Palmer Cox

QUEEN TITANIA’S
GREAT PERIL

Prince Florimel sped with the fleetness of a deer in the direction from which had come those agonizing cries for help.

As he fairly flew over the ground he saw the fairies and Cupids who had been Titania’s companions, and they pointed in a frenzy of alarm to the clump of rainbow roses in the midst of which their unfortunate queen was in the clutches of the dreadful Human Octopus.

The monster was still tightening his vise-like grip, and tortured by the pain of his loathsome embrace, Titania was fast relapsing into unconsciousness.

Florimel drew near, and was aghast at what he beheld.

As his eye took in the frightening spectacle he realized that there was not a moment to lose.

Quick as a flash he whipped an arrow from his quiver and placed it to the bow.

He aimed the arrow straight at the Human Octopus, and back to its greatest tension pulled the cord.

Once again the cord proved true, and the speeding arrow cleft the Human Octopus in twain.

His shell fell instantly apart, and from the interior there flew away into space a vapory-looking object with a long, trailing red cloak that had all the lightness and airiness of gauze.

Dumfounded was Florimel by this most unexpected and amazing sight, but there were other matters more urgent and pressing to demand his immediate attention.

With her strength almost spent Titania reeled and seemed about to faint, but Florimel sprang to her aid, and sustained her in his arms.

He strove to assure her that there was nothing further to fear until at last she began to recover her composure. “Noble prince,” she murmured, in tones that thrilled him, “you have saved my life, so henceforth it is yours!”

Florimel sank upon one knee before her, and kissed the pink finger-tips of the dainty hand she extended to him.

Looking up into her face, he thought he had never seen anyone so beautiful as she, while her tiny heart throbbed faster at the sight of him in all his gallant trappings, and she was very sure she had never seen anyone so handsome.

A group of curious sprites with much interest inspected several of the creature’s tentacles, while Queen Titania’s overjoyed subjects crowded around Florimel with such profuse expressions of gratitude that he was much embarrassed.

“What did I tell you?” cried Violet, and “What did I tell you?” echoed Daffodil, while all with much timidity examined the green, mottled shell that lay in halves upon the ground. “That was the horrid thing we saw in the clock.”

“Well, never mind now,” said Queen Titania, with a sigh of relief. “The monster will not trouble us again.”

In spite of what the queen said, Florimel was not so sure that they would have no more trouble, since he had seen the wraith-like Red Spirit fly from the shell of the Human Octopus off into the air.

Somewhere he feared this strange, evil being lurked to wreak further harm. Not wishing to cause uneasiness to Queen Titania, however, he said never a word.

Then Brownies and fairies mingled together in happy, joyous mood. But Florimel and Titania withdrew from all the rest, and had eyes only for each other.

“I think I can guess how all this is going to end,” said the Policeman to the Sailor, in a voice that showed great resentment.

“Avast, you lubber!” sharply reproved the Sailor. “Now what d’ye mean?”

“I mean that Florimel has fallen in love with the queen, and will marry her.”

“How can he? Florimel is a Brownie, and Brownies never marry.”

“But Florimel is not a real Brownie. He’s only been taken into the band. Just look at them now!”

The Sailor cocked his eye to where Florimel was bending over Titania, with his head very close to hers.

“Shiver my timbers!” he cried. “They do look orange-blossomy!”

Noting the impression Queen Titania was making upon Prince Florimel, Dame Drusilda determined to exercise her arts upon the immaculate little Dude, with whom she was very much taken.

“I hear,” she remarked to the Student, “that he is connected with the best families.”

“Yes,” he replied, rather enviously, “he sometimes is by telephone.”

But as soon as she could do so she joined the group in which the Dude held forth vivaciously, and when opportunity presented itself contrived to say:

“Ah, sir, in your pretty ways you remind me of the gallants of old times!”

“You must be able to remember quite far back,” he said, as he looked at her through his monocle.

“Forsooth, kind sir,” she hastened to say, “I only speak through hearsay. What I know my great-grandmother told my grandmother, who told my mother, who in turn told me. As you can plainly see I am different from other fairies. They call me a beauty of the old school.”

“Hasn’t school been out a good many years?” he asked.

“I fail to comprehend you,” she said, with a blush. “Mayhap you are not susceptible to beauty. Yet I have heard it often remarked that a beautiful woman can make the strongest man go down on his knees.”

The Dude gave his cuffs an admiring glance.

“So can a collar-button!” he said.

The day passed in sports and merry-making, followed by other days in which the Brownies remained in close proximity to the palace. During all this time Florimel and Titania were much together, and their attachment for each other was remarked by all.

The Brownies, growing uneasy over the thought that they might lose their new companion to whom they had become so friendly, were eager to move on in quest of fresh scenes and adventures.

King Stanislaus, with the belief that this might be a passing fancy on the part of Florimel, humored his wishes, and ordered the band to remain. When he reached the definite conclusion that it was not, he said:

“My son, we have been here now quite a long time. Do you not think we had better seek some other place where we can do good?”

Florimel’s face showed his disappointment.

“No matter where one may be,” he said, “there are always plenty of opportunities to do good. Why not continue here, where we are all so happy?”

“I hope to make Titania my wife,” said Florimel simply.

“And where you are happiest of all,” said His Majesty, with a knowing wink. “Ah, Florimel, my boy, your whole life-story, like nearly every other man’s, may be summed up in just these three words: hatched, matched, dispatched! Tell me how far matters have gone.”

He looked anxiously at King Stanislaus’s face, as though he feared to see displeasure written there, but the genial, encouraging smile upon the royal countenance caused him to take heart.

“I shall be sorry to lose a son,” said the kindly monarch, “but I shall be rejoiced to gain a daughter. Frankly it has always been my great desire to have an alliance of the Brownies and fairies, for together we can do more good than if we worked alone. But until you came I never knew how this could be effected, for Brownies can never marry.”

“Much pleased am I by those words, Your Majesty,” said Florimel. “I do not deny that I wish to be with Titania, for my feelings as far as she is concerned are too plain to be disguised. Still it is not alone the joy of being near her that causes me to wish this, but the thought that harm may come to her at any time, in which case I might be able to be of service to her.”

King Stanislaus seemed very much surprised.

“Harm!” he repeated. “What harm can befall her?”

“You forget the great danger she was in from the Human Octopus,” reminded Florimel.

“But the Human Octopus is no more,” said the king. “There is nothing to fear on that score, drop him from memory.”

“Still Dragonfel the enchanter has made his threats,” said Florimel. “They may be wild, foolish threats, yet they cause me great uneasiness. I fear for the queen because of him.”

Then he told the king for the first time how the Red Spirit, after the Human Octopus had been cleft in twain by the magic arrow, had flown away into the air, to bide his time, perhaps for further mischief and wrong-doing.

His Majesty’s little weazened face turned very grave at the recital.

“Still, Florimel, I would not worry,” he said. “I will caution all the band to keep a sharp look-out for the rascal. And do you, my son, woo and win, Titania, for my blessing will fall upon you both.”

To that end Florimel exerted himself, but it was an easy task, since Titania loved him fully as dearly as he her. So when they were seated once at twilight on a stone bench in the palace-garden, very close to each other, he asked the question ever trembling on his lips, and she did not say him nay.

Then Florimel took a slender circlet of gold and placed it on her tiny engagement finger. But, while she first looked at it, then pressed it very tenderly to her little red pouting lips, the Red Spirit suddenly darted from behind the bench, where he had been eavesdropping all the while.

Before Florimel could reach for an arrow the other flew off in the air and disappeared.

“What was that?” Titania cried, in great alarm.

Florimel strove to ease her mind, though he was much alarmed himself.

He felt that the Red Spirit was going to make trouble.