The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-07-30
A PRINCESS
CHOICE
By RUTH GRAHAM

There was once king who governed
q land so rich and was so powerful
that an alliance with his family was
considered desirable by all the other
potentates. The king had one child, a
daughter, who was Of a marriageable
age, but up to the time she was twen-
ty years Of age she had been kept
away from the outside world, shutaup
In wing Of the palace. No one had
even seen her excepting her family
and limited suit Of attendants.
On her twentieth birthday her IA
ther sent letter to several neighbor-
ing monarchs stating that his daugh-
ter would correspond with any man of
royal blood suitable to become her hus-
band and that she would marry some
one Of these correspondents, provided
be was willing to marry her. He was
not to see her till after he had been
selected for her consort, and II after
seeing her he was not minded to mar
ry her he would be excused from do
ing so.
A number of princes entered the lists
and wrote letters to the princess. Most
Of them expatiated upon her beauty,
which they had never seen, comparing
her to the full moon, to fountain
flashing in the sunlight, to the fairest
flower that had ever grown upon the
earth
There was one correspondent, sign
ing himself Carolus, who did not refer
to any physical beauty that the prin-
cess might possess or to other attri-
butes, such as modesty, good sense or
kind heart. He wrote of such
traits as he would value In a wife.
"If you possess these" he added, you
are treasure to any man, but no man
is worthy Of you"
The princess threw the letters from
those who Hattered without having
seen her into the wastebasket but she
was touched by the one from this man
who valued mental rather than phys
ical traits. She replied to his epistle,
stating that she was most affected by
his placing Il high value on sympa-
thetic heart She desired a husband
who would be sympathetic with her.
as she would sympathize with him.
Prince Carolus believed he had
struck the chord that would win him
the princess So he wrote her n second
epistle expatiating upon tenderness
of heart, eXalting 1t above all other
virtues. He was sure that II he mar
ried her he would feel for her In all
her troubles-for even royal persons
she would respond In kind.
The princess was about to invite
Prince Carolus to an interview when
letter came from another royal per
sonage who signed himself Alanthus.
Alanthus said that. while he would
gladly become the husband Of prin-
cess who would inherit a kingdom, he
must know before he entered the lists
for her hand what drawbacks there
might be concerning her He suspect
ed from the fact that a suitQr would
not be permitted to see her that there
was some physical blemish about her
Should such be the case any man who
should meet her as suit0r would be
placed in an embarrassing position
A refusal to marry her after seeing
her would put slight upon her. Alan
thus would not care to be placed 1n
such a position. II she would assure
, him that there was no physical blight
upon her he would then write heI
, again. This letter caused the princess
to hesitate.
: Soon after Carolus had sent his let
ter to the princess he received por
trait of a young woman, One-half OF
q, whose face was covered with a mark
, ed Disagreement. 1t was red and
, purple birthmark Carolus naturally
inferred that 1t was a likeness Of the
princess 1t ended the correspondence
t between them. for he never wrote
/ her again That sympathy for the un
[ fortunate which he had spoken OF 81
T effusively did not stand the test t.
j which It had been put.
e Alanthus also received a portrait. Il
e represented woman neither beautiful
i nor homely. though the face was no
). devoid of character. He. too. inferred
: that he had been sent likeness OF thu