to the throne, the prime minister shall be blinded and led from the
palace into the main street of the city. And he shall stretch out his
arms and walk about, and the first person he touches shall be crowned
as King of the land."

The councilors were greatly pleased when they found this law, for it
enabled them to solve the problem that confronted them. So when the
King had breathed his last they blindfolded the prime minister and led
him forth from the palace, and he began walking about with
outstretched arms seeking someone to touch.

Of course the people knew nothing of this law, nor even that the old
King was dead, and seeing the prime minister groping about blindfolded
they kept out of his way, fearing they might be punished if he
stumbled against them. But Cole was then riding along on the donkey,
and did not even know it was the prime minister who was feeling about
in such a funny way. So he began to laugh, and the minister, who had
by this time grown tired of the game, heard the laugh and came toward
the stranger and touched him, and immediately all the wise men and the
councilors fell down before him and hailed him as King of Whatland!

Thus did the wandering fiddler become King Cole, and you may be sure
he laughed more merrily than ever when they explained to him his good
fortune.

They carried him within the palace and dressed him in purple and fine
linen, and placed a crown of gold upon his bald head and a jeweled
scepter in his wrinkled hand, and all this amused old King Cole very
much. When he had been led to the great throne room and placed upon
the throne of gold (where the silken cushions felt very soft and