Prince Easy and Prince Endeavour.

New Zealand Graphic, 6 April 1907, Page 39

Prince Easy and Prince Endeavour.

Once upon a time there was a king called Deepheart, who had twin sons, called Prince Rasy and Prince Endeavo er. When they were ten years old, King Deepheart summoned them to him, and said — “I have two gifts which I intend to bestow upon you to-day. Choose, each of you, which you will have. One gift is a magic yCig, which will give its possessor werMh and beauty, and physical strength, and all splendid and precious things in the world. The other gift is a pearl which will give its possessor love and patience. Choose now which you each desire; but you must especially notice this, that at the’end oF thirty years the owner of the ring must give back the ring, and with the ring everything, he has gained by its aid, whereas the owner of the pearl shall keep it for over and ever.*’ After the king had finished speaking there was a ?ong pause, for both primes were deeply considering the matter. At last Prince Easy spoke and asked - •’Alight we not each try them both for a few days just to see which we like best?’’ r ’No,” said the King; “whoever has the ring must keep it. for thirty years, and whoever chooses the pearl -hall keep it for ever and ever.*’ «’ Thon Prine? Easy asked—’’But how does the ring give its owner things’”

The king explained “The man who wears (be ring needs only to wish strongly lor anything in order to get it.” “Horses, and toiYee, and footballs, and guns, and bicycles, and plums, and cake, and all kinds of 1 kings?” asked Prince Easy excitedly. “Yes.” answered the king, smiling. “Anything he likes, if he wishes- hard enough.” “We’l, then/* said Prince .Easy, shaking his curly locks, “I .shall choose the ring.” “Oh, bid don’t forget.” warned the king, “that at the end of thirty years you will have to give up everything.” “Oh. I don’t mind that,” said Prince Easy. “I shall have bad enough of everything liy that time, and I’ll be happy enough to last the rest of my life.” “What do you say, Endeavour?” asked the king. “1 think that I should like love and patience,'” said Prince Endeavour; “but if 1 had the ring, could J not get them by wishing for them?” “No,” said the king; “the owner o* the ring must soon lose all love and patience.” “What does that matter?” cried Prince Easy. “I won’t weed love and patience if I have everything i like. Father, p+ease give me the- ring.” * So the king quietly gave the pearl to Prince Endeavour, and the ring to Prince Easy. “Now,” he said, “you must go out into the world, and you must not return to me fur thirty years.” Accordingly they kissed their father, and departed together. “How foolish of you,” said Prince Easy to his brother, “to choose, the pearl! What are you going to do now?” “I am going to work and to low,” said Prince Endeavour. “Ah, then, I must leave you,” said Prince Easy, “for 1 am going to play, ami to bo happy.” Then Primo Easy’ wished that he were big and strong, and grown up; and, to his surprise, he suddenly became a great big man with a beautiful moustache, and broad shoulders ami long legs. Ami then he began to wish for all sorts of things, and as fast as he wished things came true; ami soon he was living in a magnificent palace, with thrones, and golden pillars, ami marble staircases, and fountains, ami goldfish, ami peacocks; ami he had crowns, and sceptres, ami horses, and elephants, ami reindeer, and thousands and thousands of soldiers and servants. lit? laid all the delicious things in the world Io eat ami drink; and he lived in a land where the snn shone for ever ami the birds sang continually, and where it never rained and never snowed. “Poor Prime Endeavour!” thought li<. •’How foolish he was not to take the ling!” But years went by, and- Prime Easy lx gait Io find things rather tiresome. lie had eaten strawberries and cream ad chocolates, ami 'Turkish delight, and peaches and plums, till hr was suit of sweet things. lie hail beaten all the conjurers at magic, ami all the strong men af feats *»f strength; hr could tumble down xfhole houses just like Samson; ami hr could lift an elephant with his teeth, and be eoiiUi jump higher than any man bad ever jumped, and he could play cricket belter than Chare, or ’Fry, or Itanji, and

he could tnai 20 pack* of cards between hi. fingers.

But, somehow, lie was weary of sweet things, and he was tired of doing strong tilings, for somehow there seemed no satisfaction in doing them when lie had only to wish in order to be able to do them; and lie was tired of perpetual skies, and he wished lie could unwish them, 1 ait. it was a peculiarity of the ring that what the owner had onee wished must remain. Koon nothing seemed worth doing, and nothing seemed worth wishing for, and in time he could not wish at all. Moreover., he was haunted by the thought that in a few years he would have to give up tho ring, and then everything would vanish. And so. in the end, he enjoyed nothing; and bis life was full of disgust, and wear* ness, and fear. Meantime, Prince Endeavour was working and loving. At last, however, the 30 years were done, and the brothers met again at the Court of King Deepheart. Prince Easy was a big, powerful, handsome man. with tremendous niusclcs; but he looked selfish, and weary, arid miserable; whereas Prince Endeavour, though not so big and strong and handsome, looked much happier, ‘ Now, my sons,” said the King, “tell me. how you have fared. How nave things gone with you. Prince Easy?” “Father” replied Prince Easy, “I am tired of everything; t am side of life!” .“What?” exclaimed the King; “'a big, strong, handsome, man like, you tired of life! W e must have a feast and a danc? to-night to dieer you up.” “Alas!” said Prince Easy, “I have feasted and danced every night for 30 years, and every year 1 enjoyed the feasts and dances less, for 1 grew tired of dainties and dancing, ami I was disturbed. too, by the thought that every year brought the. end nearer. Now I can feast and dance bo more.” "Are you tired of life, too. Prince Endeavour?” asked the King, ttirnii*g to bis other son. “Nay. nay, father,” replied Prince Endeavour: "life grows to me more beam tiful every day; there is so much to do, and so much to learn and so much to love. The pearl has made everything seem beautiful. The stars and the flowers and the hills are. all glorified by the love which gave them and the rivers and the seas and the. winds all sing of love. Eternity is too short to exhaust the wonder of everything! My food is simple but it is sweet, for I have earned it Ivy my work, and my friends are few, but they are line., for I have won them by my love.” "Wisely didst thou choose,” said the King; "for there can he no beauty and no lasting happiness without patience and love.” Then, tinning to PrincS Easy, he said—• „ "(live me the ring.”

Sadly the Prince, gave it. to him, ana st once his strength and his beauty departed, and he. became a poor, weak thing, with trembling logs, and thin arms, and narrow shoulders, mid a low brow. “Foolishly didst thou choose,” said the King; “for thy strength and the beauty Wore merely superficial, and thy wealth and ili.v possessions could bring thee no happiness, since thou thyself, in thyself, hadst. no love, and no patience, and, therefore, no real beauty, nor strength, nor wealth, nor joy. Thou thyself art a poor, feeble, vvitlierd thing, able to do nothing, able to enjoy nothing. Life is to yon vain, and tiresome, and empty.” But Prince Endeavour pitied his brother. and he. cried — ‘Father. may I give Easy my pearl, and then he will grow strong and happy, and will not need sweet things, and glittering tilings, and hard, cold gold?” The King smiled, and said—- " Yes. give it.” And Priueee Endeavour, not without Sorrow-, gave it. But to liis great surprise, lie found another peart in his hand at once, and history says that this pearl gave birth to many more, and that Prinee Endeavour went about distributing them, and making people happy. This is the story of Prince Easy and Prince Endeavour. "Little Folks.”