He could be quite sure that it was a castle because the roof shone
with gold in the setting sun and in front lay a pretty garden of
flowers of all kinds; pink roses, and tall white lilies, and purple
violets. In the doorway stood two people waiting; they must be the
king and queen, thought the little boy. As he ran and came nearer, he
could smell the feast--a savoury meat pie, and freshly baked cake, and
sweet fruits.

The boy ran faster and came to the gate and went up the walk. At the
doorway he stopped. Why, it was his own house that he had come back to
by way of the turns in the road. This was his own pretty garden that
he saw, and his own fine supper that he smelled. His own dear father
and mother waited in the door, with their arms outstretched to greet
him.

"You are the king and queen," shouted the boy, "always good and kind!"

"And this is our castle," laughed his mother. "Come in, my little
Prince. The feast is waiting for you."

THE CHILDREN

THE PLAYMATES

There was once a Prince and he was very lonely, because he had no
sisters or brothers in the palace with whom to play. And one day his
father and mother, the King and Queen, decided that they would send to
some neighboring Kingdoms to borrow a little Princess, who should come
and live at the palace, and be the sister and the playmate of the
Prince.

So they sent for one of the Court Messengers, and then they called the
Prince to tell him that he was going to have a little Princess to be
his playmate.

They talked the matter over with the Court Wise-Man that the Messenger
might understand just what sort of little Princess he should bring,
and make no mistake about it.

"She must be sweet tempered," said the King.

"And I should like her to have blue eyes and yellow hair and curls,"
said the Queen.

"And if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion," said the Court
Wise-Man, "she should be rich, for she and the Prince will need a
great many new toys."

They never thought to ask the Prince what his choice of a little
Princess would be. But the Prince did not wait to be asked.

"I want only a little Princess who can make molasses pop-corn balls,"
he said.

The King and the Queen and the Court Wise-Man were aghast at this.
They knew that the Prince was very fond of molasses pop-corn balls,
but the palace Cook always made him some every Saturday morning,
enough to last a whole week. But the Prince went on, and explained.

"The Prince