ind something that would amuse
her. But she would sit all day at her window, and, though the members of
the court passed and repassed, and called out greetings to her, she
would only sigh.

So at last her father the King caused it to be published abroad that
whoever should make the Princess laugh should have her hand in marriage,
and that half of the kingdom would be her dowry.

But, that none might attempt this difficult feat without fair assurance,
the King added as a sort of postscript to his decree that whoever tried
to make the Princess laugh and failed should have two broad red stripes
cut in his back, and salt should be rubbed into the stripes!

Now, as you may imagine, soon there were a great many sore backs in the
kingdom and in the kingdoms round about. For it was deemed but a slight
matter to make a Princess laugh: did not women giggle at little and at
nothing?

But, although many came, and there were strange things done, the
Princess remained as sad as before.

Now, there was in the kingdom a farmer who had three sons, and they
decided that each should have a trial at this task; for to win a dowry
of half a kingdom was well worth trying.

The oldest of the farmer's sons was a soldier, and had served in the
wars, where there was always much laughter. And he said that it would
not be worth while for his two brothers to plan to journey to the court,
because he intended to win the Princess that very first day.

So he dressed up in his uniform, and put his knapsack on his back, and
strutted up and down the road in front of the window of the Princess
like any pouter-pigeon. But, though the Princess looked at him, once,
she did not even turn her eyes in his direction a second time, and the
stripes which were cut in his back were deep and broad, and he went home
feeling very sore.

His next brother was a schoolmaster, and had one long leg and one short
leg, so that when he stood on the long leg he seemed a very tall man,
and when he stood on the short leg he seemed but a dwarf, and he had
always found that he could make folk laugh by quickly changing himself
from a tall man to a mere dwarf. Moreover, he was a preacher, and he
came out on the road in front of the Princess' window and preached like
seven parsons and chanted like seven clerks; but it was all for naught,
for after the first glance the Princess did not even look at him, though
the King who stood near had to hold on to the pillars for laughing.