FOR THE CHILDREN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2652, 6 November 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOR THE CHILDREN.

PRINCESS PICK-ME-UP. Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who were very happy indeed; in fact, they had only one trouble in life, and even it did not make them very miserable. It was this. They had only one child, and she was so small that she looked more like a beautiful little doll than anything else. Now this was very sad, for whoever heard of a royal princess who was so tiny that she had to sit at the king’s banqueting table in a baby’s high chair? Nobody, I’m sure, and they all hoped that jaobofjy ever would again, for it really _ was;; a very sad thing, and what made it seem even more dreadful was that nearly everyone called her Princess Pick-me-up. ' Pick-me-up, indeed;.and she had.actually been christened Estella Lavinia Priscilla Joan! Yet it was not until she had had fifteen different governesses, all chosen for their unusual strictness, and as many nurses as there were letters in her name, that she began to learn that a princess, no matter how small she may be, must not ask'to be picked up! You see, she was so very tiny that she could never see or do what she wanted, but as she was dainty and sweet as a fairy everyone forgot that she was the princess, and so it happened that whenever she said “Pick-me-up” in a voice like a silver bell, she was lifted off her feet before ever she had time to look disappointed. But this* could not go on any longer —she was actually, seventeen years old, and the time had' come when the king must find a husband for her. After many long debates between the king and his learned advisers as to' what they could do to find a suitable husband for Princess Pick-me-up, they, decided to send a messenger to ask the' advice of a very, very old witch who lived up amongst the .hills, and who had lived there so very, very hum that nobody, not even she herself, could say how old slie was. The messenger was accordingly sent, and as the time passed by and the day for his return drew near there was great excitement in the palacei At length he arrived, one lonely summer’s morning,. and for over an. hour he remained alone with the king in his private room. At last he appeared with a message from the king that all the princes and nobles who had sought the hand of Princess Pick-me-up in marriage were to be gathered together as quickly as possible and were to meet at the palace the following day at four o’clock. , The king 'and queen mounted their thrones and everybody watched eagerly for the little princess to * appear also, but the king announced that she would not be seen until a husband had been chosen for her. He then made a sign, and a messenger came forward, followed by a retainer carrying a golden salver on which stood a very tiny glass flask filled with some-strange black liquid which looked very much like ink 01 tar!

In a few words the messenger e:> plained that when lie came to the witch’s cave she gave him the tioy flask; 1 saying that he who wished to become the princess’ .husband must drink ats contents, but —and here she had seemed very distressed —though sue believed it. would immediately make him grow smaller and smaller until he was only a-quarter as. big as he had been before drinking it. yet she could not be absolutely certain that it might not cause him who drank it to. grow_ bigger and bigger until he was four times as large as lie had been before. This vas all she was able to do. When the messenger had finished Ins speech, and had told them all the old witch had said, the mysterious little flask was handed to the king, who announced that all who sought tlie hand of the little Princess Pick-me-up xs c&t come forward that one of tiietr numuei xnkdit be chosen for her ihusband and that he might drink the nfjSigifc draught before.them all. , Five minutes, passed, aftd "stall r>Qbody' came forward, and king came quite white with anger. l.en minutes passed, and still no one moved, and then the king was wroth that he burst forth into a torrent of angry words, lamenting tlie faithlessness of the- princes and nobles because they would not risk anything to win even the hand of the princess, and declaring as his royal decree that any

of his subjects, no matter how humble or lowly their station, if they loved his* daughter enough to drink the witch’s potion for her sake, might win her hand in marriage. lie had hardly uttered these words when there was a sudden coinmotiofigjf far back near to. the door of the haljflV as bursting through the crowd of* princes and nobles and pushing his way boldly to the feet of the king, there appeared the stalwart form of the sen- Ag* try from the palace gates. “Sire,” lie said, “I am but humble, and thy servant—but a coward I am not. I would that I might drink the witch’s draught, and should it make- • me smaller, then will I be the princess’ faithful squire, and right thankful if, through smaller stature, I can serve her better than' I fain can now.” This brave speech so pleased the king, that, stooping from, bis throne, he placed the little flash in the hand of his faithful sentry, who no soonerreceived it than he lifted it eagerly to his lips and drained it to the dregs—little reckoning that if the draught should make him four times taller his head would most certainly come in contact with the ceiling. Hardly had *thelast drop been swallowed when the brave sentry felt the strangest sensation, just like the very, very worstgrowing pains you can possibly imagine, and all over him, too! There was the sentry actually growing less and less in front of their very eyes. In a few minutes the sentry stopped growing any less, and there he stood before them*—only a-quarter as large.asr he had been before, and looking like a handsome little fairy prince! Princess Pick-me-up was then led into the hall, and when she saw herold play-fellow she was so overcome with joy that she rushed to her father, the king, and declared that she would marry no one else. To this the king, of course, readily assented, and the following week they were married with great pomp and splendour.