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THE FROG PRINCE.

GRIMM.

JACOB and WILLIAM GRIMM were noted German historians and writers of folk-lore. They are best known to us by their joint work, "Grimm's Fairy Tales." William Grimm died in 1859, and Jacob four years later.

There was once a king whose little daughter was so beautiful, that the sun himself almost stood still and looked in wonder upon her every day as he passed over the royal palace. Near this palace was a rich old forest. In the forest was a deep, dark well. When the day was hot, and the little maiden was wearied, she used to like to sit beside the cool well and play with a pretty golden ball her favorite toy.

But one day the golden ball rolled into the well. Down, down, splash it went, far out of sight.

“Oh, my beautiful toy! my beautiful toy!" wailed the princess.

"What is the matter, little princess?" said a voice from the water. "Tell me; indeed, I will help thee."

The maiden peered down into the water, wondering who could have spoken to her. But she could see no one. Again the voice spoke: "Don't weep, little princess! Don't weep!" Again she peered down into the water. This time she saw an old frog stretching his ugly head above the water.

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"Is it you, you old frog?" said the princess. "Yes, it is I. But tell me, why do you weep "Oh, my beautiful golden toy has fallen down into the water!" cried the princess, bursting into tears again.

"Do not weep, dear princess!" answered the frog. "I will help you. Tell me, what will you give me, if I bring your lost toy back to you?"

"Oh, I will give you anything!" wailed the princess, "my pearls, my jewels, even my golden crown!"

"Ah, but I do not want those," said the frog sadly, "If you will take me home with you; if you will love me and keep me with you; if you will let me be your friend, your playfellow; if

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"Oh, I will!" answered the princess, thinking only of the golden ball. "I promise you all, all, all!"

The frog did not wait to hear another word. Down he dived and brought up the lost toy.

"Oh, my beautiful toy! my beautiful toy! I am so glad to have you in my hands again!" And off the princess ran toward the palace.

"Stop, stop!" cried the frog. "Take me with you. I cannot hop as fast as you can run!”

But she would not listen to him; and ran away as fast as ever her flying feet could carry her.

The next day the king and the princess and all the court ladies and gentlemen were sitting down to dinner. A strange little pitter, patter, hop, hop, pitter, patter, hop, hop, was heard on the marble stairs.

"Little princess, little princess! Let me in!" said a voice from outside.

The little princess went to the door. There sat the ugly frog.

"Little princess, little princess!" he began; but the

little princess shut the door in a great hurry, and went back to her dinner.

"What's the matter, my child?" asked the king, noticing how frightened she looked. "Is there a giant at the door, and has he come to carry you off?”

"Oh, father, father!" cried the little girl, creeping up close to the king's heart. "It is not a giant, but a horrid frog. Yesterday he dived into the water, and brought up my golden ball for me; and I told him he should come and live here in the palace with me. But father, father, I did not suppose he would come up out of the water. And here he is at the door."

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'But, my child, you promised that he should come. A princess should never tell a lie."

Just then they heard the frog's voice again. It was a very sweet voice, as frog voices go, and it sang:

"Princess, Princess,

Open to me;

By the water well

What promised you me?

Princess, Princess,

Open to me."

So the king led his daughter to the door, and told her

to open it. In hopped the frog.

"Now let me sit at the table with you, little princess," said he.

little princess," said he. A chair was

placed for him beside the princess.

"Now let me get up on the table, where I can eat

with you," said the frog again.

"Surely it is an enchanted frog," whispered the knights and ladies to each other.

"Now push your little golden plate up close to me, that we may eat together," said the frog.

So they ate a few mouthfuls; then the little princess, angry and frightened, struck the frog with her knife and cried, "I hate you! I hate you!" and ran and buried her head in her father's robe, crying as if her heart would break. When, lo! the frog changed at once into a handsome, brave youth - a very prince for beauty.

"There! there!" cried the guests, "it is as we said. It was an enchanted frog."

"You speak wisely," said the beautiful youth. “It was indeed an enchanted frog. Ten years ago, a wicked old witch who was jealous of my mother, laid this enchantment upon me that I should be changed into a frog, and should remain a frog, until a princess should hate me, but still permit me to sit at the table and eat with her from her own plate."

And the youth sighed, and looked sorrowfully at the sobbing little princess.

"I, too, am of royal family," said he. "I am a prince. Good king, I love the little princess who has saved me from my enchantment."

The little princess had already ceased crying. Now she looked up; and as she saw how handsome this prince was, and how kindly he looked at her, she said: "Good prince, I am sorry I ran away from you yesterday, and I am sorry I told I hate you."

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Then all the company laughed heartily. The prince rose and bowed low before the princess, and soon they were the best of friends possible.

On the next day a golden chariot, drawn by six white horses, with golden harnesses and silver plumes, drove up to the palace door.

Why had it come, do you wonder? I am sure you can guess. It had come to take back to his own kingdom the handsome young prince.

And did he go away alone? No; with him went the princess, now his promised bride. And such a welcome as they received when they reached the royal palace, from which, ten long years before, he had been so cruelly stolen. "I am glad you have come!" said the prince's father. "I am growing too old to govern this large country. Now it shall be yours all yours. And I shall be happy, indeed, to see you reigning in my place."

The prince was a kind man and all his people loved him. And the princess? How the people worshipped her! The beautiful, beautiful princess - so beautiful that the sun himself almost stood still to wonder at her as he passed each day over the royal palace.

- Adapted from "Grimm's Fairy Tales."

Chări ot: a two wheeled car for war or state processions. Later a `four wheeled carriage with one seat. En chant': to charm. Reign (rān) : to rule as a king rules over his people.

"Never leave till to-morrow what you can do to-day."

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