New-York tribune., 1906-04-29

Asked By the way, were YOU ever Queen
No. said 'Melia wistfuly; but wanted to be.
of a true Prince Come along with me and De
crowned" And before Meia could protest ne had
lifted her into the golden throne and was standing
before her at respectful attention
Now oh Queen" began the Prince but sud-
denly he stopped, stopped and picked up something
from the floor As he inspected It ms race ctaed SET
wonderfully as he glanced at the little creature
the throne.
Aha" he laughed but it did not a seem R like f6al 6l
roval sgnet declare you to be the ruling sovereign
for the next ten minutesi" And he shipped 1t on
'Melias fOretnger.
which are given away with candy and soap; and
it bore a four-leavcd clover whose blurred blackened
appearance suggested that 1t had once Deen thrown
into the fire and dug out again.
II wouldn't do that Your Majesty" he said,
for Mea sat wide-eyed lnstnftlvey ruo' ing sn the
magic rings, and if you rub it the ,.wner might
appear; and II wouldn't like that"
He looked about him in half frightened way, and
then seated himself before his sovereign. It's this
way Your Majesty" he began. You see, once
upon time person and person were walking
in the park. One Princess person, rich and
beautiful; the other was just poor beggar person
he was telling the Princess some things-or, rather,
trying hard not to tell them-they both sped just
such ring as this. It's mine! cried the Princess.
No mnel cried the beggar Cut it in two, laughed
the Princess. Then the beggar took deep breath.
No he said sOlemnly, L won't. It's like some
other things which people find while walking about
the world together-nO to either If cut in two.
Princess, will YOU take the ring and wear my half
with YOURS and rub it little each day, for luck
And if the luck comes, perhaps some day you'll let
redeem the ring-new lamps for old!'
so the Princess laughed and took the ring, and
the beggar thought himself almost a Prince. But
| think she must have rubbed it the wrong way.
Week after week the luck did come; but at
length something else happened 1t silly
little quarrel worth less than hair of the Prin-
Cesss head; but they We're both proud and-and they
didn't wait to say gOOd-bY. Well, all their
friends tried tried everything, until the trouble had
along into many months and become quite
hopeless; and then-isnt Fate queer?-at last the
luck Came-luck, but no Princess That made him
feel than he already felt, and he began to
do foolish things. He would cut pieces from
papers which told what she was doing and where
she had been-the theaters, dances, shOws-and
next day he would do the things, the
places, himself. One night she gave a May-pole
dance, and the morning after there he was, in the
very place where she had been and seeing the same
things. Then what should he find on the floor"
Here the Prince stopped abruptly, checked by
the sound of voices, and the next moment two
people, a and woman walked past the
door. Then 'Melia looked upon the Prince and
found that he had turned a deep peculiar red.
The PrinceSSl" he whispered in comic horror
and Melia, who had been secretly rubbing the ring
turned scarlet and implored in awe-Struck tone:
Let's get out of here'
AS they gained the door 'Melia remembered her
parcel, and the Prince tptoed back for it. AS he
vanished behind the palms, there woke the sound