The Saint Paul globe., 1904-05-22

their dying mother and their blind
father, and implored them to go home
and gladden. them once more.
Nay, said the kings, impatiently
Nay! We are sorry, but the wealth
Of the world is still to be gathered
We have little time"
Then she sang to them. She sang
them song of the happy valleys. She
made a song of the DAYS when thew
played together She sang of the old
blind King staring with unseeing
wide eyes into the sunset.
The three dark kings looked at each
other uneasily. Then they arose and
cried-although their voices were a
little less harsh-"Away! Away with
her!"
A tall man in armor took her by the
wrist and hurried her away. But when
he had led her so far that they could
not be seen from the throne, he raised
his visor and she recognized one of
her fathers old Knights.
Listen" he said 'Your brothers
will never return and they will keep
us all in bondage here until their
hearts are white again. You must
know that, though the Golden Witch
has made their hearts black, she can
not, with all her spells, find a way
to make mems hearts so black that
they will stay SO forever. She must
go to them each year and touch their
breasts anew.
'In the middle of a mountain ten
thousand miles away she brews the
potion that gives her hand the magic
power. That potion is the blackest
and most poisonous thing in all the
world. 1t is made from all the CRIME
and the blood and the foulness that
are gathered by every grain of gold
each year. The spots Of blood from
the robbers hand 60 into it. The
blot of every i'll deed that is done for
wealth goes into it.
"Once every twelve months the
Golden Witch goes there and holds
her hand into it. So mighty is its
strength that for a whole year there
after her touch will turn all hearts
black. But if you could dam up this
stream for three years with your body
your brothers hearts would become
white again. Only, you must know
that the first year your whole body up
to the waist will be burned to the
bone by the terrible food, and will
turn coal black. And the second
year, you will be burned and black
ened up to the throat. And the third
year, your face will be burned and
all its beauty will disappear and it
will become hideous and black and
wrinkled like an apes"
81 will go" said the little Princess.
She ran to the river, climbed on her
raft and begged the waters to carry
her to the mountain. The old knight
kneeied down and kissed her hand
and the next moment the faithful
waters were taking her out to sea.
Long and fast they sped; and at last
they came to the desert and the
mountain.
Nothing grew there or moved
nothing except the ceaseless rushing
of an inky and foul flood that came
down the side of the hill and plunged
into its heart. So wicked and terrible
waves of the sea ceased rearing and
.pldnging and said:
Alas, little sister! We dare not 60
nearer"
So she slipped off the raft and wad-
ed ashore. And, after kneeling to
pray, she walked boldly toward the
hideous stream. Long before she
reached it she saw how every drop of
spray that sprang from it burned the
earth where it fell; how every air that
blew over it became deadly and
blighted all that it blew on afterward
Yet she did not falter; but, with her
hands crossed on her breast, she wad-
ed into the black stream. Before she