Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-01-03
ously, II should like to accommodate

OuSly, i should ike to ACCOMMODATES
you, but"-looking at his watch-"my
train leaves in about one minute, and
1 don't see exactly how I can"
"Oh, my" said the small girl, "can't
you even make your own train wait
while a princess talks to your"
well, since you put it that way, I
suppose 1 can," said the Great Man,
pressing an electric button. Then, as
the black porter appeared, listened
deferentially to his whispered order
and glided out again, the royal person
age continued:
Very likely 1 don't get half the fun
out of being king that I might. You
see, I sometimes forget the extent of
my power"
"Ah! yes, that's the very thing I've
come to speak to you about said the
child. 'I-I hope you will excuse me
if I hurt your feelings" she went on
gently, "but sometimes it's necessary,
you know"
Upon her hearers assurance that he
would endeavor to bear up under Gen.
sure, the small girl continued:
It's like this: l s'pose you've such
to straighten out all the things that
go wrong"
"And something has gone wrong
now, has it?''
yes, as wrong as can be. But" re-
assuringly, ''of course 1 understand
you couldn't have known about it.
It's the train to Washita. 1t was put
down on the timetable, you know, to
go at four this afternoon, and we all
came down to the station to get it..
And now they say it may be two
hours before it arrives; so, instead of
getting to Washita at half-past six, it
will be long after nine, and We'll be
too late to give our performance. And
that will be very dreadful loss to
the Queen"
Flows that?" said the Great Man.
Zone night can't make very much diff
ference"
''Oh, but this is Saturday night, and
the whole house was sold long ago.
Washitas the best show town in the
state, you know, and the Queen was
counting on the money.
You see, it's been a dreadfully poor
season in the profession, and even the
Queen has lost heaps. And just now
when she found out we'd be late, her
face got all white, and she hung onto
my hand oh, so hard, and said"
Here the child stopped suddenly and,
digging her little fists into the chair,
blinked very fast and caught her
breath. Then
TT quite upsets me to think of it,
she said in a muff1ed little voice ''The
Queen said that she was afraid that
the company would have to disband
now, and the seasons hardly begun"
Two great tears rolled down the
white little face.
The man stirred uneasily. There
was a deep line between his eye
brows
THAT is hard luck!" he exclaimed.
"But, then" with an affected hardi-
hood, latter all she's only a play
-well-roughed it before. Anyway,
you'll probably all find nice engage
ments soon, and be just as we'll off as
you are now"
How can you say that?" the child
flashed out "Of course we can't be
so happy with anyone else. There
never was anyone half so sweet, and
kind, and beautiful as she is. And we
all love her dearly. And, besides, if
the rest are make-believes, she isn't;
she is a real queen all the time!"
The child had risen. Her shabby
hat had fallen to the floor and her big
hazel eyes blazed angrily out of her
pale little face. The next moment,
with a shame-faced lowering of her
head, she slid nearer to the Great
Mans side.
'T-you must excuse me if I hurt
your feelings" she said humbly. "The
Queen wouldn't like it if she thought
I'd done that, and on her account, too;
but, you see, I really couldn't bear to
have her called make-beMeve And
now,' she continued, II think I'll go
back to the station. My auntie and
the Queen will be wondering where
I am"
wait a minute said the man,
drawing the child to his side. ri want
to know more about this real Queen.
You know they say all the royal fam
lilies are connected, and she may be a
relative of mine"
mo, she isn't" said the small girl,
leaning little shyly against the royal
shoulder; because she told me once
that she had no relations left since
her father died. You see, she used to
live in a big palace in New York in
the winter and a stone castle in New
port in the summer, and she had
horses, and carriages, and diamonds,
and-and all those things. But she
wasn't queen because she had them,
you know, but they belonged to her
because she was queen.
well, one day her father died, and
they found he'd lost all his money,
and some that belonged to other peo-
pie besides, so the Queen had to go
on the stage and get some money to