THE MAGIC BIRD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 7, 9 January 1926, Page 26

THE MAGIC BIRD.

Once upon a time, in a far-off castle, there lived two princesses and their mother. The eldest princess was ugly and vain, while her sister was so prettythat everyone who saw her fell in love with her at once. The king of the adjoining country wished to marry pretty Princess Myrtle, but her mother was so jealous, because she wanted him to marry Princess Amelia, that she behaved unkindly to Princess Myrtle and made her very unhappy. One day Princess Myrtle felt she could stand it no longer, bo she told the king, and together they arranged" that at night they would meet and go away together to a far country. But Princess Amelia's maid overheard what they said, and she told her mistress, and so that night PVincess Amelia got herself ready, and, covering her face with a thick veil, she went to the castle gate at the appointed hour. The king was there, and quickly he placed Princess Amelia on his horse, thinking it was the beautiful Princess Myrtle. "Why have you covered your beautiful face to-night?" he asked. * "Because I was afraid someone might notice mc as I came through the castle," she answered. So the king was satisfied, and together they rode on through the forest to a cottake belonging to the king's old nurse. Now the king's nurse was also a magician, and she had promised the king-that whenever he wanted anything she would try and help him. That night the king and Princess Amelia stayed at the little cottage in the wood, on their way back to the king's palace. As he passed outside the princess' room he heard her maid, who had followed her mistress on another horse, call out her name, and tell her to hide her face as the king was coming, and he would see who it was. "Ah!" said the king, "now I know who it is, and why she hides her face." He then told his nurse what had befallen him, and she promised to help by using her magic powers and turn him into a blue bird. The next day the king told Princess Amelia that just after sunset that evening he would appear before her as a large blue bird, big enough to carry her, and that his old nurse had turned him into a bird because, as they had such a long way to go, it would be easier to fly. Just after sunset, therefore, Princess Amelia mounted the bird, and, after bidding good-bye to the old nurse they flew away. On and on they flew over hill and dale, only stopping for a little while in the' forest to get rest and food. When it was nearly dark Princess Amelia asked how much further they had to go. "We are-nearly-there," chirruped the king. "That is the castle v over there." But it was a good way, off, and before they got there it was quite dark.. "I will take you to your room," said the king, "because it is late and dark tonight, but to-morrow I will sho| you all over my wonderful palace." So saying he alighted on the window-sill of a room high up in a tower. "I shall be ready early in the morning," said Princess Amelia, as she hopped in through the open window. Quickly the king flew round to a room on the other side, of the tower and gently tapped three times with his bill on the window. Presently the window opened, and a voice asked: "Who is there?" The king at once knew it was the voice of Princess Myrtle. "It is the king," he answered, "who has come to fetch-you to take you away to his wonderful country and make you his queen, where you may live happily ever after."

"Ah!" answered Princess Myrtle «t shall never be happy; because the kin took my sister, the Princess AmeN, 8 away, and she will be queen." ■ "You must listen to mc and be quick* said the king, "because we have not «... _ time." mu * Then he told her how he had found on. that it was Princess Amelia he had tak» away, and how with the help of hi ß -Z nurse, who had changed him into a bird they had flown back over the cpuntrv' and because it was dark she had thought it was the king's palace. s Now that Princess Amelia was _ a f back at her home the king persuaded Princess Myrtle, whom he loved Very dearly, to mount on his back and to fIV away to his old nurse, who would use hi magic to turn him into a handsome kin. once more. s Just as the sun was rising the Miir bird, with Princess Myrtle on his back arrived at the cottage in the wood § was not long before the king, happy on™ again, with Princess Myrtle beside him set out on their last journey to th' palace, while far away Princess Amelk was just finding out what had befallen her.