fame spread
through all the earth.

It was New Year's Day; and all the people came flocking to the palace to
see the King put on the Old Brown Coat. At noon came a long procession
led by the Sixteen Coat-Tails, headed by Kaddel the chief of the
Sixteen; they carried the coat in a gold box. "See!" cried the people;
"that is the box! the Old Brown Coat is inside! hurrah!" and as the
procession passed, all the people shouted and tossed up their hats. And
Kaddel was so splendidly dressed that he thought some of the crowd must
be shouting for him. Then the palace was crowded as Kaddel at the head
of the Coat-Tails brought the box before the King, who sat on the
throne, and opened it in the presence of the royal family and the
people, who however could not get near enough to see very much. The King
who, as I said, was very fat, came slowly down the steps of the throne
and laid aside his regal apparel, when the Sixteen Coat-Tails lifted the
Old Brown Coat very carefully and began putting it upon the King; and
very hard work it was. "I must reduce my size," said Shahtah; "next year
I will drink a great deal of vinegar. I really am afraid I shall not be
able to get the coat on without tearing it." Indeed the coat was already
beginning to burst in several places, and Shahtah became quite heated
with trying to make himself as small as possible. "If your Majesty would
let out your breath," said Kaddel, "I think we might get it on." So
Shahtah let out his breath as well as he could, at the same time
shrinking in his skin, and the Sixteen Coat-Tails seized the opportunity
to give a final push to the coat, so that it was at last fairly on, two
hours and five minutes after it was taken out of the box. But Shahtah,
the King, could not possibly do without breathing longer; he grew very
red, and by the time the coat was fairly on was so exhausted, and so
relieved at being through with the exertion, that he drew a long breath
and sighed heavily, which expanded his portly frame until the coat burst
in twenty rents. "How vexatious!" thought Kaddel, "and my grandmother
who is blind, is the oldest woman! If now, the King were only as thin as
I am," (for he was very thin,) "there would be no difficulty; or if I
were only the king," he half added to himself.

When the coat was taken off, after the people had looked at it for an
hour, and Shahtah the Great had been put to bed, for he was very much
exhausted,--the Sixteen Coat-Tails immediately s