TWILIGHT LAND

Now the princess, the daughter of the king of that
town, was the most beautiful in all the world, but so
proud and haughty that her like was not to be found
within the bounds of all the seven rivers. So proud was
she and so haughty that she would neither look upon a
young man nor allow any young man to look upon her.
She was so particular that whenever she went out to take
a ride a herald was sent through the town with a trumpet
ordering that every house should be closed and that
everybody should stay within doors, so that the princess
should run no'risk of seeing a young man, or that no
young man by chance should see her.

One day the herald went through the town blowing his
trumpet and calling in a great, loud voice: “Close your
doors! Close your windows! Her highness, the prin-
cess, comes to ride; let no man look upon her on pain of
deacincaae

Thereupon everybody began closing their doors and
windows, and, as it was with the others, so it was with
Jacob Stuck’s house; it had, like all the rest, to be shut
up as tight as a jug.

But Jacob Stuck was not satisfied with that; not he.
He was for seeing the princess, and he was bound he
would do so. So he bored a hole through the door, and
when the princess came riding by he peeped out at her.

Jacob Stuck thought he had never seen any one so
beautiful in all his life. It was like the sunlight shining
in his eyes, and he almost sneezed. Her cheeks were
like milk and rose-leaves, and her hair like fine threads
of gold. She sat in a golden coach with a golden crown
upon her head, and Jacob Stuck stood looking and look-
ing until his heart melted within him like wax in the

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