the people popped all day long. It was necessary that they should,
because it took such a quantity to satisfy hunger, and when they were
not popping they had to eat. People shook the poppers until their arms
were tired, then gave them to others, and sat down to eat. Men, women
and children popped. It was all that they could do, with the exception
of planting the seed-corn, and then they were faint with hunger as
they worked. The stores and schools were closed. In the palace the
King and Queen themselves were obliged to pop in order to secure
enough to eat, and the nobles and the court-ladies toiled and ate,
day and night. But the little stolen Princess and the King's son, the
little Prince, could not pop corn, for they were only babies.

When the people across the river had been popping corn for about a
month, the Pop-corn man went to the King of Romalia's palace, and
sought an audience. He told him how he had discovered his daughter in
the palace of the King across the river.

The King of Romalia clasped his hands in despair. "I must make war,"
said he, "but my army is nothing to his."

However, he at once went about making war. He ordered the swords to be
cleaned with sand-paper until they shone, and new bullets to be cast.
The Bee Guards were drilled every day, and the people could not sleep
for the drums and the fifes.

[Illustration: BOTH THE KING AND QUEEN WERE OBLIGED TO POP.]

When everything was ready the King of Romalia and his army crossed
the river and laid siege to the city. They had expected to have the
passage of the river opposed, but not a foeman was stationed on the