Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 26, 1915.djvu/318

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had told her, snatched the two balls from him, and ran away with them. She ran out quickly, came to the cart, jumped into it, the coachman whipped up his horses and they flew fast and did not stop until home was reached.

The Fat Young Man, heavy as he was, slowly got up, then tried to run after the Girl ; but she was far quicker than he, for by the time he had even started to follow her the cart was back again, had taken the Negress too, and flown home with her, leaving the Fat Young Man standing with his mouth open !

Just about this time, the Young Emperor of the Kingdom decided to marry. His betrothed asked him to get her a dress of a certain very expensive silk. And the Emperor fussed round until he got that silk and gave it to the dressmaker. But wouldn't you lose your temper with worry, when, after all that fuss, the silk was just one little bit too short for the dress? The Emperor enquired all over his Kingdom for just that small patch of precious silk, and — would you believe it? — in the whole of his Kingdom there was not one bit of that silk to be found !

Aei ! What was to become of the bride's dress? If it was not made as Her Capriciousness had ordered it, she would not accept it ; if that patch of silk was not found, the dress would remain unfinished. How could that be? For, indeed, the wedding could not be spoiled by such a trifle. After some more enquiries, the Emperer heard that a certain Negress in his Kingdom pos- sessed a bit of silk matching that which he already had, and exactly the size that he wanted.

It seems that the balls of silk thread the Girl had stolen from her Lazy Luck, were just what the Emperor needed.

The Emperor sent men to buy that silk. The Negress told those men that the silk would be given for as many golden coins as would weigh it down on a scale, for the silk was worth its weight in gold.

So the silk was placed upon one dish of a scale, and down it dropped at once. Then golden coins were poured into the other dish, but it stood unmoved ! And so the Emperor's Messengers put all the coins they had onto that Scale, but the Scale still stood unmoved ! So then off they went and told the Emperor. He wondered much at this occurence, and sent many bags of gold,