PRINCESS PEARL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 72, 18 December 1928, Page 39 (Supplement)

PRINCESS PEARL

A Fairy Tale Princess Pearl was the most beautiful maiden you could ever imagine. She had a long, thick plait of golden hair which fell far below her waist. She was the only maiden in her father’s kingdom who had long hair. Now, Princess Pearl was always weeping. That seems unr.sual when she had everything that money could buy, but Pearl was in the power of the wicked wizard, Wuzz. The wizard had a grudge against her father, so he revenged himself by causing harm to Pearl. One night, as she slept in the royal apartment, he entered by magic and cast a spell over the princess. By his power he caused her to weep continually, day after day, until her hair should be cut off by a magic sword. The old king was extraordinarily proud of his daughter’s hair, so he did not wish this to be done. The wizard, Wuzz, of course, had known this, and he chuckled wickedly. For two years the poor princess wept night and day. She had six ladies-in-waiting who were continually supplying her with fresh handkerchiefs. The king grew more and more anxious about Pearl. He employed all the court magicians to try to break the spell, but they all failed, and at last the king gave up in despair. Meanwhile, poor Pearl got thinner and thinner; the roses fled from her cheeks and her eyes were terribly swollen and red from continually crying. But one day the king had a visit from a foreign royal family. The visiting king and queen drove in state in an open carriage, while their son, Prince Ivan, rode behind on a coalblack charger. They slowly approached the palace where the king and his daughter and all their retainers were solemnly waiting.

But the wizard, Wuzz, received a violent shock, for the prince, although he had no knowledge of it, possessed the magic sword. Consequently. Wuzz rushed out, intending to harm the prince in some way. He knew he could not do so by magic for he was powerless against the magic sword, but he thought he might perhaps frighten the horse, which would throw the prince and injure him. Suddenly Wuzz saw his opportunity. Just as the prince arrived at the pal- • ace steps, he rushed in front of the horse, opened the umbrella, and brandished it in the animal’s face. The prince drew his sword as his charger shied violently, and the people rushed in all directions. The horse reared and pranced about, and Princess Pearl, her eyes blinded with tears, narrowly escaped being trampled on. As she fled past the horse, her plait flying behind her, the prince’s waving sword caught it and cut off her beautiful hair. Ivan quickly dismounted to beg the princess’s forgiveness for the unfortunate accident. But he was amazed by the change which had come over the princess. Her eyes grew bright and were no longer swoolen with tears, her cheeks became rosy again; she was radiant and suddenly she threw back her head and laughed merrily. At first when the old king saw his daughter’s hair lying on the ground, he was consumed with anger. But when he heard her laugh, his anger ■ melted. Prince Ivan and Princess Pearl fell deeply in love with one another, and were the happiest couple in the land ever after. Women are enraged to learn of one husband so mean that when his wife told him not to buy her anything for Christmas, the brute actually didn’t.