Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-23
The Secret Room

/, There was once very beautiful
great palace with so many, many
| looms that 1t would have been hard to
count them. There was the throne
room; the little Princess Merry knew
that room very WE'LL for she often sat
on the steps of the great gold throne
which was her fathers, the kings and
listened while he said wise things to
his subjects There was the great
kitchen; the Princess Merry knew
that room too, because she sometimes I,
went down to see her friend, the fat
| cook. He gave her sweets when he
was icing the huge cakes, and he made
, her spicy tarts. There was the beauti-
full palace playroom where the little
| Princess Merry spent so much of her
time with the kind ladies In waiting,
who read her stories from her scores
of colored picturebooks and made pref.
ty frocks for her scores of French dolls
and helped her to give a tea party al.
most every day with her little silver
dolls dishes.
But there was one room in the pal
ace that the Princess Merry had never
seen and just on that account she
wanted to see it more than any other.
To reach the door she had to climb
some winding stairs that grew dustier
and were hung with more cobwebs en
were darker the higher she elm beA,
! and they went to the very top of h,
highest tower of the very high pa,ac,.
In spite of that the Princess Merry
climbed the stairs almost every cav.
and when she reached the top and h,
heavy door that was always = -
she would put her ear to the kcyho',
and listen, for she was very curic :
indeed about what might be inside. Z.
was very still usually in the rcc,,t
room; but sometimes the Primo
Merry could hear whirring b,zzir
rafting sound inside that was YER
teresting and different from any sou
that she had ever heard before.
i want to go in the secret
the tower she begged of tho loG
IN waiting who took care Of Fr-, So ~
oh, we don't know where .
Is they ALWAYS aDs--o~ed hcr
Where is the KEY to TIC
room in the toweT'' she asked
head knight, who kept all the -
keys.
' h"--0n't IL" he answe~c,f
must ask your father, the king. + =
30 tne Princess Kerry went to
father, the king, and instead of
- Nerself res,ectfnlIv at his TO- y.
the steps of the throne, she iu.,,-
light up into his Ian and wound ]
arms around his rock
I want the key to the secret room il
the tower she. said.
Her father, the king sml-ad. "A-e
you quite sure that You want to go IN
the secret room?", he asked : ria's@t 4
i want to go in more than wc,t
anything" answered the curio-s lift,
Princess Merry.
We'll. then. be patient am W. viii
see about it, replied TIE kim.
So the Prir cess Mo-. t~.c
patient and after a while it wns
seventh birthday. Trov ecvo ',c-
dozen more French dolls or - dc
more colored picture books -
Of gold dolls f:shcs I'D -~--
silk frccks end :. bird to ejnc =
playroom and white p,-,v !,
long. long tail. They rrvo ~
a little white envelc-e f~~tc~~ -
Nv with a rel seal arr who s., y"
the senl she found Ter l-~~r+'- d.
inside si'-er kew '+ha+ .aS-7sA 49,, =
tie lock Of the door to the ce~
roc,
SIZE ran I'll the lo,~ w-~ rp !,
stH."s. feed TIE l,ov j., tie door e.
E~-'-~4 - 81! c.,> 80"
T. 1.-Two ~ ---'A', . rr-
many vi .'n-r~ + :. ,o-'->' c.,t
down ovc' +',e g~cc-> ec':"s - 60
houen~ Of the ~,N'~~+- ." - 60
the kin" A .sr'~r:nn 49,
corner End 9 ,~c--: :, ~a,~+' = y
long table in the 60 ''
were scissors. nCcN'> - -
other things for sewn
and mans run-. =, ,e'-'3,':,o r---.-
the wall I'D at 90 r'1oE'~"s ~
was a little cook stovo r-a'e"r'-
the Princess l'orry stood 6e'r lit
old lady in ard kerc' ies "nd 1
apron as white as her onr1s a"' VIII
pink cheeks and a smiling mouth.
Come in, nv dear" she legged. Il
have been waiting for you for years
and years."
May l play with all these queer
things?" asked the princess. runns-,
from the loom to the bubbli;,g pot It
sweetly savory broth upon the sto'-e
and then picking up little g''d
thimble and slipping it on her fnge',
"You may work with them" OK.
Illc llIllc O1u lcuy ctllus lC''
how to spin thread and weave it ir4O
soft cloth and then sew it into dresses
for the children who live down below
us in the fields. You shall learn how
to gather herbs and fruits and vege-
tables and cook dainties for them,
too If you will come up here for
little while every day you shall learn
how to be kind. useful queen"
How I shall love it!-more than
to play! I shall stay with you great
DEAL said the Princess Merry, throw
ing her arms about the dear little old
lady.
Il knew you would. That is why
waited for you said the little old
lady, "here in the secret room that
holds little princess's happiness
One Junior, Alice G. Conner,
A-poo:o%oc, uo,. Frinv,d