The Winslow mail., 1909-01-23
s;3sssH~ss-~s|2 N~ss-s~Set~ss--~~st-sEs -sEsss
s PRINCE OR !
! PRINCESS !
By HUBERT Nj. SKINNER
s:6s-JtS~~ssssl l,es-ssaS s,~s-ssslsssYe3
By HUBERT NJ. SKINNER



ancient Hindus and Persians. Moth
ing is improbable among people who
believe in magic carpets and flying
horses in terrific genii corked up in
bottles, and in men transformed into
animals. Here is a veracious and very
ancient tale from the Sanskrit, which
does credit TO it's original narrator,
whoever he may have been.
The great king Nihla-Keton lived
and ruled wisely in his beautiful city
of BartyPoura, which was the capital
OF his flourishing kingdom of Anga
Dessa. You must not ask any ques-
tions about these proper names, for
one cannot in this day turn to books
OF geography and history and put his
finger upon the persons and places Of
five or six thousand years ago; and
this story is one of the Oldest
The kings PREMIER the great Lord
Nahaca, was a man of wonderful re-
sources. who was equal to every emer-
gency in statecraft. The queen and
her three daughters were as beauti-
tul as bahama, the Dawn. But for
one thing, the kings happiness would
have been complete. Like Napoleon,
a century ago, he lacked an heir and
just as Napoleon was led to divorce
the devoted Josephine for purely dy
nastic reasons, King NihlaKeton was
considering the matter of a separation
from the queen.
The ladies of the palace were over
whelmed with sorrow and dread Just
then another child was born 1t was
a girl. In her desperation, the queen
appealed to the great Lord Vahaca
TO save her; and this he undertook to
do at great risk to himself He an
nounced to the king that at last a son
was bOrn-a son, the very image of
his sire, evidently favored Of heaven,
and giving every promise of gori-
Gus career. The king was mad with
delight; but according to the etiquette
of the time, he must not be permitted
to see the child until the twelfth day
after its birth. Then he must solemn
ly greet it and bestow upon it it's
Lame at a great mama-carma, or
christening feast.
For IL days he tumbled over in his
mind the Sanskrit roots, in a search
lor a combination which should be
grand and inspiring, as becoming the
title of such a prince; and for IL
days the premier planned how he
might carry on the deception upon
which he had entered The pahorita,
or royal astrOlOger, was appealed to,
and-for a consideration. doubtless
gave the king the horoscope of the
child. The stars, he declared forbade
the formalties of the nama-carma,
and would prevent the king from see
ing the baby. In fact, he continued,
the brilliant career of the prince was
strictly conditional. The stars decreed
that the king was not to see his son
until the latter should be grown and
married-which would be about 16
years later. according to Hindu Gus
tom. The king was deeply disappoint-
ed, but was pacided by the promise
of life and health and honor for the
prince, and so bowed to the Will of
heaven. He was at liberty to arrange
for his sons ducation-through the
premier, of course-to build palace
Tor him, and to inquire about him from
day to day; but to see the child was
out of the question
Fifteen years passed rapidly away.
The great Lord ahaca was still in
his prime, the queen and her daugh-
ters were still beautiful. The sup
posed prince was grown to woman
hood. And now, more than ever be
fore, all the parties to the scheme of
deception We're filed with apprehen-