PRINCE SPRINGAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 57

PRINCE SPRINGAL.

(By One of the Little Folks.) There was once a princess who was very • Ugly. She had only two beauties — namely ■ lovely hands and feet. She was ugly ; there was no doubt about it. Her hair was of the colour which is the chief characteristic of the carrot, and its ugliness was added to by its being thin and straight and short. • Her nose was tip-tilted — in fact, it was. what is called in .the vulgar phraseology " pug." And her mouth — oh, it was not handsome ; but that was not her fault. The poor Princess Clrea (which means the _ despised one) was very sad over her affliction, and Jier pale, watery grey eyes would fill with tears when her father's courtiers shrank away from her (they were very ! rude) and sneered at her hideous figure. ! The King, her father, gave a masked ball, and a great many foreign princes were there, as well as many beautiful ladies. The princess had two younger sisters, who were very beautiful, one being dark, the other fair, i The day before the ball the princess's dark sister came to her and said, " Dear sister, please lend me your ruby necklace and rings. They will suit my lovely dark curly locks and glorious eyes." So the poor princess lent her priceless rubies. Soon after her golden-haired sister came info her room and said, " Oh, my sister, kindly lend me your sapphire crown and bracelets, for they , will show off my glorious blue eyes and , magnificent hair to perfection," and the peerless sapphires were meekly given up. The Princess Olcea looked in her golden jewel-casket to see what she would wear. • There was nothing there except a large black diamond, which had a splash of a silvery colour in the front, for all the

•world like a dewdrop or ;i tear. No colour j suited her but black, so she wore black j with silver spangles and short sleeves that showed up the beautiful shape and snowy | whiteness, of her hands and arms, and the 'great diamond sparkled oi> her bosom. At the ball a prize was to be given for the handsomest couple in the ' ballroom. No handsome knight danced with the Princess Olcea (they recognised her by her diamond, which she always wore) .for he- knew he had no chance of a reward. One brave prince, who was dressed in crimson and gold, saw the ugly maid, however, and walked up fo her ai?d a&ked to dance with her. " Oh, . no," 1 she said. " I will spoil all your chances of the prize." "We shall sec about that,' , was the quiet answer. The Prince and Princess danced till midnight and when the masks were taken off Princess Olcea noticed that everyone was looking at her. and her surprise was great when the prize for the handsomest couple was given to Prince Rpringal (her partner) - and Princess Olrca. She rushed to a tall mirror, and saw advancing towards her a tall beautiful girl, with dark curling black hair which waved and rippled over her shoulders to the floor, and great purplv black eyes, which gazed into her own, and a sweet sad rosebud mouth, and pearly white dimpled shoulders and neck. Then suddenly the Princess stopped. That lovely figure in front of her was her own reflection ! She stood in front of the mirror and gazed at the picture before her. Then with a glad cry she turned and met the handsome face of her lover. Prince Springal. Oh ! she was us*ly no longer. Her father and mother and sisters crowded round andcongratulated her on her appearance. Prince Springal was the son of King Oberon, of Fairyland. Well, the Prince and Princess were married; and lived in Fairyland, and some of their descendants are still living, and it is true that a certain class of fairies have a liking for human beings. That is because their great-great-great-grandmother was once a human, being, only she was changed, at her own wish, into a fairy, and I forgot to say that when she grew so beautiful her name was changed from Olcea to Elma, which means the fair, the beautiful. ISOBEL M. D. MAHONEY (aged 14£ years). Fairfax, Milton.