The King Who Went Hunting

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22949, 29 January 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The King Who Went Hunting

fpHIS +ime the king gained nine yards, but the lion soon caught that up. And, though the king dodged in and out among the trees, it really did look as if the lion would catch him. But fortunately, just as it was reaching out for a third tittle, the king's shoes flew off. The lion stopped to put those on, too, while the king kept on running, and gained a whole twelve yards. The lion sprang up to give chase again, but now it could only hobble along, for the shoes were so tight they pinched its toes. Soon the king had gained twenty yards, and then thirty, and then fifty, and then so many I could not count them. And then at last he was safe out of the forest. He set off down the road to the palace. But as he had neither his

crown nor his cloak, nor his shoes, he did not look a hit like a king. And. to make matters worse, the sun went behind a big cloud, and it began to rain just as the gardener had said it would. The king's best satin suit soon became Wet and draggled, and all the gold ran out of the braid and the buttons flew off, pop, pop, one after the other. B.v the time lie reached the palace he looked no. better than a begg<>r. Indeed,' the guard at the gate reall.V thought he was one, and refused to let him past. •"\qu can't come in this wav," said the guard. "Beggers go in the back gate." I he king drew himself up haughtily and the last button flew off his coal, P°P; , an d hit the guard in the eye. I his made the guard very angry. He hold his hand over the eve"and scowled so fiercely with the other that the king turned away without a word niul hurried down the road. And at, everv step he became wetter and muddier and less like a king. "I wish I had listpned to the gardener," he sobbed to himself. "And

By LUCIE WINN

(Concluded)

to the queen, and the lord chamberlain. Oh, dear, whatever can 1 do?" Just at that moment he caught sight of a hole in the fence. He crawled through and found himself in the orchard. Now all he had to do was to slip up through the kitchen garden, climb the back stairs and tip-toe down the corridor to his room. Then, in five minutes, he would be warm and dry and a king again. He stole along under the trees, but just as he reached the kitchen gate he met the gardener. "Hey,"' cried the gardener. "What are you doing? Stealing the king's, apples, I suppose." The king snook his head meekly. "Then back you go the way you came," ordered the gardener.

But the king did not want to go back through the nole in the fence. Ho dodged round the gardener and ran Tip through the kitchen garden, with the man puffing behind him. "Stop!" shouted tho gardener. "Stop, thief!" The king did not stop. He rushed into the kitchen, rlodged round the table, wrenched open the inner door and raced to tho back stairs. The cook was so startled she dropped the best, pink cream jug which she had just filled with yellow cream. But she took no notice of that. She flew after the king, shouting: "Stop, thief! Stop, thief!' The footrnan ran out of the pantry. Th e queen flounced from the drawing room. The lord chamberlain hurried from the library. The gardener ran in without even wiping his muddy boots. And thej- all pattered upstairs after the king, shouting: "Stop, thief! Stop, thief" "If they catch me." he thought, "they will send me to prison as a thief. And then 1 will never be king again." So he ran all the faster up the last six steps and along the corridor into his room. He rulnmaged in his drawer, and presently he found his second best crown. He put it on. and not a moment too soon, for the cook was just stretching out her hand to seize him by the collar. As soon as the king turned round with the crown on his head, she saw who he was and she dropped him a curtsey. So did the queen, while the lord chamberlain and the footman bowed stiffly and the gardener touched his hand to'a lock of his hair. Then they all stared, with their mouths open, while tho king told them his adventures. "If only T had listened to you," ho finished. "I woulcPnot have lost my best crown, and my velvet cloak, and the patent leather shoes, or spoiled my best satin suit." "Let that be a lesson to you," said the quepn. And I think it must have been, for he has never been quite so obstinate since.