself. for. argued she, one al
ways thinks far more than one speaks.
Smiling slowly, old Barjota, in an
swer. said Princess I will gladly do
your bidding. and so left her presence.
Two days later a great robber crab
from Nautilus, bearing the shell on
his back. came into the palace. and with
many low Salaams presented 1t TO the
Princess. The Princess was so please
that she never troubled TO ask why old
Barjota did not bring 1t himself but put
the shell to her ear Alasi What did she
hear? We shall never know: because she
became very angry, and in her rage threw
the shell against the old crabs back,
whese 1t broke into a thousand pieces.
LAS the she'll broke, there stood before
her BarJota, the great magician. who
said: Oh. Princess with the golden hair
and such beauty as none have ever seen,
Danish thee forevermore. Thy place
shall be barren cave, hidden away in
the lowest depths of the deepest sea; and
thy kingdom, thine own vain, selfish.
empty heart. In all the years that yet
must be thou shalt have much to think on
and bemoan. And let this thought.
among others. not escape thee, that that
heart which thinks only of its own pleas
ure is but an empty cup that awaits the
filing of the evil one
From that day until this the Princess
has never been seen, but al of her people
know the cave that hides her, and shun
the place where she works out a weary
fate.-New York Herald.