had long golden hair; and she was
very beautiful. Many wonderful things happened to her that are written
in famous books. But I suspect that you never heard what she did about
the King's Wolf. It is a queer story.

This is how it happened. The King of Ireland had a tame wolf which some
hunters had caught for him when it was a wee baby. And this wolf ran
around as it pleased in the King's park near the palace, and had a very
good time. But one morning he got over the high wall which surrounded
the park, and strayed a long distance from home, which was a foolish
thing to do. For in those days wild wolves were hated and feared by the
people, whose cattle they often stole; and if a man could kill a wicked
wolf he thought himself a very smart fellow indeed. Moreover, the King
himself had offered a prize to any man who should bring him a dead wolf.
For he wanted his kingdom to be a peaceful, happy one, where the
children could play in the woods all day without fear of big eyes or big
teeth.

Of course you can guess what happened to the King's wolf? A big, silly
country fellow was going along with his bow and arrows, when he saw a
great brown beast leap over a hedge and dash into the meadow beyond. It
was only the King's wolf running away from home and feeling very frisky
because it was the first time that he had done such a thing. But the
country fellow did not know all that.

"Aha!" he said to himself. "I'll soon have you, my fine wolf; and the
King will give me a gold piece that will buy me a hat and a new suit of
clothes for the holidays." And without stopping to think about it or to
look closely at the wolf, who had the King's mark upon his ear, the
fellow shot his arrow straight as a string. The King's wolf gave one
great leap into the air and then fell dead on the grass, poor fellow.

The countryman was much pleased. He dragged his prize straight up to the
King's palace and thumped on the gate.

"Open!" he cried. "Open to the valiant hunter who has shot a wolf for
the King. Open, that I may go in to receive the reward."

So, very respectfully, they bade him enter; and the Lord Chamberlain
escorted him before the King himself, who sat on a great red-velvet
throne in the Hall. In came the fellow, dragging after him by the tail
the limp body of the King's wolf.

"What have we here?" growled the King, as the Lord Chamberlain made a
low bow and pointed with his staff to the stranger. The King had a bad
temper and did