[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
to aid them. Fortunately the boy's mother, Queen Garee,
was not among these slaves, for Queen Cor had placed
her in the royal dairy to make butter.
"Why do you refuse to work?" demanded Cor in a harsh
voice, as the slaves from Pingaree stood before her,
trembling and with downcast eyes.
"Because we lack strength to perform the tasks your
overseers demand," answered one of the women.
"Then you shall be whipped until your strength
returns!" exclaimed the Queen, and turning to Inga, she
commanded: "Get me the whip with the seven lashes."
As the boy left the room, wondering how he might
manage to save the unhappy women from their undeserved
punishment, he met a girl entering by the back way, who
asked:
"Can you tell me where to find Her Majesty, Queen
Cor?"
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"She is in the chamber with the red dome, where green
dragons are painted upon the walls," replied Inga; "but
she is in an angry and ungracious mood to-day. Why do
you wish to see her?"
"I have honey to sell," answered the girl, who was
Zella, just come from the forest. "The Queen is very
fond of my honey."
"You may go to her, if you so desire," said the boy,
"but take care not to anger the cruel Queen, or she may
do you a mischief."
"Why should she harm me, who brings her the honey she
so dearly loves?" inquired the child innocently. "But I
thank you for your warning; and I will try not to anger
the Queen."
As Zella started to go, Inga's eyes suddenly fell
upon her shoes and instantly he recognized them as his
own. For only in Pingaree were shoes shaped in this
manner: high at the heel and pointed at the toes.
"Stop!" he cried in an excited voice, and the girl
obeyed, wonderingly. "Tell me," he continued, more
gently, "where did you get those shoes?"
"My father brought them to me from Regos," she
answered.
Page 133
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"From Regos!"
"Yes. Are they not pretty?" asked Zella, looking down
at her feet to admire them. "One of them my father
found by the palace wall, and the other on an ash-heap.
So he brought them to me and they fit me perfectly."
By this time Inga was trembling with eager joy, which
of course the girl could not understand.
"What is your name, little maid?" he asked.
"I am called Zella, and my father is Nikobob, the
charcoal-burner."
"Zella is a pretty name. I am Inga, Prince of
Pingaree," said he, "and the shoes you are now wearing,
Zella, belong to me. They were not cast away, as your
father supposed, but were lost. Will you let me have
them again?"
Zella's eyes filled with tears.
"Must I give up my pretty shoes, then?" she asked.
"They are the only ones I have ever owned."
Inga was sorry for the poor child, but he knew how
important it was that he regain possession of the Magic
Pearls. So he said, pleadingly:
Page 134
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Please let me have them, Zella. See! I will exchange
for them the shoes I now have on, which are newer and
prettier than the others."
The girl hesitated. She wanted to please the boy
Prince, yet she hated to exchange the shoes which her
father had brought her as a present.
"If you will give me the shoes," continued the boy,
anxiously, "I will promise to make you and your father
and mother rich and prosperous. Indeed, I will promise
to grant any favors you may ask of me," and he sat down
upon the floor and drew off the shoes he was wearing
and held them toward the girl.
"I'll see if they will fit me," said Zella, taking
off her left shoe -- the one that contained the Pink
Pearl -- and beginning to put on one of Inga's.
Just then Queen Cor, angry at being made to
wait for her whip with the seven lashes, rushed
into the room to find Inga. Seeing the boy sitting
upon the floor beside Zella, the woman sprang
toward him to beat him with her clenched fists;
but Inga had now slipped on the shoe and the
Queen's blows could not reach his body.
Then Cor espied the whip lying beside Inga and
snatching it up she tried to lash him with it -- all to
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
no avail.
While Zella sat horrified by this scene, the Prince,
who realized he had no time to waste, reached out and
pulled the right shoe from the girl's foot, quickly
placing it upon his own. Then he stood up and, facing
the furious but astonished Queen, said to her in a
quiet voice:
"Madam, please give me that whip."
"I won't!" answered Cor. "I'm going to lash those
Pingaree women with it."
The boy seized hold of the whip and with irresistible
strength drew it from the Queen's hand. But she drew
from her bosom a sharp dagger and with the swiftness of
lightning aimed a blow at Inga's heart. He merely stood
still and smiled, for the blade rebounded and fell
clattering to the floor.
Then, at last, Queen Cor understood the magic power
that had terrified her husband but which she had
ridiculed in her ignorance, not believing in it. She
did not know that Inga's power had been lost, and found
again, but she realized the boy was no common foe and
that unless she could still manage to outwit him her
reign in the Island of Coregos was ended. To gain time,
she went back to the red-domed chamber and seated
herself in her throne, before which were grouped the
Page 136
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
weeping slaves from Pingaree.
Inga had taken Zella's hand and assisted her to put
on the shoes he had given her in exchange for his own. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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to aid them. Fortunately the boy's mother, Queen Garee,
was not among these slaves, for Queen Cor had placed
her in the royal dairy to make butter.
"Why do you refuse to work?" demanded Cor in a harsh
voice, as the slaves from Pingaree stood before her,
trembling and with downcast eyes.
"Because we lack strength to perform the tasks your
overseers demand," answered one of the women.
"Then you shall be whipped until your strength
returns!" exclaimed the Queen, and turning to Inga, she
commanded: "Get me the whip with the seven lashes."
As the boy left the room, wondering how he might
manage to save the unhappy women from their undeserved
punishment, he met a girl entering by the back way, who
asked:
"Can you tell me where to find Her Majesty, Queen
Cor?"
Page 132
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"She is in the chamber with the red dome, where green
dragons are painted upon the walls," replied Inga; "but
she is in an angry and ungracious mood to-day. Why do
you wish to see her?"
"I have honey to sell," answered the girl, who was
Zella, just come from the forest. "The Queen is very
fond of my honey."
"You may go to her, if you so desire," said the boy,
"but take care not to anger the cruel Queen, or she may
do you a mischief."
"Why should she harm me, who brings her the honey she
so dearly loves?" inquired the child innocently. "But I
thank you for your warning; and I will try not to anger
the Queen."
As Zella started to go, Inga's eyes suddenly fell
upon her shoes and instantly he recognized them as his
own. For only in Pingaree were shoes shaped in this
manner: high at the heel and pointed at the toes.
"Stop!" he cried in an excited voice, and the girl
obeyed, wonderingly. "Tell me," he continued, more
gently, "where did you get those shoes?"
"My father brought them to me from Regos," she
answered.
Page 133
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"From Regos!"
"Yes. Are they not pretty?" asked Zella, looking down
at her feet to admire them. "One of them my father
found by the palace wall, and the other on an ash-heap.
So he brought them to me and they fit me perfectly."
By this time Inga was trembling with eager joy, which
of course the girl could not understand.
"What is your name, little maid?" he asked.
"I am called Zella, and my father is Nikobob, the
charcoal-burner."
"Zella is a pretty name. I am Inga, Prince of
Pingaree," said he, "and the shoes you are now wearing,
Zella, belong to me. They were not cast away, as your
father supposed, but were lost. Will you let me have
them again?"
Zella's eyes filled with tears.
"Must I give up my pretty shoes, then?" she asked.
"They are the only ones I have ever owned."
Inga was sorry for the poor child, but he knew how
important it was that he regain possession of the Magic
Pearls. So he said, pleadingly:
Page 134
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Please let me have them, Zella. See! I will exchange
for them the shoes I now have on, which are newer and
prettier than the others."
The girl hesitated. She wanted to please the boy
Prince, yet she hated to exchange the shoes which her
father had brought her as a present.
"If you will give me the shoes," continued the boy,
anxiously, "I will promise to make you and your father
and mother rich and prosperous. Indeed, I will promise
to grant any favors you may ask of me," and he sat down
upon the floor and drew off the shoes he was wearing
and held them toward the girl.
"I'll see if they will fit me," said Zella, taking
off her left shoe -- the one that contained the Pink
Pearl -- and beginning to put on one of Inga's.
Just then Queen Cor, angry at being made to
wait for her whip with the seven lashes, rushed
into the room to find Inga. Seeing the boy sitting
upon the floor beside Zella, the woman sprang
toward him to beat him with her clenched fists;
but Inga had now slipped on the shoe and the
Queen's blows could not reach his body.
Then Cor espied the whip lying beside Inga and
snatching it up she tried to lash him with it -- all to
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
no avail.
While Zella sat horrified by this scene, the Prince,
who realized he had no time to waste, reached out and
pulled the right shoe from the girl's foot, quickly
placing it upon his own. Then he stood up and, facing
the furious but astonished Queen, said to her in a
quiet voice:
"Madam, please give me that whip."
"I won't!" answered Cor. "I'm going to lash those
Pingaree women with it."
The boy seized hold of the whip and with irresistible
strength drew it from the Queen's hand. But she drew
from her bosom a sharp dagger and with the swiftness of
lightning aimed a blow at Inga's heart. He merely stood
still and smiled, for the blade rebounded and fell
clattering to the floor.
Then, at last, Queen Cor understood the magic power
that had terrified her husband but which she had
ridiculed in her ignorance, not believing in it. She
did not know that Inga's power had been lost, and found
again, but she realized the boy was no common foe and
that unless she could still manage to outwit him her
reign in the Island of Coregos was ended. To gain time,
she went back to the red-domed chamber and seated
herself in her throne, before which were grouped the
Page 136
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
weeping slaves from Pingaree.
Inga had taken Zella's hand and assisted her to put
on the shoes he had given her in exchange for his own. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]