Directly under the walls of the palace stands an idle windmill, now
owned by the Emperor. The noise of this windmill used to annoy the
queen, so Frederick sent for the miller and said to him:
"We two cannot live so near each other. One of us must buy the
property of the other. Now, will you buy my palace?"
"But my leige, I have not the money," replied the miller.
"Then I must buy your mill," said the king.
"You also have not money enough; I will not sell," was the miller's
reply.
When the king hinted his power to take possession by force, the
sturdy miller said he could and would sue the king.
"Well," said the monarch, "since you have so high an opinion of the
justice to be found in my courts of law, I will not molest you."
So the windmill continued to creak and whirr in the ears of the
royal family for a long time.
ADA.
* * * * *
HERBERT J.--In answer to your request, we give a copy of the poem
entitled "The Little Boy who Went Out to Swim," published first in ST.
NICHOLAS for September, 1874. Several of our readers have asked to see
the poem printed, without its pictures, in the "Letter-Box," as the
interweaving of the illustrations with the text, as they first
appeared, hindered the meaning and beauty of the verses from being
fully understood.
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