him angrily,
"Where were you until now? I have been waiting impatiently for you."

"Pardon me, grandmother! I went into a new kingdom where a beautiful
princess lives. Her husband disappeared no one knows where. Now different
kings and princes come to woo her."

"And how far is it to that kingdom?"

"It will take thirty years to walk thither, ten years to fly upon wings,
and if I blow I can carry one over in three hours."

Then the soldier with tears in his eyes, begged the South Wind to carry him
to his princess.

"Well," said the South Wind, "I will do it if you will allow me to blow in
your kingdom for three days and three nights."

"You may blow for three weeks if you like."

"All right. Let me take a rest of three days. I will gather my strength,
and then we will go."

The South Wind rested and then said to the soldier, "Now, my friend, get
ready for the journey; but do not be afraid; I will not hurt you!"

Suddenly the strong wind whistled and blew, the soldier was raised in the
air, and carried over mountains and seas, right under the clouds, and in
just three hours he was in the new kingdom where the beautiful princess
lived.

The South Wind said, "Good-bye, young man! I pity you, and do not want to
blow in your kingdom."

The young prince asked, "Why so?"

"Because, if I begin to blow, not one house will be left in the cities, not
one tree in the gardens. I will overthrow everything."

"Good-bye, South Wind! Thank you for your service to me," said the soldier,
put on his invisible cap, and went into the palace.

All the time while he had been away, the trees had been standing with dried
and faded tops; now when he appeared again, they revived and began to
blossom. He entered the large room. Around the table there were sitting all
the many kings and princes that had come to woo the princess, feasting.
When one of them put the wine-glass to his lips, the soldier hit upon the
glass and broke it. All the guests were surprised, but the beautiful
princess guessed the meaning of it immediately.

"My husband must have come back," thought she. She looked through the
window into the garden. There all the trees were alive again, and covered
with blossoms. So she gave to her guests a riddle to solve: "I had a
wonderful hand-made casket with a golden key to it. I had lost my key and
had never expected to find it; and suddenly the key has found itself.
Whoever shall guess the riddle shall be my husband."