The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-18
PERSIAN TALES.
A king Always Properly Comes out
ON Top.


One day there was a great whoop-
ing and shouting through the palace,
with messenger boys running hither
and thither and calling McManus, and
after awhile that individual sauntered
into the presence of his Royal Nibbs to
be greeted with:
How, now, thou 1op-shouidered,
knock kneed, slab-sided son Of a club
footed father, but Is this the way you
answer my summons.
Il was counting upthe bottles Of gin
ger ale in thy Royal cellars y hlhg,
was the reply.
counting the ginger ales at a time
like thisl Knowest thou not that thy
King has been -grievously,
grossly insulted!
mo word of it hath come to me, o
Ruler. Who hath dared to insult the
ruler of miIlions2"
THE Siour of Sunday. the dog of a
dog.
THAT he wipeth his feet upon me as
If 1 were a door-mat. Yea, he sendeth
a message like that to me-to me- the
ruler of the stars, sun and moon-to
the only man in Persia who has ever
drawn the capital prize IN a lottery.
McManus, sound the tocsin for war"
But we have no army, your
Majesty.
"Then order our navy to lombard
the Siour's coast
but our one old schooner hath no
'Then call out my subjects and
make an army
but we hath no money to buy
arms
War, stand here and tell me that we
are defenselessi" shouted the King.
what hath become of army, navy and
money? Speak, dog. or will have you
beheaded on the spot
THE woodbine twineth and the rob-
ms nest again, o King. In other
words you have gone the pace, and
about the only asset left at the present
time is a case of ginger ale You can
chop my head off if you will but l
don't see how that is going to mend
@see here, McManus," said the king,
after walking up and down for a couple
of minutes. 1T viii never do for my
subjects to get the idea that I have
taken a bluff from that old Siour of
Sundy. We have got to fix 1t some
s.Doth any one know of the message
His messenger spread the news as
and is there much excitement
Heaps and heaps I am expected to
go in and chaw him up By Johns
Mac but you must get that Scotch head
of yours at work or We'll be small pota-
toes within a fortnight"
20 King" replied McManus, as he
tickled his ear, 1T is now midwinter. 1t
will be three months before the peas
ants begin to prepare the ground for
their crops. Last year things turned
out badly with Them"
s'Well2f
Let US issue a proclamation that this
year things are going to be q heap bet
ter. By your royal command there will
be plenty of sunshine and rain, and the
harvest will be bountiful After the
harvest you propose to hang old Siour
on a sour apple tree.
4sBut how can IT, asked the king.
you can't and you won't If the
harvest is bountiful the people won't
want to go to war; If it's a failure you
cant make them. In ether case they
forget all about old Siour and you still
continue to be bully boy with a glass
Mac. old bog. thou hast saved me
again, and 1 wish to show my gratitude
on the spot. Run down and bring up
half a dozen bottles Of that ginger ale
you were talking about, and you may
have the honor Of pulling the corkS
FINANCIERING FOR A KING.
Sandy McManus. finance and war min
lister for the It of the earth, was one
day making a hammock out of barrel
hoops in the back yard of the palace.
when his highness came out and took
a seat on an ash barrel and said:
See here, Mac, want to make q few
tours around the country this summer