CHAPTER 21

The King, the Princess, and the Poor Boy.

There was once a king who loved his daughter very much, so much in fact that he did not wish her to marry; so he built for her a secret house or vault under the ground, and there he kept her away from all but her parents and her maid servants.

There was also an old man in the same city who had a son.  The old man said to his son, “Come, lad, let us go into the country and plant crops that we may live,” for they were very poor.  After they had worked a short time in the country, the old man died and the boy returned to the king’s city and then went up and down the street crying, “Oh! who will buy me for a slave, that I may bury my father?” A kind-hearted rich man saw him and inquired his troubles, and the boy told him that he was greatly grieved because his father was dead and he had no money for the funeral.  The rich man told him not to grieve, that his father would be buried with all the ceremonies given to any one.  After the funeral the boy went to live with the rich man as his servant, and served him faithfully; so faithfully, indeed, that the rich man, who was childless, adopted him and gave him every advantage of education.

One day the boy wrote a sentence and placed it in the window, “You may hide your treasure with every care, and watch it well, but it will be spent at last.”  Now the boy had no idea of any hidden meaning in this sentence, but the king chanced to pass that way and read it.  Angrily he called the rich man to his carriage, and demanded of him what it meant.  “I do not know, most exalted king,” said the rich man, “I have only now seen it.  It must have been written by a poor boy to whom I have given shelter since his father died.”  “Drive him away,” said the king; “if he comes back he shall be put to death.”

So the rich man with a heavy heart, for he loved the boy, sent him out into the world.  The boy wandered far and long, till at last he came to a house.  He called out to those within, “Honorable people,” and heard them answer, “Come in.”  Inside there was no one but only two statues, and one of these spoke, bidding him return to his own town and beg of his master princely clothing, a princely carriage, all gilt, and a music box that could play many tunes.

So the poor boy returned to his master, who sent for the tradesmen and tailors and had them make all manner of princely clothing.

Then he got into his carriage and drove around for a while, till he met a boy.  To the boy he gave the music box and a piece of money and told him to play it everywhere but to sell it to nobody, and to report to him if any one wanted it.  So the boy got into the carriage and took the music box with him, while the poor boy went back to the rich man’s house.

Soon the king saw the beautiful carriage and heard the sweet music of the music box.  The king asked the boy who the owner was, and wished to buy them.  The boy told the king that he must tell his employer, and soon the carriage and the music box were sent to the king for a present.