Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-09-18
SANDMAN STORY
By Mrs. r. A. Walker.
Convr,yht. 1915 by Mcclure NcUsD DNpev
Syndicate New York CITY.
THE TALKING ROSE


Once upon time there lived very
old king with fair young daughter
One sad dav the Princess fell i'll and no
one could discover the trouble. Hourly
she grew thinner and paler
till at last she went to bed and rose
no more.
Every one Mt the palace was distressed,
and especially one of the pages who
attended the girl. Avel, for that was
his name, was poor lad who had been
taken into the castle to wait on the
Princess. and the boy had grown very
fond of the girl.
There were many other pages, sons
If rich men, boys who were proud but
not truthful But if there was one
thing TO which Avel WAS true, 1t was
thing TO which Avel was Nrue, it was
that he never let falshood pass ms
lips. The other pages, who told hps
| frequently. hated him for h's manly
act in always speaking the truth
One summer day when the fripcess y
Law very ill Avcl sat down under tan
rose bush. The air was warm. the
butterflies fitted lazily IN the sun anu anu
| the soft sweet perfume made nun
drowsy. So he laid his head on the
moss Then IL seemed to him he heard
| tiny voices in the leaves above. lie
| listened
III is pity the Princess does not
know her trouble said a tall CRIMSON
rose nodding on its stem, III
simple thing Last month when pick
| ing flowers she stuck poisonous thorn
in her arm. II IT is taken out ana some
Of the Juice of the poppy squeezed lh'o
the wound she will get well in lew days.
Glv bobbing in the light replied
"But why does not the court doctor
know he trouble2'
| Because no one ever thought that
a tinv thorn could make any illness;
not even the Princess herself, answered
the rose. The scratch is small, bu'
the poison ran IN her VEINS. ne poppy
iuicc is the best remedy and there arc
aplenty right here IN the garden
"It IS a great pity her father does
not know about this put IN a violet
small voice. Il love the Princess; she
always seemed to love us flowers, too
We'll. poor human beings don't know
as much Of some things ms we do,
replicd the rose Besides, only thos'
nersons who are absolutely truthiu
ever learn to understand the Language
of flowers
Avel then understood 1t was be
cause ne ALWAYS spoke the truth thai
he heard What the flowers sad DE
Eghted Al Aknowiug what would cure
the Princess. he ran TO the king
Your Majesty he gasped, breath
Iesslv II can tell YOU the trouble witt
Inc Princess and what will cure her
Do that and YOU shall have any. re
ward YOU wish" said the king quickly
Take me to her room, continued
Avel land send man nj once TO squeeze
from ten poppics their JUICE and hrn1
il to me at once.
The king and Avcl went 10 wher'
the Princess lay. pale and helpless. ol
her silken bed Avel opened tho sieev'
and saw tiny thorn IN the flesh TN
he picked out with fine needle heI
into the wound he squeezed the poppy
juice.
The girl opened her eyes and seemed
better at once, In an hour sne ~
n lunch. and hv the next morning stu
was able 10 20 out riding At the enc
of the week she was walking abou
in the flower garden As she stoo'
bv the roses, the king and Avel cam
to her.
Daughter" said the king Ave
must have his reward he cured you,
The Princess blushed, for she wa
verv fond of Avcl Let hIm ask wha
he wishes she replied with . smile
1T is your hand, said the lad, :,
ask the right to remain by your sid
during the rest of your life
So the next dey the wedding tool
place and right in the middle Of n
roval table Avel had placed a big basec
of crimson roses For he knew tina
being truthful had brought him hl
reward