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THE HAUGHTY PRINCESS
ADAPTED BY PATRICK KENNEDY
There was once a very worthy King, whose daughter was the greatest
beauty that could be seen far or near, but she was as proud as
Lucifer, and no king or prince would she agree to marry. Her father
was tired out at last, and invited every king, and prince, and duke,
and earl that he knew or didn't know to come to his court to give her
one trial more. They all came, and next day after breakfast they stood
in a row in the lawn, and the Princess walked along in the front of
them to make her choice. One was fat, and says she: "I won't have you,
Beer-barrel!" One was tall and thin, and to him she said, "I won't
have you, Ramrod!" To a white-faced man she said, "I won't have you,
Pale Death;" and to a red-cheeked man she said, "I won't have you,
Cockscomb!" She stopped a little before the last of all, for he was a
fine man in face and form. She wanted to find some defect in him, but
he had nothing remarkable but a ring of brown curling hair under his
chin. She admired him a little, and then carried it off with, "I won't
have you, Whiskers!"
So all went away, and the King was so vexed, he said to her, "Now
to punish your _impedence_, I'll give you to the first beggar-man or
singing _sthronshuch_ that calls;" and, as sure as the hearth-money,
a fellow all over rags, with hair that came to his shoulders, and a
bushy red beard all over his face, came next morning, and began to
sing before the parlor window.
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