DOTRI’S STRANGE ADVENTURE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 35, 11 February 1939, Page 12

DOTRI’S STRANGE ADVENTURE

In a far-away country there lived a maker of jewellery, who was called Dotri, He dwelt in a small house of white stone with his wife Jena, and there he worked part of the day with gold and silver and an occasional jewel, for he was not a wealthy man. Sometimes customers would come to his house, but part of the day Dotri would walk about the streets of the town carrying the trinkets so that passers-by might see them and be ternpeted to buy.

One day, as he was returning home after a very disappointing day during which he had sold not so much as a gilded chain, he saw a young girl standing at the roadside, just ahead of him.

Seeing in her a possible customer, Dotri halted at her side and displayed his tray of trinkets, making them flash invitingly in the sunlight. “Will you not buy a trinket, good lady?” he asked. “Here is a ring that would look well upon your white hand.” And he picked up a gold ring, in which was set a fiery ruby. The young girl inspected all his trinkets, then took the ruby ring from him and asked the price. “I like this, jeweller,” she said, “and I will keep it. But to obtain your payment you must go to the King who lives many miles from here.” And she directed him where to go. “But he might not pay me,” Dotri exclaimed. “He will not know that I am telling the truth, for I will be a stranger to him.” “Have no fear of that,” the girl said. “If he refuses to pay out, just tell him that he will find the exact amount of money in the box of flames.” With these words she walked quickly away, Dotri’s ring on her finger. The jeweller did not know what to do. He returned home and told the story of his strange encounter to his wife, who scoffed at film lor believing such a tale. “You will never see the money for that ring,” she said. However, Dotri decided, thTie might at least try to get it, and started off for the King’s palace, following the directions the girl had given him. Coming to the palace he sought an audience with the King, and being granted it told his story. The King laughed at the jeweller. “You are a very foolish man,” he said. “You surely do not expect me to pay for the ring you sold to some stranger on the road.

“But the girl told me that if you yourself would not pay me you would find a sum of money for the ring ir the box of flames.”

Hearing these words the King sprang to his feet, his eyes shining and becokning to Dotri to follow him, he ran through the

palace until he came to a heavy, iron-studded door. Throwing It open, the King darted to the centre of the room, where Dotri saw upon the ground a small box, from which little tongues of flame were shooting.

The King reached out his hand to this box, and despite Dotri’s cry of warning that he would be burned, picked it up. As soon as his hand touched the box the flames disappeared, and the King hastened to open the lid. Inside was a little pile of golden coins, which he tossed to Dotri, but in which he did not seem at all interested. Quickly he took out of the box a large emerald and a tiny crystal phial, in which there was a little red fluid. The King dropped the box on the floor; and in a flash it had disappeared! But the King did not wait to marvel at this as Dotri did. Instead, he rushed towards the door again, and the jeweller, thinking he had better follow, went after him. They went up a wide marble staircase two steps at a time, and Dotri was quite breathless by the time the King paused in front of a door, which, after a few seconds hesitation, he opened. Inside the room Dotri saw a beautiful young girl lying on a silken couch. At her side a venomous snake reared its ugly head. The King held the emerald in front of its eyes and in a second it dropped, its head limply on its coiled body. It was quite dead. Stepping over it, the King held the phial against the lips of the young girl, and Dotri saw her eyes slowly open. Some time later he was given the explanation for these amazing happenings. The young girl was the Queen, he was told, but when she had married the King, a witch, whose beauliftfl daughter she had hoped would become Queen, had placed a spell upon the young bride, and placed a snake beside her to act as guard. The witch's daughter, however, was not evil, and had gone secretly to the King promising him that when her mother died she would release the Queen. She sent him the box of ■flames, with a message that when she sent word he might open the box and release his Queen from the spell. But he must not touch the box until she sent permission or it would immediately disappear, and the spell could never be lifted. “Then it was the witch’s daughter who bought my ring." said Dotri. “Yes, and since you have been the means of bringing me that most welcome message you shall be rewarded well," the King said. And before the jeweller left the palace he was presented with a great bag of gold, sufficient to make, him wealthy for the rest of his days.