STORIES TOLD THE SECOND DAY
W
WHEN all the Story People were assembled, the Story King in his place, Mary Frances in the seat of honor beside the Story Queen, the Ready Writer at his table with pen in hand, the Story Lady began to tell one story after another. Even the clock ticked softly, as if listening, and no sound was heard except the sweet music of her voice as it ran from story to story, until five in all were told.
* * * * * *
Many years ago, a little prince was born in a rich country across the sea. He had long been wished for, and great was the rejoicing throughout the land when he came.
As you may suppose, he was given everything he wanted. Indeed, if he were denied anything for a moment, he would set up so great a cry that the servants would run in haste to bring him what he desired; and if he were opposed by any one he would frown and stamp his foot, and throw himself into such a rage that his whole face would become ugly and distorted, and the little children would run in fear from him.
When he grew up, he delighted to fight; and nothing pleased him better than to put on his armor and helmet and ride forth at the head of his army.
He won many, many victories, and his country grew richer and stronger than it had ever been before.
By and by the time came when his father, the king, died, and the prince took his place. Then he wished for a queen, and began to think of a beautiful princess he had met in one of the cities which he ruled over. And the more he thought about her, the more anxious he was that she should become his wife. No one else was half so fair and lovely to his eyes.
So one day, he made up his mind to go to see the princess. He bade his servants deck him out in regal splendor, and put on him his royal robes and his jeweled crown.
“How do I look?” he asked his valet. “Did I ever appear more handsome?”
“Oh, no, your majesty,” replied the valet. “If you will look in the long mirror, you will see that.”
When the king looked in the glass, he saw a wonderful reflection. His robe was of velvet and satin in royal purple and green, jeweled, trimmed, and embroidered—nothing was wanting in the costume. Then he saw his own face—all seamed with frowns and hard, cruel lines.
“Oh,” he thought, “such a face will frighten the lovely princess! What shall I do? She will never be willing to marry me!”
And he sent all his servants away, and sat down in a fit of melancholy; or, as some people say, “in a fit of the blues.”
For hours he just sat and glowered. Once a page approached him to say that his luncheon was served, but he told him to be gone before he ordered his head chopped off. You can imagine how fast the page ran away. When the page told the other servants, they said, “We must not go near him until he rings for us when he comes out of his angry mood.”
After a while the bell did ring, and in fear and trembling the valet went to see what the king wished.
“Tell the groom to saddle my best steed and have it at the palace steps within ten minutes, and do you undress me and put me in my riding suit.”
Quickly the change was made, quickly the horse was saddled, quickly the king was mounted and riding away.
“No!” he thundered, when the groom rode up to attend him on his journey. “No one comes with me! I ride alone!”
Through forest and dale, through valley, stream, and over stubble the king rode, on, and on, and on, until he came to the home of the enchanter, Herlo.
Thrice he knocked at the door, and a deep voice bade him enter.
“Good-day, Enchanter,” said the king, lifting the latch and entering; “I have come on a most important errand.”
“I know your errand,” replied Herlo; “you wish to gain the princess Viola for a wife, and you fear she will not love you enough to marry you.”
“How can she, when she sees my face?” said the king. “I have come to ask your help. Is there anything you can do for me?”
The enchanter stopped to think, then he raised his head and told the king, “Yes; I have a plan, but it needs your own help. I can change your features if you will do as I tell you.”
The king was very glad, and he promised to do everything the enchanter bade him do.
“Very well,” said Herlo. “I will make you a magic mask of thinnest wax. It will be exactly the shape of your face, and no one will know that you are wearing it except yourself. I will paint it with my magic paint so that your features will look kind and pleasant, instead of fierce and stern. I will fasten it upon your face so that you need never take it off.”
“Make it”—said the king, “as handsome and attractive as you possibly can, and I will pay you any price you ask.”
“This I can do only with your help,” Herlo explained; “only on this one condition—that you keep your own face in exactly the lines I shall paint. One angry frown or one cruel smile will crack the mask apart and ruin it, and I can never replace it.”
Now the king wanted the princess for his queen more than anything else he had ever wished for, so he said, “Yes, I promise. Tell me what I shall do to keep the mask from cracking.”
“You must not lose your temper,” the enchanter told him. “You must think kind thoughts. You must try to make your people happy. You must help them, not by fighting, but by building libraries and schools and hospitals. You must see that there are none of your subjects in want; you must try to relieve all suffering, even of animals. You must follow this rule:
Help the weak if you are strong;Love the old if you are young;Own a fault if you are wrong;When you’re angry, hold your tongue.
Help the weak if you are strong;Love the old if you are young;Own a fault if you are wrong;When you’re angry, hold your tongue.
Help the weak if you are strong;Love the old if you are young;Own a fault if you are wrong;When you’re angry, hold your tongue.
Help the weak if you are strong;
Love the old if you are young;
Own a fault if you are wrong;
When you’re angry, hold your tongue.
“Call here again within ten days, and the mask will be ready. Good-by.”
So the king rode away with happiness in his heart.
The ten days passed slowly enough, and he could scarcely wait for the last day to come. Early in the morning, he again rode alone to the home of the enchanter.
The magic mask was ready, and Herlo tried it on the king’s face. It fitted exactly, but it transformed his countenance. Gone was the ugly scowl; gone, the frown between his eyes; gone, the thin, straight, sullen lips. In their stead were pleasant smiles; and kind, tender eyes; and merciful, unselfish lips.
And again the king rode away with happiness in his heart, for Herlo had shown him his face in a glass.
The next day, he rode with his retinue of courtiers to the home of the lovely princess, and she thought him all that could be desired, and promised to be his wife.
And one wonderful day in the springtime they were married. Two years sped quickly away in great joy and happiness, for the princess found her husband to be even more kind and forbearing than she had thought he would be. The servants never could understand what had happened to change the king. Instead of being frightened by his presence, they were only too glad to serve him, and his royal household was the happiest in the world.
The Magic Mask was Ready, and Herlo Tried It on the King’s Face
The Magic Mask was Ready, and Herlo Tried It on the King’s Face
You would think that the king would have then been satisfied, wouldn’t you? But he was not quite satisfied, for one thing troubled him.
When the queen would smile in approval of his kindness, and his self-control, he would think, “I wish I had not deceived my dear wife. I wish she knew my own self.”
At last he could bear it no longer, and so one day he rode for the third time to the home of the enchanter, Herlo. And again Herlo met him at the door. The king said:
“O Herlo, I have come to you to ask you to take back your magic mask. I cannot wear it any longer, because I cannot bear to deceive my dear wife who thinks me so kind and good. Better the truth than to deceive so true and kind a person as my queen.”
“I warn you,” replied Herlo, “that if I once take off the magic mask, you can never have it replaced. Think carefully before I remove it.”
“Yes,” said the king, “I know, and I have weighed the question carefully. It is better to be my own true self than to live behind a false face. Better that the queen should despise me than to live under false pretenses and have her love when unworthy.”
So the enchanter took off the mask, and bade the king good-speed.
You can imagine how the king felt as he rode home this time; how he dreaded looking into his glass, although he knew he must do so before he entered the presence of the queen; and how he feared that what he most prized in this world was about to be lost—his wife’s loving trust in him.
But can you imagine his joy when he looked into the glass and saw his own face—for his own face was handsomer than the mask! The ugly frown and the wicked, cruel lines were gone, forhis face had been molded into the exact likeness of the mask; and when he came into the presence of his wife she saw no difference in him. He was the husband she had always so much honored and loved.
* * * * * *
“And they lived happily ever after,” finished the Story Lady. Then after a slight pause, she went on: “Now we will have a little goblin story.”