Part 32 (1/2)

For one king brought her a diamond hat; And another presented a two-legged cat; While another one said, ”When my uncle is dead, I will give you his monkey. Be sure of that!

His talented monkey; depend upon that!”

One powerful prince, with a haughty stride, Came forward and said, ”If you'll be my bride, You shall have the Great Bear To powder your hair, And the small one to lace up your boots beside,-- To lace up your boots, and to s.h.i.+ne them beside.”

But the princess sighed; and softly she said, ”Alas! not one of you all can I wed.

'Tis my positive plan To marry a man Who lives up in Mars, and is painted red,-- From his head to his feet, quite a violent red.

”I have often looked through my opera-gla.s.s, And up and down I have seen him pa.s.s; And so bright was his hue, And so lovely to view, I felt that in him lay my fate, alas!

I read in his red my own fate, alas!

”So now, if you love me as fond and true As all of you think that all of you do, You will help me to wed My 'Study in Red.'

Oh, kings and princes, now pray you, do!

You _dear_ kings and princes, I beg of you, do!”

The kings and princes arose with a frown, And first they looked up, and then they looked down.

Not a man of them spoke Till he'd straightened his cloak, And settled his wig, and adjusted his crown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PRINCESS IN SATURN.]

And then, ”If you honestly wish,” they said, ”To marry a man who is _painted red_”

(In Saturn, I ween, All the people are green), ”We don't know that there's anything more to be said,-- Your Highness, there seems nothing more to be said.”

So they called a comet, and told him to go To the Red Man in Mars, and give him to know That a princess in Saturn, Of virtues the pattern, Desired to marry him, whether or no,-- Was determined to marry him, whether or no.

Away whizzed the comet, and soon he came To the Red Man in Mars, and called him by name.

And telling his news, Begged him not to refuse To send back an answer at once to the same,-- ”Just you make up your mind in regard to the same!”

But the Red Man sighed, and mournfully said, ”My friend, 'tis our law that all wives _must_ be red; And if I should be seen With a wife who is green, Our king would be apt at removing my head,-- Not a moment he'd lose in removing my head.

”But if the young lady (who's surely most kind), Could in any way make up her princessly mind To turn _herself red_, It need hardly be said That a lover devoted in me she would find,-- That a husband adoring in me she would find.”

The comet whizzed back with the answer again, And the kings and the princes received it with pain.

”Sure, the princess's green Has so brilliant a sheen, That the thought of a change is exceedingly vain,-- The idea of a change is prepost'rously vain.”

But when the princess this message heard, She said, ”I see nothing in this that's absurd.”

Then to blush she began; And she blushed till the Man In Mars was less ruddy by half, on my word,-- Less red by a generous half, on my word!

She blushed over cheek and lip and brow, From her fair little head to her trim little toe.

And her hat and her shoe, And her farthingale too, They blushed just as red as herself, I vow,-- They blushed for the love of herself, I vow.

She blushed till the Northern Lights grew pale; And the Scorpion danced on the tip of his tail; And the Red Man came In a fiery flame, And cried, ”My bee-yutiful bride, all hail!

My blus.h.i.+ng, bee-yutiful bride, all hail!”

And so they were married, both he and she, And the color of both was quite scarlet to see.