The San Francisco call., 1906-08-19
THE SUNDAY CALLS BOYS AND GIRLS
the Unsniling
Princess Finally
Smiled.
Id people remember their grand
mothers telling that they had
Princess who had never smiled
ar laughed In all her life

or laughed In all her life.
when she was a baby, and the sun
beams stole through the palace win
dows and played about her cradle, she
had stared at them wonderingly with
her bie blue eyes, but never smiled or
"cooed.,' and when her nurse shook
rattle to amuse her her little face re-
mained as serious as ever, while her big
eyes seemed to ask;
what are you doing that for and
what do you expect me TO do?"
After q while the King and Queen
grew anxious, and spent much time in
the royal nursery endeavoring to make
the baby laugh. The King. laying aside
his dignity, stood on his head, turned
semersaults and made comic faces,
while the Queen cut out funny dolls and
got up Punch and Judy shows and drew
pictures But nothing was of any use.
The Princess couldn't--or wouldn't
smile, and her father and mother were
la despair.
While she was growing up of course.
she had to do lessons and could not
play very much, so the King and Queen
felt that, for the time, her seriousness
would not so much matter. But when
the Princess was old enough to quit
her studies and think of marriage, they
began to feel worried again. for who
would wish to marry girl who was so
seriousP
AT laSt tue fiHS SnapSh tut pubiiSd~
tion of an announcement that whoever
was clever enough to make the Prin-
cess smile might have her for his wife,
II she would accept him. \
But, although everybody heard the
announcement, nobody felt equal to the
problem, so there were no suitors.
One morning she went for a walk in
the fields by herself. 1t was a lovely
summers day and all the world was
smiling, all except the Princess, and
despitc her seriousness, she admired the
beauty of the woods and grass and
heids and birds. She was so taken up
with them, indeed, that she failed to
notice a stone lying In her path and
stumbled on II. spraining her ankle
severely.
AS she sat on the ground moaning
and wondering how she was ever to
get back to the palace a young man
spied her from q neighhoring meadow
and ran to her assistance. And as he
talked to her he smiled--a smile that
cheered the Princess wonderfully.
II shall have to pick you up and car
ry YOU home" he said. with another
smile, and he secretly thought he would
really enjoy doing so and could love
her ii only she would smile.
Now, the Princess was astonished
and pleased. for here was some one
who seemed, after all. to like and ad-
mire her.
"But i am so big and heavy" she
protested.
The young man laughed.
But I'm much bigger-and very
strong he assured her. ',You will see
how easily can lift you. Where is 1t
you iive?"
In the palace" said the Princess.
II am the Kings daughter"
The young man almost dropped her
in his surprise. for little had he
$ho& cfvI xzrian VI
proposing to pick up and carry in his
arms was the much talked Of unsmil-
ing Princess.
1t was a good way to the palace.
and the Princess had time to think.
How very, very kind this young man
Is! ] wonder how ! should reward
him? Shall I offer him money? No,
for he does not seem poor"
Then she recalled how his smile had
pleased her. and wondered If she could
possibly smile In return, He was TAX
Ing great trouble on her account, and
acted as If he cared for her. Surely
ii was worth while to try for his sake.
The young man carried her into a
grand drawing room where were many
velvet couches and just as he laid her
carefully down on one of them the
Princess thanking him. made an effort
to smile--and succeeded. of course
for anybody can smile, IL she tries.
What excitement there was! The
courtiers came crowdinS around the
King and Queen hastened in and threw
up their hands with JOY. even the
cooks from the kitchen--for the news
spread like wildfre-eame to look
upon the Princess who had at last
learned to smile.
And the Princess was very happy.
So also was the young man, who I'M
mediateiy claimed his reward for caus-
ing her to smile.
The Princess smilingiy promised to
marry him as soon as her ankle was
well, and from that day on she smiled
even more than most people, as though
to make up for lost time"