TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 255, 27 October 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES.

Thero was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in twelve beds all in on© room, and when they were put to bed the doors were locked; but every morning their shoes !Were found to be quite worn through, as If they had been danced in all night; •nd yet nobody could find out how it fiappenecL

Then- the king made it known through Ml the land that if any person could discover the secret, and find out where ;the princesses danced in the night, he should have the one he liked best for his wife, and should be king after his (death; but whoever tried and did not (succeed after three days and nights Should be put to death.

A king's son soon came. He was well |ntertained, and in the evening was jtakea to the chamber next to the one jwhere the princesses lay in their twelve tieds. There he was to sit and [Watch where they went to dance; jfcnd, in order that nothing might pass jwithout his hearing it, the door of his jehamber was left open. But the king's rsoon fell asleep, and when he awoke _ the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing, for the Sles of the shoes were full of holes, le same thing happened the second and third nights, so the king ordered his fcead to be cut off. After him came jKveral Others; but they all had the pame luck, and all lost their lives in j|the same unfortunate manner.

Now, it happened that an old soldier Jirho had been wounded in battle and jeould fight no longer, passed through the country where the king reigned. And is he was travelling through a wood he met an old woman, who asked him t Where he was going.

y. want to find out where the twelve princesses dance, and then In time I Bight perhaps be a king."

"Well," said the old dame, "that is too very hard task. Only take care not ,4o drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring- to you in the evening; and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fast asleep."

Then she gave him a cloak and said: "When you put that on you will become invisible, and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they Bo."

When the soldier heard all this good (Counsel he went to the king, who ordered fine royal robes to be given him; and When the evening came he was led to the outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down the eldest of the Erincesses brought him a cup of wine; ut the soldier threw it all away

secretly. Then he lay down on his bed, and in a little while began to snore as if he were fast asleep. When the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily, and rose up and opened their boxes, and took out aU their fine clothes and dressed themselves, and skipped about as if eager to begin dancing. But the youngest of them said anxiously: "I feel very uneasy; I am sure some mischance will befall, us." "You simpleton!" said the eldest. "Have you forgotten how many princes have already watched in vain? And as for this soldier, I took good care to give him his sleeping-draught." When they were all ready they went to look at the soldier; but he snored on, and did not stir hand or foot. So they thought they were quite safe. The eldest princess went up to her bed and clapped her hands and the bed sank into the floor and a trapdoor flew open. The soldier saw them going down through the trapdoor one after another. He jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him, and followed them; but in the middle of the staircase he trod on the gown of the youngest princess, and she cried out to her sisters:

"Someone took hold of my gown!"

"You silly creature! 0 said the eldest. "It is nothing but a nail in the wall." Then down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees. The leaves were all of silver, and glittered and sparkled beautifully. The soldier wished to take away soqpe of the place, so he broke off a little branch.

Then they came to' another grove of trees, where all the leaves were of gold; and afterwards to a third, where the leaves were glittering diamonds. And the soldier broke a branch from each. Then they came to a great lake, and at the side there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them who seemed to be waiting there for lie princesses.

One of the princesses got into each boat, and the- soldier stepped into the same boat as the youngest. As they were rowing over the lake the prince who was in the boat with the youngest princess said: "I do not know why it is, bnt though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast as usual. The boat seems very heavy to-night." "ft must be the heat of the weather," said the young princess. On the other side of the lake stood a ffne castle, from which came the merry music of boras and trumpets. There they all landed and went into the castle, and each prmc& danced with his princess. The soldier, who war all the time invisible, danced with them

too; and when any of the princesses had a cap of wine set by her he drank it all up, so that when she pat the cap to her mouth it was empty. At this the youngest sister was terribly frightened, but the eldest silenced her. They danced till three o'clock In the morning, and then all their shoes were worn out, so that they had to leave off. The princes rowed them bade again over the lake—but this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess—and on the opposite shore they took leave of each other, the princesses promising to come again the next night. When they came to the stairs the soldier ran on before the princesses, and lay down; and as the twelve sisters slowly came up, extremely tired, they heard him snoring in his bed, so they said: "Now all is quite safe." Then they undressed themselves, pnt away their fine clothes, pulled off their shoes, and went to bed. In the morning the soldier said nothing about what had happened, but determined to see more of this strange adventure, and went again the second and third nights. On the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden caps as a token of where he had been. As soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret he waa taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cop; and the twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say. And when the king asked him: "Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?" he answered: "With twelve princes in a castle underground." And then he told the king all that happened, and showed him the three branches and the golden cup which he had brought with him. Then the king called for the princesses, and asked them whether what the soldier said was true; and when they saw that they were discovered they confessed it all. And the king asked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife. "I am not very young," he answered, "so I will have the eldest-" And they were married that very day, and the soldier became the king's heir. TO RAISE A SMILE. Johnnie: Do you know why a Ford car is like a schoolroom? Jackie: That's easy! Because it has a crank in front and a lot of little nuts behind! Teacher (after a long discourse on the habits of bees): Now, Willie Smith, tell me how the bees dispose of their honey t Willie: Please miss, they cell it. Jones: Why do you call your house a bungalow? Bonesr Well, ycru see, the job was a bungle and I still owe for it Customer: Fm tired of your eggs. Every one of them seems to have a chicken inside. Sharp Boy: Try these, sir, they haven't, they're ducks' eggs, Bir.