The Princess And The Monster

August 11, 1921 By Abbie Phillips Walker

Once upon a time there lived a little Princess who had a nurse that told her when she was naughty a big Monster would come and get her arid carry her off to his cave and there no one could tell what would happen to her. Of course, the nurse should not have told the little Princess any such bad story, but she did, and the Princess thought a great deal about this bad monster and wondered what he looked like.

So much did she think about him that one day when she was wandering alone in the castle garden, which was on the edge of a forest, that she came face to face with this very monster.

"Oh!" cried the little Princess, greatly frightened, for she had run away from the nurse, you see. But when she started to run the Monster called to her in such an pleasant tone of voice that she stopped and listened to what he had to say.

He really was not pleasant to look upon, for his head was long and big and green in color, with eyes that were yellow, and his mouth was very wide and full of long teeth. On the top of his head he wore a row of green horns, tall in the middle, and at each end the horns were shorter. His body was long and green, and at the' end was a flsh-like tail, and the Princess noticed that he had no feet.

'You are the little Princess who is afraid of me," said the Monster, •and I have been trying to meet you for a long time to prove to you that [ am only terrible because folk tell Dad stories about me; I am really very fond of little children"

The Princess started to run when said this, but he quickly told her he did not mean he was fond of children in the way the nurse had told her, but that he liked to be kind to children.

"Just to show you how much I love them," he said, "if you are not afraid, jump on my back, and I will take you on a little trip and show you my home."

Then the Princess saw why he had no feet, for the Monster raised a palm of wings In the middle of his back as !f getting ready to fly. By this time the Princess felt quite at ease with the Monster, and while she knew she ought not to go away with strangers, somehow the Monster did not seem like one, be cause she had heard so much about him—but, of course, you know now it was all wrong.

"Will you come?" asked the Monster.

"I am not afraid of you," replied the Princess, "but are you sure I will not fall off your back? It does not look very wide."

"Jump on and try," replied the Monster. "I think you will find my back very comfortable, indeed.'*

When the Princess had crept on the back of the Monster, she was surprised to find it just like a nice, big chair. If sank down, nice and soft and filled in around her, just like cushions.

"Now hold on, and don't be afraid," said the Monster, when the Princess had told him she was quite comfortable, "I shall take you first to my cave and give you a dress that is better suited for your trip than the one you have on."

Then he raised his wings, waved them back and forth once or twice and then the little Princess felt her self going up and over the tops of the trees, and away they sailed, far off from the castle.

When the Monster had been flying a very short time, it seemed to the Princess he began to go toward the ground. The Princess knew they must be near the cave where the Monster lived and where her nurse had often told her she would be carried some day, but instead of being frightened she, was very curious to see the true home of this strange creature.

The Princess saw nothing but water when she looked around, but in a few minutes, she saw that they were landing on an island in the middle of the ocean, and on the island, she saw a beautiful green castle with coral trimmings.

"This is my home," said the Monster, when they had landed, and the Princess had jumped off of his back.

"Now run inside and change your dress. You will find some one to help you. And hurry back, for we have much to do before bedtime."

The Princess ran up the white coral steps, but when she was inside the door she stopped, for instead of a floor in the hall there was nothing but water like a big pond. She did not long wonder about this, for two beautiful mermaids appeared coming up from under the water, and with their arms and hands they formed a seat on which they told the Princess to stop and hold on to their heads-to keep from falling.

They swam to the other side of the big hall and there the Princess saw a door open, and inside of a big rock, high above the water, for the dress Just tag her the Princess asked the Mermaids if they were the Monster's children.

"Oh.-no, we are the children of Father Neptune, bat we all love the good old Monster, and some of us come here every day and help him."

"We have been waiting for you to come here for a long time," said the Mermaid. "The good old Monster told us you were afraid of him and he was going to prove to you that the stories that were being told were very wrong."

"He must know a great deal," said the Princess.

"He does," replied the Mermaid. "He knows everything.

There, now you are ready, and we-must take you back to the good Monster..”

"Oh, where- are my feet?" exclaimed the little Princess as she looked down on herself and saw that she wore the wonderful clinging cloth of green and silver, but her feet were nowhere to be seen.

"You will not need your feet on this journey" said the Mermaid with a smile. "Come along, slide Into the water with us. Now give your other hand to my sister," she« said

she took one band of too Princes and before she could think much about her strange costume the Princess was In the water swimming along with a Mermaid on each side.

The Monster was waiting for her right on the top step of the green and coral castle, so the Princes found no trouble in getting on deck, for the Mermaids lifted her in their arms and she settled down on the cushion-like back of the Monster and away they flew.