Year: 1870

ONCE upon a time there was king who
had three sons. They were all three ex-
actly alike, and they all three loved the
same princess.


When the elder brothers heard of the
Younger brothers love, they seized upon
every opportunity of ridiculing him, and
putting him down, just as the naughty
sister did Cinderella.


The Princess Anna was young and
simple-hearted, and fell in love with all
three of the brothers.


When the three princes went TO ask for
the hand of the fair Anna, the worthy old
king, her father, could not tell what TO do.
So he asked for three days 10 consider,
and ran of that very evening TO his aunt,
the Fairy of the Forest. Her word was
law.


The three princes were ordered TO ar.
! pear the next day, as the clock struck
one; they were to present their suit IN
writing


This was very annoying to the two ell
der brothers, who could neither read nor
write. So they each called in an artist to
write the letter and the formal suit in
cOlors, and ornament them with gold and
flourishes.


The youngest son wrote his letter with
his own hand, without ornament or -four
ish, but with warmth and feeling just as
the outpourings of his heart. This letter
was as beautiful one as you could i'm
agine.


But outwardly the three letters were all
to be alike, one like the other, just as the
brothers were.


This the fairy and the old king had de-
termined.


st the appointed time the two naughty
brothers each galloped off by himself TO
the Princess Anna, both mounted on
splendid gray horses they paraded their
letters proudly before them in velvet
cases.


The Youngest son went on foot, and
kept his letter carefully in his pocket.
On the way to the castle there was
| deep fish-pond, surrounded by rushes. A
poor woman sat in boat there, fishing.


She leaned forward, ovsrbalanced her
| self, and fell into the water just as the
eldest prince passed along the road. She
cried our piteously for help; he might
have saved her with little trouble, but he
rode on his way.


| When the second brother passed along
the road, an incautious old woman was
again fishing in the little lake. She fell
into the water, and cried piteously for
help, but the prince rode past.
The Youngest son also came to the lake.
! There sat the old woman again, and fi.hed,
and fell into the water The young prince
saw her stagger and fall he forgot his let
ter, the fair Anna, and the danger too,
| plunged into the water, and brought the
old woman out safely.


He was Mortified at the sight of his drip
ping, muddy clothes. However, there
was no time to lose. The old castle bell
was booming in the distancei the appoint
ed hour had arrived.


So he ran, and, strange TO tell, the more
he ran the more his clothes gllstened.:
| The mud all seemed to turn TO gold, and
the drops of water hung like gems about
| him. By the time he reached the castle
his face was lit up with rosy smiles. The
| old king and the courtiers and the Prln-
| cess Anna could not turn their eyes away
| from him. AS for the two brothers, they
grew pale with envy.


Then the old king gave the signal
! The Princess Annals baby-sister was TO
| choose from among the three letters. so
it had been decided by the kings aunt,
the Fairy of the Forest. The one whose
letter she chooses is the right husband,
she had said.


The Princess Anna would rather have
| taken the Youngest son at once, but as
| that could not be, she sat looking sad.


The princess little sister was carrled
into the nall.


The three princes passed before her &C
| cording to their ages. The two cider
| brothers presented their letters In the
splendid cases of velvet When the
Youngest brother produced his letter, it
was soaked with pond water and covered
with mud. He stood abashed, while his
brothers laughed


The young prince gave up all hope, and
looked very sad as he held out the dirty
letter with downcast eyes.


The baby princess looked and lookeo,
but did not seem to see anything very re-
| markable about the two snow-whlte let
ters. But directly she caught sight OF the
letter with the great blotches upon II, sne
stretched out her little hand 10 take IL.
| This was her decision.


At the same moment all the doors OF
the castle flew open, it seemed OF their
| own accord, and the old fisherwoman
stepped in, she whom the young prince
had saved.


She walked straight up to him, the rags
fell from her body and there stood before
them all the Fairy of the Forest.
"This is the right prince, Anna, said
the fairy, and when she pointed with her
finger towards him, all the sparkling drops
on his clothes began to glisten like sun
shine, and became diamonds, or stones OF


So they have kept their brilliancy down
to this very day, and will never lose it.