Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-11
A Fairy Tale - BY Rose
Eta Roberts

Once there lived on a far island OF
the sea a king who had seven sons
/ The three eldest ones were tall and
| dark and their eyes sparkled like an
eagles eye and their hair was as dark
as crows wing and there were no
princes as strong as they.
The three youngest ones we're tall
| and fair with eyes as blue as corn
| flowers and no princes as brave OF
beautiful as they.
But the middle son was pale and
| lorn Which was neither dark nor fair
He was neither handsome nor strong
The middle sons name was Ethelrted
and the king gave to each OF his SIX
sons kingdom, armor and plumes and
a prancing charger and trusty steed
And to Ethelried he gave nothing and
when he asked for anything of the
kind they laughed at him and asked
him If he was crazy.
So Ethelried wandered from the
castle he went over mountain and more
with heavy thought.
He went to forest and as he slept
he heard noise near at hand In some
bushes. BY the light Of the moon he
wild beast had been caught In
hunters snare and was struggling to
free himself from the heavy net. His
first thought was to kill the animal for
he had nothing for many days.
But with pity he said, Thou shalt
have thy liberty"
And he began to cut at the net and
before long the sweat stood out on his
brow as .he bent himself to the task
Presently as he worked the blades OF
his scissors began to grow sharper and
brighter and longer and he walked fast
from the woods and he spied fine
apple tree He stopped and cut on
an apple and was about to take a bite
when out came witch and took him
to the darkest dungeon that you ever
heard of. And then funny looking
fellow came and gave him cup OF
cold water and crust Of bread.
AS he went away he said, You shall
be hanged in the morning, hanged by
the neck until you are quite dead.
and then a fly came and said that II
he didn't escape he would be hanged
the third day because the witch never
kept prisoner after the third day and
he escaped.
The next day Ethelried was walking
over the hills and he saw a woman
crying and he asked her why she wept.
The woman said that her husband was
sick and their grain in the field was
ripe and she could not leave him and
the children to cut the grain. But
Ethelried said for her not to worry
and before sunset he had the grain cut
AS he got done he found lamb and
then a herald dashed down the high
way crying that a beautiful princess
had been carried off by the ogre. She
! was the only child of the king. he
said the one that brought her back
would get his throne. There came
knights and princes to fight the ogre
and they were killed one by one.
Ethelried became so exhausted that
he could scarcely raise his hand. AS
they saw that the poor prince was
about to be vanquished they all began
to cry bitterly. They cried out, He
saved my harvest" cried one. he
found my lamb" said another. he
showed me a greater kindness still.
said the bird and the ugly old osre's
head fell from his shoulders and every
cap was thrown up and everyone said
'Long live the prince
So Ethelried married the princess
and they were feasting and merry
making for seventy-fve days anc
nights. When the feast was over the
prince tore down the castle Of the ogre
and built new one and the gable was
fastened by the n'ir of scissors.
So one day the king and his sis
| sons (of whom three were dark anC
three were fair) came and the scissors
leaped from there place and snapped
so angerly that they turned thei1
horses heads and fed. So the scissors
! flew back to the place to guard Ethel
ried and his wife and those with low
ing hearts may enter there today.
This is a school composition writer
some time ago.
Rose Eta Roberts.
Agency, Iowa, Route 2