Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/43

1904 ] suddenly placed bis broad thumb upon a passage and shouted:

“I have it! I have it!”

“What is it? Read it! Read it aloud!” cried the others.

Just then Jikki rushed into the room and asked:

“Shall I toll the bell?”

“No!” they yelled, glaring at him; so Jikki ran out, shaking his head dolefully.

Then Tullydub adjusted his spectacles and leaned over the book, reading aloud the following words:

“In case the king dies, and there is no one to succeed him, the chief counselor of the kingdom shall go at sunrise to the eastward gate of the city of Nole and count the persons who enter through such gate as soon as it is opened by the guards. And the forty-seventh person that so enters, be it man, woman, or child, rich or poor, humble or noble, shall immediately be proclaimed king or queen, as the case may be, and shall rule all the kingdom of Noland forever after, so long as he or she may live, And if any one in all the kingdom of Nole shall refuse to obey the slightest wish of the new ruler, such person shall at once be put to death. This is the law.”

Then all the five high counselors heaved a deep sigh of relief and repeated together the words:

“This is the law.”

“But it ’s a strange law, nevertheless,” remarked the lord high purse-bearer, “1 wish I knew who will he the forty-seventh person to enter the east gate to-morrow at sunrise

“We must wait and see,” answered the lord high general. “And 1 will have my army assembled and marshaled at the gateway, that the new ruler of Noland may be welcomed in a truly kingly manner, as well as to keep the people in order when they hear the strange news.

“Beg pardon!” exclaimed Jikki, looking in at the doorway, “but shall I toll the bell?”

“No, you numskull!” retorted Tullydub, angrily, “If the bell is tolled the people will be told, and they must not know that the old king is dead until the forty-seventh person enters the east gateway to-morrow morning!”