The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-17
literary ambition has before now
led men into difficulties. The king

n literary ambition has before now
led men into difficulties. The king
IL had completed a poem In thirteen
stanzas, entitled The Beggar Man." and
the prime requisite of a completed poem
IS an audience to listen to it.
Like every other literary man, it was
praise and not criticism that James want
ed: still he preferred to have such praise
from the lips of one who knew something
of the life he tried to sing; therefore. as
evening came on. the monarch dressed
himself in his farmer costume, and, TAX
ing his thirteen stanZaS with him, ven
turcd upon cautious visit to his friend
the cobbler in the lower town of Stirl-
ing.
The cobbler listened with an attention
which was in itself fattering and paid his
royal visitor the additional compliment of
asking him to repeat certain of the verses,
which the king in his own heart thought
Were the best. Then when the thirteenth
stanza was arrived at with the "No-that-
bad commentator, which is dear to the
heart Of the chary Scotchman. be he of
high or low degree. Flemming continued:
They might be worse, and we've had
many a poet of great reputation in Scot
land who would not be ashamed to father
them. But I'm thinking YOU paint the
existence Of a beggar in brighter colors
than the life itself warrants"
NO, no. Flemming." protested the
king earnestly. I'm convinced that only
the beggar knows what true contentment
is. You see. he begins at the very bot
tom of the ladder and every step he takes
must be a step upward Now imagine ii
man at the top. like myself: any move I
make in the way Of changing my condi-
ton must be downward. A beggar is the
real king, and king is but a beggar for
he holds his position by the favor of
fnfh XAaa
beegar gets is so much to the good, and,
rs he has nothing to lose, not even his
head-for who would send a beggar to the
block ?-he must needs be therefore the
most contented man on the face Of the
fOOtStOUl'
Wei. in so far as concerns myself.
Your majesty IA like to be sure of a
roof over my head when the rains com
ing down, and of that a beggar never can
se. a King or cobbler has a place to
~ his head. at any rate
Aye admitted the king. but some
times that place is the block To tell YOU
the truth, Flemming. I'm thinking of TAX
ing a week at the begging myself A
poet should have practical knowledge of
the subject about which he writes Give
me a week on the road. Flemming, and I'll
pen you poem on beggary that will get
warmer praise from you than this has
had.
Does your majesty intend to go alone*''
Entirely alone, Flenming. Bless me-
do you imagine 1 would tramp the coun-
Try as beggar with a troop of horse at
my back*'
Your majesty would be wise to think
twice Of such a project" warned the cob
bier
oh. well. I've doubled the number:
I've thought four times about it; once
"hen was writing the poem and three
times while YOU were raising objections
to- paEzassertion that the beggar is the
happIest man on EARTH
II your majestys mind is fixed. then
there's no more to be said. But take nv
advice and put a belt round your body
WITH number of gold pieces in 1t, for the
time may come when you'll want a horse
III hurry, and perhaps you may be re-
fused lodgings even when you greatly need
them' IN either case a few gold rascaIs
VIII stand your friend
That's canny counsel Flemnine and
I'll act on it,
And thus it came about that the king of
scotland, with a obeit of gold around his
waist IN case of need, and garments con-
cealIng the belt which gave little indica-
ton that anything worth a robbers care
was underneath, tramped the high roads
and byways of part of Scotland, finding
IN general welcome wherever he went. for
he could tel story that would bring a
Iaugh and sing song that would bring a
tear. and all such rarely starve or lack
shelter in this sympathetic world.
Only once did he feel himself in danger.
and that was on what he thought to be
the last day Of his tramp, for in the even
Ing he expected TO reach the lower town
or Stirling, even though he came to it late
in the night. But the weather of Scotland
has always something to say to the pc
destrian, and it delights in upsetting his
plans.
He was still more than two leagues
from his castle, and the dark Forest of
norwood lay between him and royal Stir
ling, when toward the end of lowering
day there came up over the hills to the
west one Of the tiercest storms he had
ever beheld, which drove him for shelter
to wayside inn on the outskirts of the
forest. The place of shelter was low and
forbidding enough, but needs must when
a Scottish storm drives, and the king
burst in on drinking company, bringing
a swirl Of rain and blast of wind. with
him; SO fierce in truth was the wind that
one of the drinkers had to spring to his
feet and put his shoulder to the door be-
fore the king could get it closed again.
He found but scant welcome in the COM
pany. Those seated on the benches by the
fire scOwled at him; and the landlord,
seeing he was but beggar, did not limit
his displeaSure to so silent a censure.
What in the fiend's name" he cried
angrily, docs the like of you want i'll
here?'
The king nonchalently shook the water