nd the half of the
handkerchief. When these were brought to the king he sent for the prince
at once and asked if it had been he who had come to their rescue.
'Yes, your Majesty, it was I,' answered the prince.
'But where did you get your army?'
'If you wish to see it, I can show it you outside the city walls.'
And so he did; but first he asked for the copper apple from the younger
princess, and when all the soldiers were drawn up there were such
numbers that there was barely room for them.
The king gave him his daughter and kingdom as a reward for his aid, and
when he heard that the prince was himself a king's son his joy knew no
bounds. The prince packed all his soldiers carefully up once more, and
they went back into the town.
Not long after there was a grand wedding; perhaps they may all be alive
still, but I don't know.
To Your Good Health!
Long, long ago there lived a king who was such a mighty monarch that
whenever he sneezed every one in the whole country had to say 'To your
good health!' Every one said it except the shepherd with the staring
eyes, and he would not say it.
The king heard of this and was very angry, and sent for the shepherd to
appear before him.
The shepherd came and stood before the throne, where the king sat
looking very grand and powerful. But however grand or powerful he might
be the shepherd did not feel a bit afraid of him.
'Say at once, "To my good health!"' cried the king.
'To my good health!' replied the shepherd.
'To mine--to mine, you rascal, you vagabond!' stormed the king.
'To mine, to mine, your Majesty,' was the answer.
'But to mine--to my own,' roared the king, and beat on his breast in a
rage.
'Well, yes; to mine, of course, to my own,' cried the shepherd, and
gently tapped his breast.
The king was beside himself with fury and did not know what to do, when
the Lord Chamberlain interfered:
'Say at once--say this very moment: "To your health, your Majesty"; for
if you don't say it you'll lose your life, whispered he.
'No, I won't say it till I get the princess for my wife,' was the
shepherd's answer. Now the princess was sitting on a little throne
beside the king, her father, and she looked as sweet and lovely as a
little golden dove. When she heard what the shepherd said she could not
help laughing, for there is no denying the fact that this young shepherd
with the staring eyes pleased her very much; indeed he pleased her
better th
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