THE THREE DOGS.

Once upon a time there was a king who travelled to a strange country, where he married a queen.  When they had been married some time the queen had a daughter, which gave rise to much joy through the whole land, for all people liked the king, he was so kind and just.  As the child was born there came an old woman into the room.  She was of a strange appearance, and nobody could guess where she came from, or to what place she was going.  This old woman declared that the royal child must not be taken out under the sky until it was fifteen years old.  If she was she would be in danger of being carried away by the giants of the mountains.

The king, when he was told what the woman had said, heeded her words, and set a guard to see that the princess did not come out into the open air.

In a short time the queen bore another daughter, and there was again much joy in the land.  The old woman once more made her appearance, and she said that the king must not let the young princess go out under the sky before she was fifteen.

The queen had a third daughter, and the third time the old woman came, warning the king respecting this child as she had done regarding the two former.  The king was much distressed, for he loved his children more than anything else in the world.  So he gave strict orders that the three princesses should be always kept indoors, and he commanded that every one should respect his edict.

A considerable time passed by, and the princesses grew up to be the most beautiful girls that could be seen far or near.  Then a war began, and the king had to leave his home.

One day, while he was away at the seat of war, the three princesses sat at a window looking at how the sun shone on the flowers in the garden.  They felt that they would like very much to go and play among the flowers, and they begged the guards to let them out for a little while to walk in the garden.  The guards refused, for they were afraid of the king, but the girls begged of them so prettily and so earnestly that they could not long refuse them, so they let them do as they wished.  The princesses were delighted, and ran out into the garden, but their pleasure was short-lived.  Scarcely had they got into the open air when a cloud came down and carried them off, and no one could find them again, though they searched the wide world over.

The whole of the people mourned, and the king, as you may imagine, was very much grieved when, on his return home, he learned what had happened.  However, there is an old saying, “What’s done cannot be undone,” so the king had to let matters remain as they were.  As no one could advise him how to recover his daughters, the king caused proclamation to be made throughout the land that whoever should bring them back to him from the power of the mountain-giants should have one of them for his wife, and half the