Prince Lazybones.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 219, 16 September 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

Prince Lazybones.

"It's-a-perfect disgrace," said the-fcing, and he was so angry that his crown trembled and nearly toppled off.

The queen began to cry, wiping her eyes with a soft linen hanky that she had made herself and was therefore very special. "Oh dear," the sobbed, "to think that my little son should have earned that disgraceful name!"

She started, for a soft voice at her elbow had said: "Don't cry!" She looked around, and there stood a little old woman with a kind, wrinkled face. It was the prince's fairy godmother.

_"I know all about it," she said, nodding her head wisely. "Your little son runs away every tune his masters come to teach him anything. He can't read or write, paint or carve, and do carpentry, like other people's sons, fcio they have named him l'rince Lazybones."

"Have you come to help u&V' cried the queen. But the fairy shook her head doubtfully.

"I can only help those who really want to be helped," she said, "and from all I hear my godchild en joys being lazy. But I will do my best for you." And with that she turned herself into a bumble bee and buzzed out of the window.

Prince Lazybones had that very afternoon run away from his drawing master and was lying on ;t comfortable bed of moss and dry leaves in the wood. To his surprise he saw a little woman on a pure white donkey ride up to him. "Prince," said she, "would you like to ride 011 my donkey?"

She dismounted and a moment later Lazybones found himself seated in the saddle. The old woman led tlie donkey all over the king's domain, pausing now and then so that Lazybones should see the people all hard at work, some tending the lields so that there might be corn to make the palace broad, others shearing the sheep thut grew the wool that others again spun into soft stull' for his tunic, or the heavy cloth that the king"* scarlet robe was made of. But T.a/ybones turned his head away each time.

"( a n't we ride in the wood?" he asked. '.'I hate seeing all these people at work." The old fairy smiled and led the donkey into the grounds of her castle.

"It is called Castle Rest," she said. "Here you will not have to do one single thing."

I'rinee Lazybones was delighted, especially when a band of elves came and lilted him <>IT the donkey, carried him indoors and laid him on a bed. lie was rather surprised when they tied up his arms and feet with silken" rope. "it is so that you can rest completely," they said. won t need to do anything for yourself." Sure enough they fed him, then carried him down to the garden, where he could just lie in a hammock and d<> nothing.

Well, by the time three days had passed. Lazybones, was tired of his life in Castle best. Lying irt his hammock, ho watched the birds busily building their nests, the bees fetching honey, and", most often of all, a spider wcaviii" a web. °

"I am sick of doing nothing," he told himself, "but even if my hands and feet were free 1 don t know how to do anything. Oh, I wish I were that spider— it knows how to spin such a lovely web."

"Your wish is granted," said a quiet voice, and Lazybones found that he had grown so small that he was sitting on a little rosebud growing in a pot. He had eight little silvery legs, and before ie had been a spider five minutes he had begun to spin a web. The fairy earned away the bush to the kind's palace. °

1' oi a year and a day Lazybones niu<t learn to spin webs," she said, "and then, well, you will see." It was, a year and a day later that the grey spider disappeared and a vomi" prince came running into the kin"'"a chamber. °

I can make a well better than any spider■ ' he cried. "My godmother savs so. .\ow I want to learn how to do iiiinureds of other things." As the years went by the king's son became noted as the cleverest craftsman 1,1 the land And no one ever again called him Lazybones.