Atondido Stories
home with the hens and coming back and finding her just as
they had left her.
"Whoever the beautiful stranger at the festa may be," said the
prince, "she is the one above all others whom I want for my wife.
I shall find her some way."
The third day of the festa Dionysia went attired in her gown
the colour of the sky and all its stars. The prince fell more madly
in love with her than ever. He could not get her to tell him who
she was or where she lived but he gave her a beautiful jewel.
When the prince returned home he would not eat any food.
He grew thin and pale. Every one around the palace tried his
best to invent some dish which would tempt the prince's appe-
tite.
Finally the little maid who took care of the hens said that she
thought she could prepare a dish which the prince would eat.
Accordingly she made a dish of broth for the prince and in the
bottom of the dish she dropped the jewel which the prince had
given her.
When the broth was set before the prince he was about to
send it away untouched, just as he did everything else, but the
sparkling jewel attracted his attention.
"Who made this dish of broth?" he asked as soon as he could
speak.
"It was made by the little maid who minds the hens," replied
his mother.
"Send for the little maid to come to me at once," cried the
prince. "I knew that the beautiful stranger at the festa looked like
our little maid who minds the hens."
The prince married Dionysia the very next day and Dionysia
was the very happiest girl in all the world, for from the first mo-
ment that she had seen the prince, she had known that he was
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