THE PHCENIX'S EGG.

Otago Witness, Issue 2298, 17 March 1898, Page 51

THE PHCENIX'S EGG.

By Fjedoea.

A FAIRY TALE FOR LITTLE FOLKS.

Chapter I. Once upon a time there lived a K\»g and Queen who had a great number of children. All these children except one played and laughed and sang and romped, jasfc as other children do — all except one. And what was the matter with this one child nobody could make out. This singular child was a girl too, and that fact troubled the King, its father, very much indeed.

"If Averna had been a boy, now," he said very often, " when she graw up she could have been sent to battle to work eff her fantasies in fighting. But whatever are W8 going to do with a girl who is so different irom any other girl 2 "

The Princess Averna was remarkably beautiful. Her face was pale and fair, and she had lovely eyes with changing colours, as-4eep as the deep sea, when you looked into them. And she always seemed to be thinking of soinethicg far, far away. She did not care to play as the other children played, but sbe would invent games which would sometimes delight and sometimes frighten them, by seeming too real or else too fanciful. Then she understood everything the animals did, and they seemed to know her and treat her as one of themselves. She would translate their language to her brothers and sisters.

•• Your horse bates y.00," she said one day to her eldest brother. " Y«>u think he is fond of you because ha comas when you call, but he only comes because he doesn't dare to disobey. You are too cruel to him. Some day he will try to kill you."

The King of Terana, the Princess's father, ■was rather hot-tempered, but very fond of all kinds of fun. "Bur he couldn't understand this daughter of his and her wise, quiet ways one bit. So he decided that the cuild must be HI, and he commanded all the doctors in tbe country round about to come and see what was tbe matter with his daughter, and be promised . a large reward to the one who should cure her of her malady.

A great many doctors came, as you may imagine. One said the Princess suffered from "loss of tone," another from "acute melancholia." Others used longer words still; but none of them really found that there was anything at all tbe matter with the child, though they did not dare to tell the King he was wrong, as they might have bad their heads cut off for their trouble.

At last, however, a very learned doctor came from another country altogether. He examined the little Princess carefully ; then he turned to the Queen, who, with the King, was awaiting the result of the examination.

"Your daughter, your Majesty," said he, "is suffering from too much soul ! "

The Queen looked hastily at the King. She was not in the habit of replying when his Majesty was there to answer for her. " Too much soul I " ejaculated the King. " How in the world could she get that 1 "

" It is a great mystery, your Majesty," replied the, doctor politely, " and it ia a malady which seems to occur more frequently ia tbe families, let us say, of peasants than of kings. However, if your Majesty would permit me to adving, I should say, whatever you do don't lefc your daughter be in danger of losing her rouj Jt ia too large for her body just now, but sue will grow large enough to hold jt, and it ia a beautiful one." Then be turned to tbe G>mz agaig?

" I perceive that your Majesty also has a malady," he remarked.

The Queen looked at her husband in a scared way.

"What is it?" asked the King imperiously.

"It; is that," he replied, " of placicg too much dependence on others and, of never following her own instincts."

The King was very angry with this doctor, both for what he had said about his daughter and also for what he had said about the Queen. However, as fcfce doctor belonged to another country he couldn't cut off his head, so he contented himself with letting the poor man go away without 6ven staying to dine at the palace. He also vented his ill-humour upon his wife.

•* Now, mind," he said, "if ever you get a chance you are to get rid of Averna's soul — do you hear ? The very idea 1 Too much soul indeed ! I never suffered from too much soul and neither did you. Yvhat's good enough for me and for you is good enough for ona of cur younger daughters, I should thiak. And don't let her play any more with that Conrad, the gardener's son. I shouldn'D wonder if she caught it from him. That fool of a doctor said peasants suffered from it most of all. Not that I believe a word of'what be said, but you're to do as I tell you— do you hear 1 " " Yes, dear," said the Queen. Chapter 11. When Averna heard that she was to play no more with Conrad she cried very bitterjy. I She was aa obedient little girl, and abe never dreamt of disobeyicg her father's commands, 1 but ifc was hard to lose the only friend and ' companion who understood her. Ever since [ she could just toddle the gardener's son had taken her on his shoulders and carried her about, and had been her servant and her guardian. He had told her the language of the flowers and the birds ; and she had told him what the wind said to her and the i river and the little brooks and the sea. She I bad tsken the music from the rustling branches, and she had played it to him ou j her hsrp, and he had tried to imitate it on ' his flate ; and thea he had surg of the bees ! and tbe flowers and the sunshine on the I dewy leaves. And together they had made sweet duete, with rustlings and hummiegs in the music, and the pipings of one bird to another, when ! the sky was black and the' air hot before a thunderstorm. They had wandered together hand in hand through tbe stately gardens, and he had made her a small boat, to which he harnessed ten white swans. The two children would sail away on tbe lake with tbe stately birds drawing them gently along, and little yellow fluffy beautiful cygnets would follow in their wake and try to clamber over the side of the boat, for every living thing loved Averna, and Conrad too. Now Averna had to say good-bye to this dear friend of hers, and she sobbed bitterly. Conrad, too, thongh he felt himself much older and bigger, was not ashamed to mingle his tears with these of his beloved little Princess. "Good-bye, darliEg Conrad," sobbed the child. "It will only be for a little while, because I shall be so good that they will soon let me see you sgain." Little Averna was kept indoors more for tbe future. When she went out she had to take loag walks up and down a fiat yellow road with the stiff Lord Chancellor's wife. ! This lady did not softer from too much soul. She had a very stiff f&tin dress, which mads a great noise and looked as though it would have stood all by itself if Bhe hadn't been in it at all. And she made Averna keep her eyes straight ia front of ber. Sometimes Averna walked behiud the Lord Chancellor's wife, but she always did as she was bid, and looked straight in front of her. The Lord Chancellor's wifa wore a carious head-dress like two round bird cages, and inside these cages she wore a red velvet lining. Oh, she was very grand 1 And Averna used to count the bars of the bird-cage bead-dress and wonder when she would see Conrad again. One day the Lord Chancellor's wife and Averna went a little farther down the yellow road than usual, and they cams to the borders of a great forest. The Lord Chancellor's wife did not care a bib for forests, but she was so busy plannicg 3 new headdress in her mind tbafc she didn't notice how far she bad gone. But Averna did, and she was pleased to see the green trees in front instead of the yellow road. Presently she saw a little old woman come • out from among the trees in the distance and walk down the road towards them. She was a very curious-looking old woman with a very bent back, on which was a large bundle. As she came nearer Averna did not like the look of her at all. She had very sharp eyes and a nose that was so hooked that it seemed to meet her chin, which pointed up- ! wards towards it. When she got near the Princess and her companion she stopped. " My pretty ladies," she said with a whine, " I have here some beautiful tbir>g3 to sell. Will yon look at them 1 " " Ob, come away," said the Princess, suddenly frightened. " Please don't listen to that old woman — I know she's bad." The old creature looked evilly at Averna, and then put ber bundle down on the ground I and began to undo the knots that tied it.

The birds in the trees near at hand sang " Don't wait, Averna ; run home— she's bad, she's wicked." And the Princess wondered that the Lord Chancellor's wife did not hear them. Bat that lady did not seem inclined to go. She said condescendingly to the old hag, " Well, my good woman, I don't mind seeing what is in your pack, though I don't suppose anything you have would suit me."

But she had scarcely got the words out of her mouth than the old woman had. untied the last knot, and thera before her was the loveliest heap of sparkling jewels that she had ever seen in her life. They positively took the lady's breath away, "Ob, ohi" was all she could say. 11 Her Majesty the Queen can have these," said the old crone, "for a mere trifle — for something, indeed, which she wishes to get rid of already. And if your ladysbip pleases," she added, " you shall have the finest jewel of tbe lot if you arrange the bargain." In spite of Averna's entreaties that they should have nothing to do with the old woman, her ladyship gladly arranged, tfjatßUe

should come to the palace the next day and see the Queen. Averna turned back home, feeling a little frightened, she scarcely knew why.

As she reached the palace gates her brother passa 1 - \er. lie v/ns just- returning from a long ride. He had ridden the horss hard, and the jDoor animal was almost dropping with fatigue. Averna went up to pet it and console it. "Averna," it whispered, as it rubbed its noee in her neck behind her ears, " I saw an old woman just now in the forest. Sac is a wicked old witch, and she means evil to you. Don't let her come to the palace if you can belp it." But Averna couldn't prevent it. She was called away, and told not to rub the horse's nose like a peasant girl, and she went sorrowfully to her own room.

(To be continued.}