Atondido Stories
most extravagant daughters in the world. They're the children of
his first marriage. They are proud and haughty and they waste
the money of the realm as though it were so much sand. The
people are crying out against them and their wasteful ways but
the prince seems unable to curb them. The prince has a third
daughter, the child of his second wife. Her name is Angelina and
she certainly is as good and beautiful as an angel. We call her the
Princess Linka. There isn't a man in the country that wouldn't go
through fire and water for her—God bless her! As for the other
two—may the Devil take them!"
Suddenly remembering himself, the landlord clapped his
hand to his mouth in alarm.
Peter laughed good-humoredly.
"That's all right, landlord. Don't mind me. As I've told you
before I'm not the Devil. I'm only his little brother-in-law."
The landlord shook his head.
"Yes, I know, but I must say it seems much the same to me."
One afternoon the prince came riding down to the tavern and
asked for Peter. He was horrified at first by Peter's appearance,
but he treated him most politely, invited him to the castle, and
ended by begging the loan of a large sum of money.
Peter said to the prince:
"I'll give you as much money as you want provided you let
me marry one of your daughters."
The prince wasn't prepared for this but he needed money so
badly that he said:
"H'm, which one of them?"
"I'm not particular," Peter answered. "Any of them will do."
When he gave the prince some money in advance, the prince
agreed and Peter promised to come to the castle the next day to
meet his bride to be.
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