Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-25

"Go. find Eric the Foolhardy, and bring
"Yes, your 'Ajesty," said the runner, and
was gone in an instant. e..d
He had to hunt some time before ne Iouhu
Eric, sitting ON the grass just outside the city
Eric had on his spectacles, and in the look
ing-glass eye he saw the runner approaching
behind him, and he said:
"Pm thinking. Don't interrupt me ior
The runner was astonished, for he had
been creeping up softly, and he was dlsap-
pointed, for he had intended to jump at Enc
Vna would S have to say 70 ooo niT instead Of Boo
for you cannot say Boo without closing the
lps-so he sat sulkily down and waited hve
minutes and half.
a %The king king wants you," he said, then. "And
why, what's to pay?" asked Eric, ;,
said the runner, rudely. -,
You might gye eT answer Is to IA siv,
that nothing extra was paid for your man
ners"
"see, here. Eric" said the king, when Eric
arrived. They say it's your fault, He de-
what am | to do?"
| "Why, insist upon the smiths making the
shoes" said Eric, promptly.
But what good will that do?' asked, the
| l.
# he doesn't know how-can L? To be sure,
| can put him to death; but the question is
how to get the shoes made"
Your Majesty, I'm astonished" said Erie
is the business of king to make his subjects
obey him? If you. can't do it, why, your
Majesty knows, the law"
Upon this, the king few into fit of rage,
which lasted thirty-one minutes, during which
time he could not utter syllable or do any
thing but roll his eyes.
AT the end of that time, he recovered suffi-
GENTLY to order Eric clapped into prison until
enough for him.
The prison in which Eric was confined was
stone tower, thirty-one stories high, with
one room in each story. The greater a mans
to the thirty-frst story, not because he was
only th1rty,one times as bad as he might have
) been, but because they couldn't get him any
higher.
three floors; but the only one near Eric was
! man in the nineteenth room. He had been
there so long that everybody had forgotten
what he had done. Indeed, they had forgot
door; but il, wouldn't do to let him out, for il
might have been something very bad
Fortunately for Eric, he had his spectacles
with him, and he amused himself by looking
down on the city to see what went on
4 1t struck him that there was great excite
i ment about something. No one stayed quietly
at home, but crowds gathered at every corner
and seemed to be talking eagerly and aneriy
!, They looked frowningly in the direction Of the
/ palace, and pointed often toward the tower
e where Eric was confined.
s One morning, looking across the country
D Eric discovered large party approaching tie
: city, though still half days journey distant
Suddenly it flashed into his mind that this
Q was the verv day which the Princess Yns;
( was to arrive. No preparations that he conld M
o see were being made to receive her. Conld
the Gnowareans have taken leave of their
memories?
s Eric waved his spectacles and his hat md
s shouted at the top of his lungs. He wrote
h NThe princess is coming on pieces Of nansr
e and threw them out of the window: but tbev
e futtered away on the wind and did NOT seem
Z to reach the ground at all. He took off his
>, shirt and tied it to cane and waved H ont
Of the window, leaning so far out that he al.
q most lost his balance
3 Suddenly he felt himself seized by the lecs
= from behind and pulled back into the roo9
a while some one exclaimed
i "Don't fall outl To be sure, it's opiclsr
's than the stairs; but the banisters are safer
i 1t was the forgotten offender from the nine
teenth story.
Continued on Following Pare