HOW PRINCE OPALLE FOUND CONTENTMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2323, 8 September 1898, Page 57

HOW PRINCE OPALLE FOUND CONTENTMENT.

A COMPLETE STORY. "When the King and Queen of Gonquilla married they made one great mistake. They forgot to invite the Fairy Banrod to the ceremony. >She arrived just as the happy couple were starting off in a coach with eight white horses for their honeymoon ; and placing herself before the door, she said, waving her rod, which was made of ivory with black .stripes : " You will have much riches and great blessings." The people rejoiced to hear this, because Fairy Banrod was more dreaded than anyone else in all the kingdom of. Gonquilla. "But," the Fahy continued, " you will have great trouble, for you will have a child who will be satisfied with nothing." And scowling on the royal pair, the Fairy flew away upon her rod. The King and Queen were very much upset, and wished they had remembered to ask the Fairy to their wedding. "But it can't be helped," said the King. And they drove off. They became very rich indeed, and were perfectly happy, and in a few years they were delighted when a little baby boy appeared. A more beautiful child it is difficult to imagine ; his face was like an angel's. "I suppose we mu&t ask Fairy Banrod?" sairl the Queen. So the Fairy was asked to the christening, and a very grand affair it was. Princes and nobles came from all over the world, and the young Prince received a long string of fine names. Just as the ceremony was over, two people went up to the baby. One was the Fairy Banrod, and the other was I/he Fairy Allgootl. The former placed

a crystal ball in the. Baby Prince's hand, and waving her wand over him, departed. The ! Fairy Allgood simply stooped and kissed the cherub face. Years went on, and the youthful heir to the throne of Gonquilla grew fast. He was very beautiful ; but he had one besetting sin— he was terribly dissatisfied. His parents gratified his every wish, but it was of no good. . i • » "It is the ban the Fairy put, upon him, people said. And really it seemed to be so. The parents consulted every physician in the country, but no one could help them. At last, in their despair, they called in the Fairy Allgood, and told her that their son was growing a burden to himself and to everyone else, and what could they do? At last the King and Queen consented to give the Prince into the Fairy Allgood' s "charge for six months. Accordingly the next day the two set out. They arrived at the. Fairy's palace, and she made the Prince

put on servant's attire, and she set him a task — he had to give out food to the poor travellers that passed the gates. At firfct he rebelled, but the Fairy told him that only by doing good could he rid himself of the terrible ban. He had very hard work to keep to his work, and often tried to shirk it ; but the Fairy always insisted on his doing it. One day he heard cries coming from outside the gates, and he saw a young girl in the arms of the Fairy Banrod, and they were struggling violently. The Fairy Allgood saw them too, and calling Prince Orjalle (for that was his name) to her, she gave him the crystal ball which the Fairy Banrod had given him as a christening gift, and told him to go out and throw it at the bad Fairy. He seized it and rushed out/ and threw it in her face. It smashed into a thousand pieces, and immediately she turned into ,a black swan and flew away. The Prince

Opallc rushed to the maiden's side, and carried her to the polace. Thus was Prince Opalle's ban broken, first by learning to do good to others, and then by the breaking ot the crystal ball, which would never have broken iiad he not learnt to live for others besides himself. He relumed home with great pomp, and the next year he married the maiden, who was a Princess, and they lived happily and contentedly ever after.