THE TWO PRINCESSES. 



ONCE upon a time there lived a king 

 who had two lovely daughters. So 

 beautiful, so learned and so good were they, 

 that when the time came for them to be 

 married, so many suitors thronged to the 

 King's palace that the roads for miles 

 around were blocked, and the throng could 

 move neither backward nor forward. At 

 fir.st this was very amusing, but presently it 

 began to be very serious. One of the laws 

 of the country was, that no provisions 

 could be kept inside the city gates. Early 

 «very morning wagons arrived from the 

 .surrounding country laden with the food 

 for the day. Now, owing to the crowded 

 state of the roads, no wagons could reach 

 the city, and very soon the inhabitants be- 

 ^•an to suffer for want of food. The King, 

 who was much alarmed, after in vain con- 

 sulting all the wisest men in his palace, 

 retire d to his room and gave way to great 

 grief. As he wept, his attention was attracted 

 by the curious behavior of a large moth 

 that had fluttered in at the open window. 

 First it flew up, then down, then quickly 

 back and forth, and finally fluttered so near 

 the king's hand that he could not resist the 

 temptation of trying to seize it. He only 

 :succeeded in catching the end of one long 

 wing. The moth in its struggles to escape 

 broke the tip off. No sooner had this hap- 

 pened than the moth disappeared, leaving 

 in its place a beautiful woman, who knelt 

 before the astonished King. 



When the King had recovered enough 

 breath to speak, he gasped : 



" Pray who are you ? What does this 

 mean ? " 



"Great King," said the lady, "I am a 

 fairy. Long ago I innocently interfered 

 with the plans of one of my superiors. As 

 a punishment she changed me into a moth, 

 and condemned me to wear that form until 

 released by a king. You have released me. 



and in return for this kindness I will per- 

 form the task that you most wish done." 



"Hurrah I " cried the King, jumping up, 

 then suddenly remembering his regal dig- 

 nity : 



"We mean, 'tis well. Listen then — the 

 task I most wish done, is the clearing of 

 the roads, that ilie provision wagons may 

 enter the city.' 



" It shall be done," said the fairy, and 

 vanished. 



The next moment the King was startled 

 to hear a merry fanfare of trumpets in the 

 court. Hastening to the window, he saw 

 the fairy who had mounted to the castle 

 wall. In clear tones, that reached to the 

 last suitor, she said : 



" Gentle sirs, your eagerness to wed 

 these fair princesses, while most flattering 

 to them, is causing serious trouble in the 

 city ; provisions have given out, and a 

 famine prevails. Behold, now, I release 

 two butterflies. Follow them, and the two 

 men who are fortunate enough to capture 

 them, shall become the happy husbands of 

 the princesses." 



As she spoke, she opened her hand and 

 out flew two butterflies of the most brilliant 

 hues. One flew to the east, one to the 

 west, and so eager were the suitors to catch 

 them, that in half an hour the roads were 

 clear, the provision wagons rolled into the 

 city, and the hungry people gathered about 

 them, and received their bread, their chops, 

 and steaks and vegetables, and the famine 

 w^as at an end. 



The two sisters had watched all these 

 proceedings from an upper window in the 

 castle, and when they had seen the last of 

 the two trains of suitors vanish in the dis- 

 tance, they fell into each other's arms and 

 wept. 



"Oh. sister, said the younger, "must 

 we part ? I do not want to marry any of 



