The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-06

| he went to coach of state, with great fanfare of trumpets and large lretinues of court followers, and much interviewing of lord mayors and governors and high sheriffs.
 But it came to pass that the AL most Perfect State became involved in war with certain evil men who lived over the seas. This kept the Great Prince very busy. for many of his subjects came to the capital to see for themselves what gave.
 Nonetheless, in due time the Great Prince became afflicted with the itching foot, and he longed to roam once more up and down the land. But all his new advisers and his inarshals and his commodores kept him so busy that he couldn't get away.
 So he bethought him of plan. HE RIDDLES A RIDDLE
 First, he would propound riddle La great riddle-a riddle which would so occupy the minds and att tention of all his council and his third and fourth and fifth assistant ministers and even the town criers and scrivening pamphleteers. that the Great Prince would be able to sneak away.
 The riddle which the Great Prince propounded was this:
 "How can the cost of a sword be kept down while the wage of the blacksmith goes up because the bag of barleymeal which the blacksmith eats rises in price be- cause the country squire must off, fer hire of 8 shilling more to find fpeasants to thresh the barley be- cause all the peasantry want to be smiths or are of to the wars? What is it?"
 Now this was truly great rid de. The Great Prince gave his capital two weeks to guess the answer, and took runout pow der.
 The Prince decided before he left that he would travel Incog- nito. He would tell the pamph- leteers and town criers that he was going, but he would charge them specifically to remember that when he got there. 1t would not be he, so no mention was to be made of it. Moreover, he told all the pamphleteers and town criers that they should tell no one that he had left, until he got back.
 So for two weeks the Great Prince travelled up and down his country, watching the smithies forge their plowshares into swords, watching his shipwrights, watching his wheelwrightS fashion chariots of war, watching his alchemists make gunpoWders and wondrous light and strong metals out of the very clay, seeing his armies, in- specting his fleets, looking in awe as his state hunters trained their fal- cons to dart down out of the skies like birds of war. It was truly an Almost Perfect State-94 per cent and 95 per cent perfect. anyway. A GREAT SILENCE FALLS
 And all this time, not a pamph- leteer printed a word and not a town crier spoke a word about the Great Prince inspecting his subjects, for was not the Great Prince trav- cling Incognito. and were not the Ipamphleteers and town criers loyal and faithful subjects!
 And all this time the council and the third and fourth and fifth assistant ministers of state wrestled with their riddle. for they were determined to solve 1t ere the Great Prince returned.
 So it came to pass that in two weeks time, the Great Prince came back to his capital, and then and only then did the pamphleteers and the town criers spread the word that the Great Prince had been away, though he had been seen in many a great city and many small village and hamlet and Army camp.
 And what do you suppose the council and the third and fourth and fifth assistant ministers and the pamphleteers and town criers Igot for being such good and obe- dient subjects while the Great Prince had been away?
 They got bawling out for being such dopes.