The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-08

The smell of it went up through the rafters into the rooms above, and the Grand Duchess began to cry afresh from hunger. The shepherd boy did not cry-he accustomed to being hungry
 When the morning came, the Grand Duchess found that her troubles were only beginning.
 The shepherd boy was used to work we'll to hunger but the Grand Duchess wept again and again all the hard tasks set for her by the cruel step mother. She dared not disobey. In this way weeks passed by. The Grand Duchess scrubbed the stone floor and did nearly all the work of the house. The shepherd, boy was out to gather sticks for the fire and berries for cooking The Duchess learned to make these into pies, while all the time the Witch Woman sat by the fire with the train she had cut from the Duchess's frock over her shoulders for shawl. She did nothing but feed the white mouse every day, and collect the golden grain.
 Since she was always there the Grand Duchess and the shepherd boy rarely met alone. But now and then when the Duchess went to the pond to fill her pail with water, she would meet him with his bundles of sticks Then her chin would go up and she never failed to say contemptuously;
 "You-who promised to take care of mel"
 And the shepherd boy would creep to his own heap of hay at night and think and think until morning dawned.
 He dared not leave her alone in the clutches of his stepmother while he away to tell what had be- come of her. for his absence would so soon be dis covered Before he her friends could return, she and the Witch Woman would have disappeared. He must not risk losing sight of her. for then the harm would be worse than ever.
 All this time no rumor came to them of the con- motion caused by the loss of the Grand Duchess.
 The stepmother was aware of 1t, and of the great reward offered to any who should bring back the missing child.
 But she cared nothing for that Had she not the fairy mouse and many bag of golden treasure hid den by the hearth? Plainly 1t not to her inter est for many reasons to let any one know what had happened.
 One afternoon, when the summer was nearly over, she ordered them into their lofts The shepherd boy, in the front loft watched eagerly from the small win dow when he heard the door below shut and that also locked. He his stepmother mufled in her cloak with bag in her hand starting of in the di- rection of the distant town and he guessed she was going enjoy herself and to buy provisions of which they were in need.
 This is the chance have waited for, whispered he.
 In a moment he had lifted the trap-door, for the screws had been already oosened He called softly to the Grand Duchess and, with broken knife which he succeeded in pushing through to her, under his directions she finished getting out the screws of her door which were also loose. Then he forced it open and helped her down the ladder
 "I cannot leave my mousse" said he.
 But to get the mouse proved a much more din1cult matter than escaping from the loft.
 For greater safety, and that it might not be idle while she away the stepmother had shut the Winged Mouse into the cupboard with plenty of seed about it. The lock strong, she had taken the key with her. and there screws visible.
 Then the Grand Duchess thought of plan They still had the ied-mouse. About that the Witch Woman had troubled herself.
 The brown mouse should gnaw hole