Sandmans Rainy Day Stories | Page 4

was gone and by her side stood a handsome man, who said: "My Princess, behold in me your husband. I am free from the spell of the old man of the sea, who wanted me to become a sea monster and live under the ocean.
"I was changed into the shape of the ugly dwarf because I Would not marry a mermaid who happened to fall in love with me one day while I was bathing, and she called upon a sea witch to change me into a sea monster, but I escaped before I took on the sea shape, but not before I was changed into the ugly dwarf you saw this morning.
"A kind fairy interceded with her Queen to save me, and she went to the old man, who is Neptune, the God of the Waters. He told the Queen if I could find a princess who would consent to marry me he would release me from the spell the sea witch had cast over me.
"You know how that was accomplished, my Princess, and if you think you can accept me in place of the dwarf for your husband we will return to the castle, where your father is still sleeping, I expect, for the Fairy Queen said she would watch until sunrise for our return."
Cantilla, no longer looking sad, but smiling and happy, put her hand in her husband's and told him she was the happiest girl in the world.
"And I am the happiest man in the world," said her husband, "for I not only am freed from the spell of the sea witch, but I have won the one woman in the world I could ever love for my wife."
Three times he clapped his hands together, and the little fairy in the pink gauze dress appeared.
"The Queen sends her love to you and this message, 'Bless you, my children,' and now I will take you home to the castle."
She touched the Princess and her husband on the cheek with her wand, and Cantilla found herself back in the castle garden by the fountain and honeysuckle arbor, with her handsome husband standing by her side.
"Come, my dear, we must go in to breakfast," said her husband; "your father will be waiting for us."
"How will we explain about our wedding and the changed appearance of the castle?" asked Cantilla.
"Oh! the Fairy Queen has arranged all that," said Cantilla's husband. "Your father will not remember he ever lost his fortune; he will ask no questions."
Cantilla and her husband went hand in hand into the castle to their breakfast, and from that day Cantilla never knew another sorrow or unhappy moment.

THE TREE OF SWORDS
Once there lived a king who had a daughter that had been changed by a wicked witch into a brindle cow.
The witch had wanted the King to invite her to the feast when the Princess was born, and because he invited her only into the servants' hall and not to the feast of the royal family the old witch had thrown a spell over the baby, and when she grew to womanhood she suddenly one day changed into the brindle cow. Great was the surprise of the King and Queen when they went to the room of the Princess one morning and found in her dainty lace bed a cow in place of their pretty daughter.
They sent for the old witch at once, for they knew that some magic spell must have caused this terrible change, but the old witch sent back word that the only thing that would change the Princess back to her own shape was a pear from the tree which grew by the mountain of ice.
Now this mountain of ice all the people knew was controlled by a three-headed troll, and the tree which grew near by was the chimney to his home under the mountain.
There was nothing to do but to offer money to the one who would get the pear which would restore the little Princess to her own form.
There was another thing that made it very dangerous to try to get the pear, and this was that no sooner did one attempt to touch the tree than all its branches changed to sharp swords.
To reach the tree the mountain must be climbed, and this being of ice, the ones who tried were in danger of slipping and being killed as they fell, sliding down the mountain and striking on the tree, which would be filled with swords as soon as they struck it.
After a while all those who tried gave it up as too dangerous, and the King then sent out word that to the one who would bring the
pear, be he rich or poor, of high or low degree, he would give to him the Princess for a wife, as