THE WEEPING PRINCESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 92, 9 July 1927, Page 27

THE WEEPING PRINCESS

Bright-Eyes, Dancing-Eyes and SadEyes were the three lovely daughters of a fat old king, who lived in a faraway country. Bright-Eyes and Danc-ing-Eyes were always gay, and as soon as they were out of the royal schoolroom they were married. Sad-Eyes was the only one left at the palace. She was just as beautiful as her sisters, but she looked so terribly unhappy that more often than not when people talked witty her they burst into tears. (Often they came out without their handkerchiefs and nearly ruined their clothes.)

The King did everything that a king could do wrong. Instead of keeping up the country in fine style, he spent all the money on food, and his particular delicacy was shrimps, which he liked to peel himself.

“Look here!” the Chancellor said one day, “this way of going to work has got to end. We shall be ruined. I have bills for shrimps. And bills for shrimps. And more bills for shrimps. And this morning Bright-Eyes came and asked to have her allowance increased.”

“Tell her she can’t have it, of course,” the King grunted huffily. “I have, but that doesn’t cut down present expenses. The only thing will be for Sad-Eyes to marry a million-

“Sad-Eyes marry a millionaire?” the King snorted, shrugging his shoulders. “She’s too miserable for words. Impossible.”

“Then it’s bread and dripping for you, your Majesty.” The Chancellor collected'all the spare money he could find (it certainly wasn’t very much), and issued invitations to all the jrich young men in the neighbourhood- He took good care that Sad-Eyes was gorgeously dressed in a beautiful bright red gown. At least, she looked cheerful. “A pretty state of affairs,” he snapped, as he stamped out of her boudoir. “I’ve never seen anybody look quite so miserable. And to think it’s our last chance!” He was passing through the dining-hall at that minute and he picked up a shrimp and skinned it slowly as he puzzled over the situation. “Do smile!” Bright-Eyes implored her sister later in the day. “Try and see something funny somewhere.” The only guest who seemed to take any interest in the beautiful princess was a short, fat little prince who hardly came up to her shoulder. They had wandered to the river, when SadEyes leaned gracefully over the top of the bridge looking down on the royal swans. The prince was just too short to look over the top, so he poked his head through the balustrade like a small boy. He became so excited by the fluttering ducks and swans that gathered below him that he forgot how insecure his position was. He-"wrig-gled through too far, and before SadEyes could move a little finger to catch the back of his trousers, he had toppled right into the water. His fat little legs, in their dashing mauve stockings, were such a funny sight that, for the first time on record, Sad-Eyes burst into a tremendous laugh. She simply screamed. “What did you want to make that noise for?” the Prince asked angrily, almost shaking his dripping garments in her face. “I beg your pardon,” she said politely. # He looked up suspiciously. And then he saw the sweetest, saddest face that he had ever seen. It was just the very thing that was needed to make him feel sorry for himself, and also that somebody was very sorry for him. He looked at her closely. “Oh, please don’t look so unhappy,” he begged. “I don’t believe for a minute that you were making fun of me.” Sad-Eyes looked at his oozing clothes. She nearly screamed with laughter again, but checked it in time. She only smiled just the smallest smile. “Sad-Eyes,” he said softly, “Why do they call you Sad-Eyes? They are the most beautiful eyes that I have ever seen. Will you marry me?” And she said that she would. As for the old King, he rarely goes out nowadays because his son-in-law* gives him as many shrimps as he can possibly eat.