beautiful you look!"

"But I'm not as beautiful as you!" the girl said.

The Princess laughed.

"Of course not! No one can be as beautiful as I am because I have the
secret of beauty!"

"Dear Princess," the poor girl begged, "won't you tell me the secret of
beauty?"

The Princess leaned over and whispered something in the poor girl's ear.

It was only one word:

"Happiness!"

[Illustration]

THE LITTLE LAME FOX

[Illustration]

_The Story of the Youngest Brother Who Found the Magic Grape-Vine and
Married the Golden Maiden_

THE LITTLE LAME FOX

There was once a wealthy farmer who had three sons. The oldest was a
selfish overbearing fellow. The second was a weak chap who always did
everything his brother suggested. The youngest whose name was Janko was
not as bright and clever as his brothers but he was honest and,
moreover, he had a good heart and in this world a good heart, you know,
is more likely to bring its owner happiness than wicked brains.

"That booby!" the oldest brother would say whenever he saw Janko. And
the second would snicker and repeat the ugly word, "Booby!"

The father was proud of his three sons and happy to see them grow up
strong and healthy.

"They're good boys," he'd say to himself, "and I'm a fortunate father."

Now there was one very curious thing about this farmer that nobody
understood. One of his eyes was always laughing and the other was always
weeping.

"What's the matter with your father's eyes?" people used to ask the
sons.

The sons didn't know any more than any one else. One day they were in
the garden discussing the matter among themselves.

"Why don't we just go and ask him?" Janko suggested.

"If anybody is to ask him, I will!" declared the oldest brother
importantly.

So he went indoors to his father and said:

"Father, people are forever talking about your eyes. Now I wish you
would tell me why one of them is always laughing and the other always
weeping."

"My eyes, indeed!" cried the farmer, and in a rage he snatched up a
knife and hurled it straight at his son. The young man dodged aside and
fled and the knife stuck in the door jamb.

All out of breath the oldest brother returned to the others but of
course he was ashamed to tell them what had happened. So he said to
them:

"If you want to know what's the matter with father's eyes, you'll have
to ask him yourselves."

So the second brother went in to the farmer and he had ex