YOUNG PRINCE MARIGOLD,

AND OTHER TALES.

YOUNG PRINCE

I.

MARIGOLD AND HIS LITTLE PONIES, DAISY AND LILY.

THERE lived in a certain part of the world two mighty monarchs-King Placid and King Furious. The first was much beloved, for he never did anybody an injury, and was always anxious to see his subjects happy. He was very good to the poor, and compassionate to all kinds of distress and suffering, and no one was ever turned away hungry or sorrowful from his palace-gate. King Furious, on the contrary, was a monarch of

ferocious disposition, who hated everybody, and was never tired of quarrelling with his neighbours. His very name was a terror to every well-disposed person. He sought several occasions of attacking King Placid; but King Placid never did anything to provoke his hostility, and Furious, though a great savage, did not venture to attack his royal neighbour until he had an opportunity of doing so with entire success.

One of the causes of the hatred of King Furious to King Placid was the fact that, while he (King Furious) had no children of his own, and no prince to succeed him on his throne, King Placid possessed one of the most beautiful children in the world-young Prince Marigold-who was as amiable in his disposition as he was handsome in his person.

No one could see Prince Marigold without admiring him, or could know him without loving him. His hair fell round his neck like streams of gold, and his whole countenance was so sweet

in its expression, that it was quite a common thing for people to stop his nurse, Kittums, when she had the young prince in her arms, and to say —“Oh, nurse, do let me kiss that lovely child!" You may be sure Kittums was very proud of her prince. We have said that Prince Marigold was as amiable in his disposition as he was handsome in his person, which is quite true. He was always obliging and kind, and most dutiful to his parents, whom he obeyed without a murmur; and what is rather uncommon with children generally, he never cried when Kittums, for the sake of his health, and wishing to make him strong, gave him his cold bath in the morning. And what is quite as remarkable, he never shed a tear when he was rubbed dry with a rough towel, though it must be confessed it was with difficulty he could keep from crying out. When he was required to take medicine, which was rarely, for Prince Marigold would on no account eat anything that his nurse told him was not good for him, he shut his eyes,

clenched his little hands, and swallowed it like a hero-which shows Marigold to be a plucky young prince. If Marigold saw. a poor hungry child crying on the palace steps, he would give the child his cake, or his whip, or even his little horse and cart, of which he was very fond; or if he had nothing of his own to give at the time, he would ask his nurse Kittums to get him something which he could bestow on the poor weeping child.

One day he saw an old woman crying on the doorstep, and rocking herself to and fro, as if in great grief. She appeared to be almost blind with age, and scarcely able to walk. "Good mother," said Marigold, "don't cry-it pains me to hear you." "Oh-oh-ooh-ooh !-oh!" sobbed the old woman. "Here is my cake," said Marigold, whose tears were in his eyes at the sight of the old woman's grief. "Boo-ooh-ooh -oh-O!" cried the old woman, who seemed to suffer more every moment. "Don't, do-n-'t-don't