Part 32 (1/2)

Many and ar had travelled that path and looked up at those letters, and when he had read thear neither turned nor went away; because why, he could neither read nor write a word, and so the blood-red letters had no fear for hih it had been a kitchen door, and rap! tap! tap! he knocked upon it He waited awhile, but nobody caain; and then, after a little while, for the third ti open and he entered So soon as he had crossed the threshold it was banged to behind hi had first sent for hi, dark entry, and at the end of it another door, and over it the same words, written in blood-red letters:

”Beware! Beware! Who Enters here Shall Surely Die!”

”Well,” said the beggar, ”this is the hardest town for a body to come into that I ever saw” And then he opened the second door and passed through

It was fit to deafen a body! Such a shout the beggar's ears had never heard before; such a sight the beggar's eyes had never beheld, for there, before hireat splendid hall ofthe hall stood scores of lords and ladies in silks and satins, and with jewels on their necks and arht up the middle of the hall stretched a carpet of blue velvet, and at the farther end, on a throne of gold, sat a lady as beautiful as the sun and moon and all the stars

”Welcoar was nearly deafened by the noise they all made, and the lady herself stood up and s ar up the carpet of velvet to the throne of gold

”Welcome, my hero!” said the beautiful lady; ”and have you, then, coar, ”I have”

”Long have I waited for you,” said the lady; ”long have I waited for the hero ould dare without fear to coates of death toover this country, and now at last you are here”

”Yes,” said the beggar, ”I a, the king of that other country had painted out the words his father had written on the walls, and had had these words painted in in their stead:

”All Things are as Man does”

For a while he was very well satisfied with the of the Queen of the Golden Mountains; for when he caar whom he had set adrift in the wooden box a week or so before

The bridegrooood or ill, for he illing to let all that had happened be past and gone But the king sa ot back hoain he had the neords that stood on the walls of the rooer letters than ever:

”All Things are as Fate wills”

All the good people ere gathered around the table of the Sign of Mother Goose sat thinking for a while over the story As for Boots, he buried his face in the quart pot and took a long, long pull at the ale

”Methinks,” said the Soldier who cheated the Devil, presently breaking silence--”methinks there be very few of the wo So far we have had but one, and that is Lady Cinderella I see another one present, and I drink to her health”

He winked his eye at Patient Grizzle, beckoning towards her with his quart pot, and took a long and hearty pull Then he banged his lass, lass,” said he to little Brown Betty ”Meantime, fair lady”--this he said to Patient Grizzle--”will you not entertain us with some story of your own?”

”I know not,” said Patient Grizzle, ”that I can tell you any story worth your hearing”

”Aye, aye, but you can,” said the Soldier who cheated the Devil; ”and,from betwixt such red lips and such white teeth will be worth the listening to”

Patient Grizzle smiled, and the brave little Tailor, and the Lad who fiddled for the Jew, and Hans and Bidpai and Boots nodded approval

”Aye,” said Ali Baba, ”it is true enough that there have been but few of the women folk who have had their say, and e and unaccountable, for nearly always they have plenty to speak in their own behalf”

All who sat there in Twilight Land laughed, and even Patient Grizzle smiled

”Very well,” said Patient Grizzle, ”if you will have it, I will tell you a story It is about a fisherman as married and had a wife of his own, and whothat happened to him For he, like most men I wot of, had found out--”