ss who comes to play with me must be able to do what I want
her to, and I want her to make my pop-corn balls fresh every day.
Don't bring any Princess who can't," he said.

So they all knew that the matter was decided, for the Prince had a
very strong mind of his own. The Court Messenger started out to find a
little Princess who was sweet tempered, and had blue eyes, and yellow
hair that curled, and was rich, and knew how to make molasses pop-corn
balls.

He thought that he would find the right Princess overnight, but it
came to be weeks and weeks and she was still as far away as ever. The
Princesses who were sweet tempered were apt to have brown hair and
hazel eyes, and if there was a sweet tempered one with blue eyes and
yellow hair that curled she belonged in a Kingdom where there was very
little money. And none of the Princesses had even so much as heard of
molasses pop-corn balls. The Court Messenger grew so worried that he
could neither eat nor sleep, but one day as he wandered about in
foreign places he smelled something like molasses boiling. He followed
the odor and he came to a rich appearing palace. In he went, without
waiting to knock, and beside the kitchen fireplace he discovered a
Princess with blue eyes and yellow hair that curled. She was stirring
molasses in a kettle with one hand, and shaking a corn popper with the
other.

"What are you making?" begged the Messenger in great excitement.

"Molasses pop-corn balls," said the little Princess.

"Are you sweet tempered?" asked the Messenger.

"I never cry, or scold," said the little Princess.

"Then come with me and be the Prince's playmate," said the Messenger.
"We must have a Princess who will make him pop-corn balls every day."

The little Princess looked up in surprise. "Can the Prince play to me
on a jews-harp?" she asked.

"I do not think his Highness can," said the Messenger.

"Then I can't go with you," said the little Princess. "I will go only
to a Prince who can play on a jews-harp."

"I won't learn to play on a jews-harp," said the little Prince when
they told him about it.

So he was without a sister and a playmate, and every day he grew more
lonely and more unhappy. But he thought a great deal and at last he
said:

"I should like to have that little Princess very much. Will you ask
her if she will come if she does not have to make molasses pop-corn
balls?"

Now, all this time, the Princess had been thinking too. When the Cour