ing by her side, dared
anyone to lay hands upon her.

Garabin, seeing his precious plot miscarry, grew mad with rage.

"Seize them," cried he, "and toss them both over the precipice!"

So the soldiers rushed at Marianna and the Prince, intending to carry
out their wicked master's orders. But even as they did so, there came a
flash of flame and the little dwarf, Marianna's foster-father, took his
place beside the lovers.

"Cruel King!" cried the dwarf sternly, "and thou, wicked and perfidious
magician, the hour of thy punishment is at hand."

Immediately the sky grew black, the lightning crashed, and there arose a
terrible, howling wind. Three giant gusts drove fiercely by, the first
one blowing the King and the magician head-over-heels over the
precipice, the second carrying away the soldiers, and the third the
rascally favorites. When the sky cleared, only the dwarf, Marianna, and
Desire were left of the company.

"Marianna," said the little dwarf, "the Emperor of the Elves has told me
all your history, and it is thanks to him that I have returned in time,
with the storm at my heels. You, Marianna, are the rightful Queen of
this country."

"Dear Queen," said the honest and gallant Desire, "let me be the first
of your subjects to salute you." And he knelt before her, and humbly
kissed her hand.

"Nay, Prince," said the young Queen, answering the adoring look in her
lover's eyes, "your father took the kingdom; if I were you, I should
take the Queen."

Which was a bit forward, of course, but nobody minded that very much in
those fairy times.

So Desire and Marianna were married, and lived happily ever after. The
yellow bird went to the wedding, and when the ceremony was over rose
singing into the air, and flew joyously home to the land of the Elves.

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

Once upon a time there was an old widow woman who had three sons: the
first two were clever enough, but the third, Bobo by name, was little
better than a silly simpleton. All his mother's scoldings and
beatings--and she smacked the poor lad soundly a dozen times a day--did
him no good whatever.

Now it came to pass that one morning Princess Zenza, the ruler of the
land, happened to pass by the cottage and heard Bobo being given a
terrible tongue-lashing. Curious as to the cause of all the noise, the
Princess drew rein, and summoned Bobo's mother to come near. On hearing
her story, it occurred to the Princess that so silly a lad mi