the maiden had been arrayed in the simple robes which became her station
he would have suspected nothing, and would probably have stopped to
converse with her so long that he would have failed to keep his
appointment with his royal guest.

[Illustration: "'GO TELL THE QUEEN'"]

"The queen was very much annoyed at the ill success of her little
artifice, but it was not long after this that she and the king discovered
their true feeling for each other, and they were soon married. The
wedding was a grand one--grander than tradition relates, grander than the
modern mind can easily comprehend. When they went to the palace to sit
for the first time in state before the vast assembly of dignitaries and
courtiers, the queen found, beside the throne of Solomon, her own throne,
which he had caused to be brought from Sheba in time for this occasion.
This incident, I think, affected her more agreeably than anything else
that happened. Great were the festivities. Honors and dignities were
bestowed on every hand, and I might have come in for some substantial
benefit had it not been that I committed a great blunder. I had fallen
in love with the beautiful Liridi, and as the queen seemed so gracious
and kind to everybody, I made bold to go to her and ask that she would
allow me to marry her charming handmaiden. But, to my surprise, this
request angered the queen. She told me that such an old man as myself
ought to be ashamed to take a young girl to wife; that she was opposed
to such marriages; and that, in fact, I ought to be punished for even
mentioning the subject.

"I retired in disgrace, and very soon afterward I left Jerusalem, for
I have found, by varied experiences, that the displeasure of rulers is
an unhealthful atmosphere in which to live. However, the Queen of Sheba