FOB THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13766, 3 June 1908, Page 9

FOB THE CHILDREN.

TB'li CASTLK IN THE All!. i O.vr-K upon it time a strange wizard cam* to Spain and built there a castle which ho hung between the;earth and the sky. . The news of this ; i'|>V'i:;»t ' wonder soon spread through tin- country, and Princess Isabella, the only child of the King, was one of the ' that to ride out and look Jit. the work of' enchantment. But us she stood gazing at it, the strange wizard flew down, and seized j her, and carried her up to the castle in | the air. The King \v»,s furious when he learned what had happened. He collected hit* army, and comma sided them .to make ,ii.i great ladder and storm the castle, ..., "He who kills the wizard," he said, ".shall marry my daughter." .-■/:!• Unhappily, the soldiers were unable to I make a bidder long enough to reach to the castle, and one by one they gave up the task and returned home. At last only a i poor little peasant boy. Diego ( . remained* Instead of trying to make .1 ladder, Diego spent all his tune hi practising archery. One day a gipsy came by and found him Living hundreds of yard* of fctring to his J arrows-. ~.. "That's a. good plan," Mid the gipsy,, j " J will .stay and help you.*" J Diego shot the arrows in the middle of j i the oaken gate of the castle in the air, and : ; then twisted all the string* together into a, | rope- and climbed up, with his hove siting i over his shoulder and his last and sharpest j arrow between his teeth. " Somebody's throwing stones," said the wizard, as be heard the arrows strike, into , the oaken gate. ■'••■■- •'■'' ■■^i:j('':' He opened the gate to see what wti*\ | happening, and Diego fixed hi* last and) sharpest arrow in his bow and tent it deep j into the wizard's heart. Diego then strode'. into ' the caetie, .and in the hall he found Princess Isabella, He led her out and tied the rope firmly around her and slowly low- ; ered her into the arms of the gipsy. But before Diego could climb down himself th« gipsy set' fire to the rope, and rode away with the printers. "I destroyecPUje.ropc," said the gipsy to ,) Princess Isabella, "so that Diego should remain in the castle and look after it for me. He is only my servant. I shot the arrows into the oaken gate and killed the wizard. and sent Diego up to lower you into my arms." The Princess* did not believe aim. but the King did. In his joy at seeing libs | lovely daughter again, lie was willing to j accept any tale of her rescue. He had [the gip«v dressed in royal garment? - and [ quickly made all preparation* for the wed- | ding. " ' ■■ /** Meanwhile Diego was trying to find a | way of escape. At last he discovered, on j the highest tower, a wheel for moving the . | castle through the air, and another for lowering it- to the ground. By means of these he steered the fairy castle into the ! city of Madrid, and placed it iu the open space beside the cathedral, just as tho Royal wedding procession was approach- ' jug. As he strode out of the gate,- arrayed in a splendid dress, which he had found in the wizard's wardrobe, the gipsy ■ leapj ed out of the Royal carriage with* a cry- . [ of terror and fled, and Princess Isabella. j turned to the King and said: — l " This is the handsome boy who really I killed the wizard and' rescued me." j "Well, then, he shall be j%»r bride- | groom," said the King. \ So Diege and Princess Isabella w*->re happily married, and a few years afterwards Isabella's father died, and Diego became . King of Spain.