The Hattiesburg news., 1916-07-29
BEDTIME STORIES
FOR LITTLE
FOLKS
The Magic Scrap Of. Paper.


the old King, had died, and turned him
out to wander in the world. Now the
Prince had been brought UP to have
everything in the world his heart could
wish for, and so, for a time, it went
very hard with him. For he did not
know how to earn enough to buy a
meal or a place to sleep.
! AS he wandered one day, faint and |
hungry, through a great forest, he |
came to a tumble-down hut and there |
being no other place to rest, he en-
tered and lay down to sleep. When |
he awoke he noticed huge box in the
corner and, going up to it, he lifted |
He lifted the lid of this and inside OF
| this found still another box. Box after
| box he found inside, as he opened each
one, and each one was smaller than
the one before, until at last he came
20 a box no bigger than the tip of his
little finger. When he opened this he
was disappointed to find that it CON
aimed nothing but scrap of dirty pa
per. He was just about to throw it
away when he noticed there were
words written upon it. Holding it up
10 the light he read aloud
Jack, my boy, come hither."
Hardly had he pronounced the words
/ I,,-I,, "a g. -1,sa
4 am here to do thy bidding; com
mand me-,
The Prince was much startled at
nearing the voice when he could see
no one about, but he was brave
Ayoung fellow, and SO he said:
We'll, l am hungry; fetch me a
J fine supper"
Il As soon as the words left his mouth
7 there appeared in the hut table set
, with fine linen and china and filed
z with savory dishes.
"Ha! this is great luck" exclaimed
the Prince, and, sitting down, ate his
I fill.
Now" he said to himself when he
! mad finished, Il will try what further
the magic writing will do" So again
\ he read aloud the words:
Jack, my boy, come hither."
Immediately the voice said in his
II ear: Il am here to do thy bidding;
command me-"
= Give me handsome palace, witt
= many attendants" he said.
The next moment the hut vanished
and in its place there appeared {
Il handsome palace filled with attend
Y ants The Prince found everythin,
ly there that his heart could wish, bu
or he soon grew tired of it and wishe,
for still other things; great treasure
and ships and chariots and such cost
,u ly things. And then he squandere
to in reckless way Anyone might hav
ou anything they might ask of hin
ir, For" he thought, "all I have to do
Id to read the paper, Jack, my boy, com
ct hither,' and | can get twice as muc
no more"
tie So the Prince got more reckless an
to careless each day until at last he di
not take the trouble even to guar
the magic paper. Then, one day, whe
ak he desired something and went to e
go the paper and ask it, he found it W;
ay gone
re- Instantly everything he had p;
dy aces, pleasure grounds, retinues al
for stables vanished, and he found hi
lrs self lying again in the hut AS. he i
to there, the King of the country, w
'ep was hunting in the forest, came
owe and spied him.
UNI What yagabond is this?" he ask,
Hang him up to the nearest tire
His attendants seized him and We
,awL about to do his bidding when
81 Princess, his daughter, who was
a1MG tracted by the Princes beauty, seer
'%I ly told the attendants not to put
~ rope arodnd. his neck but about
kk$E arms. So they hung him UP and !
IL III him.
SAsh AS he thus hung, bemoaning
X & fate and his folly in squandering
lSS SS1S fortune, instead of saving it, he S
A little dwarf come by driving a {
90 heaped high with old shoes. He DIR
~ up close to where the Prince was
"Ha, hal" he laughed 81 am
M magic dwarf who did your bidd
ifM See these worn shoes? They are
A shoes wore out running about
you. But you were so careless
N you allowed me to steal the pa
G6N and so shiftless that you saved n
ing; so this is what you came to!
k Then the dwarf, to make the Pr
M more unhappy, took the paper W
IN he had and tickled the end of
Ag Princes nose, but the Prince snat
.Af it away from him and swiftly rea
aEE1A Jack, my boy come hither."