The Surprising Adventures of the Magical Monarch of Mo and His People Page 3

  _The Third Surprise_

  THE TRAMP DOG AND THE MONARCH'S LOST TEMPER

  One day the Monarch of Mo, having nothing better to do, resolved to gohunting blackberries among the bushes that grew at the foot of themountains.

  So he put on an old crown that would not get tarnished if it rained,and, having found a tin pail in the pantry, started off without tellingany one where he was going.

  For some distance the path was a nice, smooth taffy, that was veryagreeable to walk on; but as he got nearer the mountains the groundbecame gravelly, the stones being jackson-balls and gum-drops; so thathis boots, which were a little green when he picked them, began to hurthis feet.

  But the King was not easily discouraged, and kept on until he found theblackberry bushes, when he immediately began to fill his pail, theberries being remarkably big and sweet.

  While thus occupied he heard a sound of footsteps coming down themountain side, and presently a little dog ran out from the bushes andtrotted up to him.

  Now there were no dogs at all in Mo, and the King had never seen acreature like this before; therefore he was greatly surprised, andsaid:

  "What are you, and where do you come from?"

  The dog also was surprised at this question, and looked suspiciously atthe King's tin pail; for many times wicked boys had tied such a pail tothe end of his tail. In fact, that was the reason he had run away fromhome and found his way, by accident, to the Valley of Mo.

  "My name is Prince," replied the gravely; "and I have come from acountry beyond the mountains and the desert."

  "Indeed! are you in truth a prince?" exclaimed the monarch; "then youwill be welcome in my kingdom, where we always treat nobility withproper respect. But why do you have four feet?"

  "Because six would be too many," replied the dog.

  "But I have only two," said the King.

  "I am sorry," said the dog, who was something of a wag, "because whereI come from it is more fashionable to walk on four feet."

  "I like to be in the fashion," remarked the King, thoughtfully; "butwhat am I to do, having only two legs?"

  "Why, I suppose you could walk on your hands and feet," returned thedog with a laugh.

  "So I will," said the King, being pleased with the idea; "and you shallcome to the palace with me and teach me all the fashions of the countryfrom whence you came."

  The King got down on his hands and knees, and was delighted to find hecould get along in this way very nicely.

  "How am I to carry my pail?" he asked.

  "In your mouth, of course," replied the dog. This suggestion seeming ahappy one, the King took the pail in his mouth and they started backtoward the palace. But when his Majesty came to the gum-drops andjackson-balls they hurt his hands and knees, so that he groaned aloud.But the dog only laughed. Finally they reached a place where it wasquite muddy. Of course the mud was only jelly, but it hadn't dried upsince the last rain. The dog jumped over the place nimbly enough, butwhen the King tried to do likewise he failed, and came down into thejelly with both hands and knees, and stuck fast.

  Now the monarch had a very good temper, which he carried in his vestpocket; but as he passed over the gum-drop pebbles on his hands andknees this temper dropped out of his pocket, and, having lost it, hebecame very angry at the dog for getting him into such a scrape.

  So he began to scold, and when he opened his mouth the pail dropped outand the berries were all spilled. This made the dog laugh more thanever, at which the King pulled himself out of the jelly, jumped to hisfeet, and began to chase the dog as fast as he could. Finally the dogclimbed a tall tree where the King could not reach him, and when safeamong the branches he looked down and said: "See how foolish a manbecomes who tries to be in fashion rather than live as nature intendedhe should! You can no more be a dog than I can be a king; so hereafter,if you are wise, you will be content to walk on two legs."

  "There is much truth in what you say," replied the Monarch of Mo. "Comewith me to the palace, and you shall be forgiven; indeed, we shall havea fine feast in honor of your arrival."

  So the dog climbed down from the tree and followed the King to thepalace, where all the courtiers were astonished to see so queer ananimal, and made a great favorite of him.

  After dinner the King invited the dog to take a walk around the groundsof the royal mansion, and they started out merrily enough. But theKing's boots had begun to hurt him again; for, as they did not fit,being picked green, they had rubbed his toes until he had corns onthem. So when they reached the porch in front of the palace the Kingasked:

  "My friend, what is good for corns?"

  "Tight boots," replied the dog, laughing; "but they are not very goodfor your feet."

  Now the King, not yet having found his lost temper, became exceedinglyangry at this poor jest; so he rushed at the dog and gave it atremendous kick.

  Up into the air like a ball flew the dog, while the King, having hurthis toe by the kick, sat down on the door-step and nursed his footwhile he watched the dog go farther and farther up, until it seemedlike a tiny speck against the blue of the sky.

  "I must have kicked harder than I thought," said the King, ruefully;"there he goes, out of sight, and I shall never see him again!"

  He now limped away into the back garden, where he picked a new pair ofboots that would not hurt his feet; and while he was gone the dog beganto fall down again. Of course he fell faster than he went up, andfinally landed with a crash exactly on the King's door-step. But sogreat was the force of the fall and so hard the door-step that the poordog was flattened out like a pancake, and could not move a bit.

  When the King came back he said:

  "Hullo! some kind friend has brought me a new door-mat as a present,"and he leaned down and stroked the soft hair with much pleasure. Thenhe wiped his feet on the new mat and went into the palace to tell theQueen.

  When her Majesty saw the nice, soft door-mat she declared it was toogood to be left outside; so she brought it into the parlor and put iton the floor before the fire-place.

  The good King was sorry he had treated the dog so harshly, and for fearhe might do some other dreadful thing he went back to the place wherehe had lost his temper and searched until he found it again, when heput it carefully away in his pocket where it would stay.

  Then he returned to the palace an entered the parlor; but as he passedthe mat, his new boots were so clumsy, he stumbled against the edge andpushed the mat together into a roll.

  Immediately the dog gave a bark, got upon its legs and said:

  "Well, this is better! Now I can breathe again, but while I was so flatI could not draw a single breath."

  The monarch and his Queen were much surprised to find that what theyhad taken for a mat was only the dog, that had fallen so flat on theirdoor-step; but they could not forbear laughing at his queer appearance.For, as the King had kicked the mat on the edge, the dog was more thansix feet long, and no bigger around than a lead-pencil; which broughtits font legs so far from its rear legs that it could scarcely turnaround in the room without getting tangled up.

  "But it is better than being a door-mat," said the dog; and the Kingand Queen agreed with him in this.

  Then the King went away to tell the people he had found the dog again,and when he left the palace he slammed the front door behind him. Thedog had started to follow the King out, so when the front door slammedit hit the poor animal so sharp a blow on the nose that it pushed hisbody together again; and, lo and behold! there was the dog in hisnatural shape, just as he was before the King kicked him.

  After this the dog and the King agreed very well; for the King wascareful not to kick, since he had recovered his temper, and the dogtook care not to say anything that would provoke the King to anger.

  And one day the dog saved the Kingdom and all the Valley of Mo fromdestruction, as I shall tell you another time.