THE KING'S SHOES

When King Mesina died his twin sons, Savo and Savoda, became joint heirs

to the throne. This was according to the King's wishes. He thought,

however, that as Savo was the older and meaner he might at some time rob

his brother of his part in the kingdom. So he had placed in his will a

clause to the effect that should this happen Savoda was to be the sole

heir. Ere the people had ceased mourning for the King, Savo began to

persecute Savoda. It mattered not what Savo did Savoda always had an

excuse for him. In fact, he thought his brother angelic; and, hence,

could do no wrong.

As the time for the coronation approached Savo more and more ignored and

persecuted Savoda. At last he said: "Savoda, my servant, sit down in the

corner and be as little as you really are while I, your king, conduct

matters." Savoda obeyed with a smile upon his face, thinking that all

things work together for good to him who is the son of a king and has an

earthly angel for a brother.

Savo looked after the coronation in every part. He made all kinds of

demands upon his people, and they gladly responded. He sent his leading

captain to visit distant lands and bring back luxuries for the occasion.

Everything progressed nicely until the captain returned with, as his

sole cargo, an ugly dwarf.

This threw Savo into a rage. He had the captain seized, beaten and

thrown into prison. When the dwarf was brought before him, he said:

"Begone, human reptile! Go, dwell in the woods with your kinsmen."

"My body is small and weak, but by the power of wit shall I be

remembered in the affairs of this kingdom," said the dwarf.

Savoda was still sitting in the corner, trying to smile, and to be small

at the same time.

"You, sir," said Savo, pointing at Savoda, "are as impudent as this

dwarf. Your stillness means plotting, and your smile means ridicule. You

think that by your wit too you shall be remembered in the affairs of the

kingdom? I'll see to that. My wisdom is a seine that holds fast to the

big fish and crushes the minnows as they slip through. Minnow, sniff

your fate. Well, you may have wit enough to dish out soup. Soldiers, to

the woods with this abominable dwarf, and to the soup-house with this

simpleton who dreams of being king."

After Savo had recovered from what he considered a very righteous

indignation he sent for his trusty porter.

"Well, Porter," said he, "is everything ready for the coronation?"

"Everything is ready, my King, save your shoes; and to-morrow is the

event. The dwarf you sent to the woods took them with him."

"Go quickly and have the same shoemaker turn your king out another pair

on time."

"My king, there is no relief in that; for he went with the dwarf, and

neither can be found."

"By the clearness of my conscience, is there not one other in all my

vast domain that can so fit my feet that my wrath shall not be called

upon to fit him?"

"There was one this morning, my King."

"Is he not now?"

"He is, my King."

"What is he doing?"

"He is shoeing his soul."

"Shoeing his soul? What mean you?"

"A shoe is used to cover something that very much needs to be covered.

Is it not, my King?"

"It is."

"As you know, this shoemaker was skilled at making shoes, and especially

skilled in stealing leather, my King. He believed that the ease with

which a king treads upon his handiwork will blot out the theft in

procuring the leather. The story runs that this morning he went to the

soup-house to get his usual bowl of soup. A stranger waited upon him. As

he put the bowl to his lips the soup turned clear as water, and in it

appeared two pictures. The first was the likeness of the stranger before

him, and on his breast was the name, 'King Savoda.' The second

represented himself standing before a great white throne. His soul was

uncovered, and over it were written the names of the ones from whom he

had stolen leather. His soul was the shape of a boot; and there he stood

trying to make a shoe to cover it from the sight of Him who sat upon the

throne as the Great Judge. The longer he looked the more fearful became

the second. In a fit of despair he gulped down the soup so fast that it

strangled him, and he fell dead at the counter. So, my King, is he not

shoeing his soul? My King, the people say that Savoda, who was a

stranger to the shoemaker, knew not what he saw in the bowl. He simply

thought he was weak from overwork and, in keeping with his good nature,

he straightway gave him a decent burial."

"Ha, ha! The dreams of a porter frighten not his king. If there be no

real workman about, find me a cobbler."

"A cobbler there is at the turn of the square, but, O my King, his

failure at making you shoes will be equaled only by your success in

cutting off his head."

"Porter, you are wide-awake when you speak of cutting off heads. Take

this leather and my measure to the cobbler. Remind him that to-morrow is

the coronation, and that no shoes for the King means no head for the

cobbler."

The porter departed, and the cobbler soon received the leather and the

measure and the message and, despite the gloom of the latter, he worked

bravely on until he had completed his task. Being very tired, he fell

asleep. When he awoke he found that the cat had turned the candle over

on one of the shoes, and, as a result, the upper was burned completely

out. He had received just leather enough to make the shoes, and there

was no more of that kind to be had. The hour of the coronation was near

at hand. What was he to do? Just then the porter came in. Without saying

a word he put the shoes under his arm and carried them to the king. As

soon as the king saw them he ordered the cobbler's head to be taken off.

The cobbler had hardly finished kissing his wife and children when the

king's soldiers seized him and began dragging him through the streets

toward the block. A terrible voice then sounded forth. It was more like

thunder than that of a human being's. The soldiers knew it was the

voice of the great giant Lubercal; so they left the cobbler and hastened

to save themselves. After giving the cobbler something to refresh him,

the giant put him in one of his coat pockets and carried him off to his

mountain home. The cobbler soon found there were two others in the

pocket with him.

"Ah," said they, "we are glad you are in here."

"Ah," said the cobbler, "you are no gladder than I. They were about to

cut my head off out there. How relieved I feel!"

"On the life of us," said they, "we don't see where the relief comes in.

As we see it, you have simply exchanged a beheading for an eating. So

certain were we to be eaten by the giant and his wife for supper that we

had already said our prayers. As you are so big and tender, it may be

the giant will feast upon you to-night and leave us for breakfast,

giving us a chance to escape in the darkness. We are told that he always

refreshes the one he is going to eat first. So, you see we are glad you

are in here."

By this time the giant had reached his home. He took all three out, and

said to his wife: "Here they all are. Prepare the cobbler first. The

other two will keep."

We must now leave the cobbler and his friends to their fate with the

giant and his wife, and return to the coronation at the palace. The

palace is thronged with noblemen, and Savo is pacing up and down

barefooted and bareheaded. We know why he is barefooted; but why is he

bareheaded? He had the crown placed upon the throne instead of on his

head. He did this he said in order to start a new custom; but it was

simply to hide, if possible, the mishap with the shoe.

The king and his noblemen soon sat down to supper. The order was, eat a

while and boast a while. To make the events of the supper clear we must

know something that took place at the gate just before the coronation.

The porter had served under the old King Mesina, and had kept fairly

straight. Being a wise man, he saw that Savo was weak and his kingdom

would soon fall, so he set about making himself whole. As soon as Savo

cast aside the shoes because of the burnt one, he saw the possibilities

of a fortune in the good one. His business that night was to sit at the

palace gate and admit the guests. To every simple looking nobleman that

passed he would hold up the good shoe and say: "How much am I offered

for a shoe that is so fine the king will not wear it?"

At last there came a nobleman whose bluntness equaled the porter's wit.

He took the shoe, and left the porter a bag of gold.

As has been said, the order at the supper was eat a while and boast a

while.

Nobleman after nobleman told of some precious keepsake he had, and its

history. At last they called on the nobleman with the shoe. He was so

slow to respond that he was roundly hissed by the guests, as having

nothing worthy the attention of a king. This was too much for nobility

at a feast. He first told a strange story of how he came into possession

of the shoe. Then he snatched it from his pocket so quickly that it

dropped from his hand and fell plump into the king's dish of soup.

"Soldiers of the king," said Savo, "cast the intruder into prison, and

see that his head comes off bright and early to-morrow morning."

Thus ended the coronation. The guests departed, and Savo retired for the

night. Just after the nobleman was placed in prison the giant Lubercal

passed the palace gate and saw the porter asleep beside his bag of gold.

Knowing what had happened, he took the porter and the bag of gold around

to the prison. There was a huge chimney leading down into the cell where

the nobleman was. The giant reached down and brought out the nobleman

and put the porter in his place. The nobleman and his bag of gold were

carried by the giant to his mountain home.

In the meantime what had become of the cobbler and his two friends?

They were still at the home of the giant, safe and sound, with no fear

of being eaten. What had the giant meant by telling his wife to prepare

the cobbler first? Simply that he had heard the conversation that passed

among the three men in his pockets as he went home, and as he was of a

rather grim but jovial nature he made pretence of devouring his

captives. Of these three we know of the cobbler, but who were the two

friends? One was the captain that Savo had put in prison for bringing

the dwarf. The other was Savoda.

The giant Lubercal thought that Savo might make away with them during

the coronation, so he protected them in this way.

Early the next morning Savo sent word to the jailer to dispatch the man

in the cell and bring the head to him. It was done; but, when the head

was brought, Savo almost fell from his throne.

"My porter! my porter!" said Savo, "you have been dealt with foully. How

dare you, Jailer, to turn the nobleman out and put my porter in his

place? Soldiers of the king, seize the deceiver, and off with his head."

Before the soldiers could carry out the order the giant Lubercal

appeared before the palace and sent his voice through the halls.

"Come, Savo," said he, "it is time to reckon."

The giant first took from his pocket the cobbler, who was red-eyed and

sneezing, and bidding him no longer to fear King Savo, gave him his

liberty. When the cobbler was set free he secured the burnt shoe, that

it might remind him never again to fall asleep over his work, and

hastened to his family.

Lubercal then followed this by freeing the nobleman, with a similar

injunction. When the nobleman was given his liberty, he distributed the

bag of gold among the poor, and, after awaiting Savoda's coronation,

departed to his own estates.

Then the giant Lubercal now, in keeping with King Mesina's will, put

Savoda upon the throne, and made Savo gate-keeper.

A good giant was Lubercal? Well, he was not so good, after all, as one

other act will show. Even giants must live by some law.

The law by which Lubercal was controlled allowed him to be king if he

could steal the whole nation at once. To do this all the people must be

gathered into one house. Lubercal's aim was to deceive the people into

building a house large enough to hold them all, and then proclaim

himself king.

He suggested to Savoda that he force his people to erect such a house,

so that the whole nation might come together and celebrate his

(Savoda's) accession to the throne. Savoda did so. After much time and

labor, the house was ready. The morning of the fatal day arrived--the

day on which Lubercal intended to put into execution his plan of

stealing the throne and Savoda's people. Lubercal stood upon the

mountain and sent his voice ringing over the country. Savoda and the

people thought this a good omen, and expected the giant to come down and

rejoice with them. While King Savoda was arranging his crown, in walked

the dwarf.

"Good morning, my King," said he. "I have come to rescue you and your

people this day from the hands of the designing Lubercal." Noting

Savoda's look of suspicion and incredulity the dwarf continued: "I see,

my King, that you have little faith in my remark. Go you now to the

temple, and ere the day is done you shall see your own salvation."

King Savoda and his people, after further insistence, though still not

convinced, went to the temple, while the dwarf hastened to encounter the

giant.

Again we must go back, in order to make clear events soon to be

narrated.

Savo had been too silly to remain king, yet he was wise enough to see

the force that removed him. He therefore set about finding the source of

Lubercal's strength. While Lubercal was away he went up into the

mountain and hid himself where he could see, but could not be seen.

Lubercal soon came, and straightway tried to pull up a large tree by the

roots. At first he failed to move it. He then went to a large cask

containing fluid of some kind, and smelled it. At the next trial he

pulled the tree halfway up. He went back to the cask and smelled again.

Then he walked to the tree and with a slight effort snatched it from the

ground and tossed it down the mountain.

"Ah," said Savo, "I have the secret of your strength. It is in that

fluid."

Then Lubercal sat down, and began to talk to himself of how his strength

lay in smelling the fluid in the cask, and how his length of days

depended upon the running of the old-fashioned clock that hung beside a

tree.

That night, as the giant slept, Savo slipped to the cask and examined

it. He found it had two chambers, and that the fluid was in the lower

one. He climbed into the upper chamber, thinking he might find some way

of letting the fluid out. He found none, and to his surprise smelling

the fluid made him weak instead of strong. He soon became so weak he

could not get out; so there he stayed until morning. At daybreak he

first heard the giant's voice ringing over the country. He next heard

the shouts of King Savoda and his people as they were hurrying to the

great temple, and lastly, the small clear voice of the dwarf piping out

a challenge to Lubercal.

"Giant Lubercal, I have come to thwart your designs upon King Savoda and

his people. Strength, I suppose will be your weapon; but wit shall be

mine. The war is on. Here's at you."

"A flea in a kettle of hot water, my little man, is not more at a

disadvantage than you are with me," said Lubercal; "but if you want a

quick, easy death, come on."

At this the dwarf scratched the giant's great toe, but did not even make

it bleed.

"For that, sir," said the giant, "you shall serve to whet my appetite

for breakfast."

Now, according to an ancient custom, the giant could not eat a human

being without first closing his eyes and saying a long blessing. While

he was thus engaged, the dwarf turned himself into a fierce bird and

circled above the giant's head. Every now and then he would strike the

giant a stinging blow. After a hard struggle the giant succeeded in

catching him. He held him tightly in his great hand; but in a flash the

dwarf turned to a flea. The giant was not well proportioned. His body

was large, with a deep crease between the shoulders, and his arms were

so short they could not reach it.

The dwarf found the crease and began to bite. The giant soon became

frantic. He ran to the tree; and, in trying to kill the dwarf, he broke

the old-fashioned clock upon the running of which depended the length of

his days.

He lay upon his back and rolled and tumbled, and then with marvelous

force he drew up his limbs and straightened them out. One of his feet

struck the cask, and fluid and Savo were dashed down the steep

mountain-side. The once mighty Lubercal soon became so weak that the

dwarf assumed his original form, tied a rope around his neck, and led

him into the temple where King Savoda and his people were celebrating.

At the dwarfs command Lubercal told the assembled multitude of his

designs against them, and begged that he be allowed to return to his

mountain home and breathe out his last as his forefathers had done. He

returned, and soon a terrible wail told the people he was no more.

"Honor to whom honor is due," said King Savoda. "Let us honor the dwarf

who has saved our whole nation. Truly, the power of his wit shall be

felt in the affairs of this people."

"My great and good King," said the dwarf, "I am honored in being in your

midst, and happy in seeing you happy. My life work is ended and I am

ready to go."

As the autumn leaf falls withered to the ground, so the dwarf fell dead

at the king's feet.

"My people," said King Savoda, "let us spend the rest of the day

mourning for the dwarf and honoring his memory. How shall we best do

this?"

"My King," said an aged man, "I have a suggestion."

"What have you done that you should be allowed to even make a suggestion

concerning so great a person as the dwarf," said the King.

"My good and wise King, look closely and you will see that I am the

captain who was imprisoned for bringing the dwarf into this kingdom."

The King looked, and seeing the man had spoken truthfully, told him to

draw near.

"You shall no longer be the captain of a ship, but the first of my wise

men. We will follow your suggestion. Let us have it."

"My King," said the captain, "yonder mountain-top upon which the giant

Lubercal now lies dead is a solid rock. I suggest that you send your

best workmen in stone up there. As they look upon the giant, let them

shape out of the rock his exact image with the arms extended. Let them

lay a marble slab across the arms, and upon this place the image of the

dwarf."

The King was so impressed with the suggestion that he sent hundreds of

his best workmen to carry it out. A signal told when they had finished

the work. Then the King, followed by the people bearing the body of the

dwarf, ascended the mountain. He was much pleased with the images, and

ordered that the bodies of the giant and the dwarf be buried in the

solid rock side by side.

As he started to leave he heard some one say:

"My brother, Savoda, I am nigh unto death. Hear me ere I depart."

The King turned and, seeing it was his brother Savo, clasped him in his

arms, and placed a kiss upon his cheek. Savo in a few words begged his

brother to forgive him for what he had done, told him of his adventure

in the cask and how it ended. He then kissed his brother again and

again, and expired. Savoda was so overcome that he had to be borne to

his palace. Knowing their King's feelings in the matter, the workmen

made an exact image of Savo, and placed it beside that of Lubercal,

after which his body was buried close to the others. At the command of

the king a huge stone was placed near the statues to remind the king and

people of their duty.

Ever after that people would take their children to the mountain top and

tell them the story of the king's shoes and the lessons to be learned

from it.

King Savoda lived a long and useful life. His people loved him for his

wisdom and goodness. He left twin sons to succeed him. They were so

small that both sat in the same chair. They always agreed, and under

them the kingdom flourished. They were so much like their father that

the people called them the double king with one soul, borrowed from

their father.