Part 8 (1/2)

”I fear I'll be late! I fear I'll be late!” the rooster kept repeating as he hurried off making a funny little clatter with his wooden shoes.

”How strange!” the girl thought to herself. ”A rooster with wooden shoes! I'm sure the Princess would love to hear about him! I'll follow him and see what he does.”

He went to a garden where he filled his basket with fresh vegetables--with onions and beans and garlic. Then he hurried home to a little house. The girl slipped in after him and hid behind the door.

”Thank goodness, I'm on time!” the rooster murmured.

He put a big bowl on the table and filled it with milk.

”There!” he said. ”Now I'm ready for them!”

Presently twelve beautiful pigeons came flying in by the open door.

Eleven of them dipped in the bowl of milk, their feather s.h.i.+rts opened, and out they stepped eleven handsome youths. But the Twelfth Pigeon perched disconsolately on the windowsill and remained a pigeon. The eleven laughed at him and said:

”Poor fellow, your bride betrayed you, didn't she? So you have to remain shut up in your feather s.h.i.+rt while we go off and have a jolly time!”

”Yes,” the Twelfth Pigeon said, ”she broke her promise and now she goes wandering up and down the world hunting for me. If she doesn't find me I shall nevermore escape the feather s.h.i.+rt but shall have to fly about forever as a pigeon. But I know she will find me for she will never stop until she does. And when she finds me, then the enchantment will be broken forever and I can marry her!”

The eleven youths went laughing arm in arm out of the house and in a few moments the solitary Pigeon flew after them. Instantly the girl slipped out from behind the door and hurried home with her pitcher of water.

Then she ran quickly across to the bath-house and all out of breath she cried to the Princess:

”O Princess, I have such a wonderful story to tell you all about a rooster with wooden shoes and twelve pigeons only eleven of them are not pigeons but handsome young men and the twelfth one has to stay in his feather s.h.i.+rt because--”

At mention of the enchanted pigeons, the Princess turned pale. She held up her hand and made the girl pause until she had her breath, then she questioned her until she knew the whole story.

”It must be my love!” the Princess thought to herself. ”Thank G.o.d I have found him at last!”

The next day at the same hour she went with the girl to the town well and when the rooster clattered by in his wooden shoes they followed him home and slipping into the house they hid behind the door and waited.

Presently twelve pigeons flew in. Eleven of them dipped in the milk and came out handsome young men. The Twelfth sat disconsolately on the window sill and remained a pigeon. The eleven laughed at him and twitted him with having had a bride that had betrayed him. Then the eleven went away laughing arm in arm. Before the Twelfth could fly after them, the Princess ran out from behind the door and cried:

”My dear one, I have found you at last!”

The Pigeon flew into her hands and she took him and kissed his coral beak and smoothed his gleaming plumage with her lips. Then she put him in the milk and the feather s.h.i.+rt opened and her own true love stepped out.

She led him at once to her father and when the King found him well trained in all the arts a prince should know he accepted him as his future son-in-law and presented him to the people.

So after all the Princess's mother was able to give her daughter the gorgeous wedding she had planned for years and years. Preparations were begun at once but the Queen insisted on making such vast quant.i.ties of little round cakes and candied fruits and sweetmeats of all kinds that it was three whole months before the wedding actually took place. By that time the roses were again blooming in the Princess's cheeks, her eyes were brighter than before, and her long s.h.i.+ning hair was more golden than ever.

All the neighboring kings were invited to the wedding and when they saw the bride they shook their heads sadly and said among themselves:

”Lost her looks indeed! What did people mean by saying such a thing?

Why, she's the most beautiful princess in the world! What a pity she didn't marry one of our sons!”

But when they met the Prince of her choice, they saw at once why the Princess had fallen in love with him.