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<v Speaker 1>Tatter Coats written by Flora Annie Steele. In a great

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<v Speaker 1>palace by the sea, there lived a very rich old lord.

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<v Speaker 1>Old Lord neither had wife nor children alive, but only

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<v Speaker 1>one little granddaughter, whose face he had never seen in

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<v Speaker 1>all her life. Old Lord didn't like his granddaughter much

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<v Speaker 1>because at her birth his favorite daughter died. So he

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<v Speaker 1>turned his back and sat by his window looking out

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<v Speaker 1>over the sea. He kept on weeping for his lost

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<v Speaker 1>daughter till his white hair and beard grew down over

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<v Speaker 1>his shoulders and twined round his chair and crept into

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<v Speaker 1>the chins of the floor. His tears dropped and ran

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<v Speaker 1>away in a little river to the great sea. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>his granddaughter grew up with no one to care for

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<v Speaker 1>her except an old nurse who would sometimes give her

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<v Speaker 1>a dish of scraps from the kitchen or a torn

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<v Speaker 1>petticoat from the rag back, while the other servants of

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<v Speaker 1>the palace would drive her from the house with blows

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<v Speaker 1>and mocking words, calling her tatter coats and pointing to

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<v Speaker 1>her bare feet and shoulders, till she ran away, crying

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<v Speaker 1>to hide among the bushes. So she grew up with

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<v Speaker 1>little to eat or to wear, spending her days out

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<v Speaker 1>of doors. Her only companion was a crippled goose herd.

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<v Speaker 1>The goose herd was a mere little chap and when

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<v Speaker 1>she was hungry or cold or tired, he would play

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<v Speaker 1>to her so happily on his little musical pipe that

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<v Speaker 1>she forgot all her troubles and would fall to dancing

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<v Speaker 1>with his flock of noisy geese for partners. Now, one

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<v Speaker 1>day people told that the king was traveling through the land.

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<v Speaker 1>The King was to give a large formal party to

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<v Speaker 1>all the lords and ladies of the country in the

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<v Speaker 1>town nearby, and that the prince, his only son, was

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<v Speaker 1>to choose a wife from amongst the young girls in

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<v Speaker 1>the party. In due time, one of the royal invitations

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<v Speaker 1>to the party was brought to the palace, and the

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<v Speaker 1>servants carried it up to the old lord, who still

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<v Speaker 1>sat by his window, wrapped in his long white hair

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<v Speaker 1>and weeping into the little river that was fed by

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<v Speaker 1>his tears. But when he heard the king's command, he

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<v Speaker 1>dried his eyes and asked his servants to bring a

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<v Speaker 1>large pair of scissors to cut him loose, for his

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<v Speaker 1>hair had bound him a fast prisoner, and he could

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<v Speaker 1>not move. And then he sent them for rich clothes

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<v Speaker 1>and jewels, which he put on, and he ordered them

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<v Speaker 1>to saddle the white horse with gold and silk, that

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<v Speaker 1>he might write to meet the king, but he quite

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<v Speaker 1>forgot he had a granddaughter to take to the party. Meanwhile,

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<v Speaker 1>Tattercoat sat by the kitchen door weeping because she could

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<v Speaker 1>not go to see the grand doings. And when the

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<v Speaker 1>old nurse heard her crying, she went to the lord

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<v Speaker 1>of the palace and begged him to take his granddaughter

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<v Speaker 1>with him to the king's party, but he only frowned

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<v Speaker 1>and told her to be silent, while the servants laughed

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<v Speaker 1>and said, Tata Coats is happy playing with the goose head.

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<v Speaker 1>Let her be it is all she is fit. For

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<v Speaker 1>a second, and then a third time, the old nurse

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<v Speaker 1>begged him to let the girl go with him, but

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<v Speaker 1>she was answered only by black looks and fierce words,

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<v Speaker 1>till she was driven from the room by the other

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<v Speaker 1>servants with blows and mocking words. Weeping over her ill success,

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<v Speaker 1>the old nurse went to look for Tata Coats, but

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<v Speaker 1>the girl had been turned from the door by the

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<v Speaker 1>cook and had run away to tell her friend the

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<v Speaker 1>goose herd how unhappy she was because she could not

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<v Speaker 1>go to the king's party. Now. When the goose Herd

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<v Speaker 1>had listened to her story, he bade her to cheer up,

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<v Speaker 1>and proposed that they should go together into the town

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<v Speaker 1>to see the king and all the fine things. And

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<v Speaker 1>when she looked sorrowfully down at her bare feet, he

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<v Speaker 1>played a note or two upon his musical pipe so

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<v Speaker 1>meridiously that she forgot all about her tears and her troubles.

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<v Speaker 1>And before she well knew, the goose Herd had taken

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<v Speaker 1>her by the hand, and both of them started dancing.

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<v Speaker 1>Even cripples can dance when they choose, said the goose herd.

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<v Speaker 1>Before they had gone very far, a handsome young man,

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<v Speaker 1>splendidly dressed, riding up topped to ask the way to

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<v Speaker 1>the castle where the king was staying. And when he

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<v Speaker 1>found that they two were going there, he got off

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<v Speaker 1>his horse and walked beside them along the road. You

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<v Speaker 1>see merry folk, he said, and will be good company.

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<v Speaker 1>Good company, indeed, said the goose Herd, and played a

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<v Speaker 1>new tune that was not a dance. It was a

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<v Speaker 1>curious tune, and it made the strange young man stare

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<v Speaker 1>at tattercoats till he couldn't see her shabby clothes till

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<v Speaker 1>he couldn't see anything but her beautiful face. Then he said,

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<v Speaker 1>you're the most beautiful girl in the world. Will you

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<v Speaker 1>marry me? Then the Gooseherd smiled to himself and played

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<v Speaker 1>sweeter than ever. But Tatacoats laughed not, I said she

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<v Speaker 1>You would be finally put to shame, and so would

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<v Speaker 1>I be if you took a goose girl for your wife.

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<v Speaker 1>Go and ask one of the great ladies you will

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<v Speaker 1>see tonight at the King's party, and do not flout

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<v Speaker 1>poor Tatacoats. But the more she refused him, the sweeter

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<v Speaker 1>the pipe played, and the deeper the young man fell

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<v Speaker 1>in love, till at last he begged her to come

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<v Speaker 1>out that night at twelve to the King's party, just

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<v Speaker 1>as she was with the goose herd and his geze

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<v Speaker 1>in her torn clothes and bare feet, and see if

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<v Speaker 1>he wouldn't dance with her before the king and the

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<v Speaker 1>lords and ladies, and present her to them all as

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<v Speaker 1>his dear and honored bride. Now at first Tatacoat said

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<v Speaker 1>she would not, but the Gooseherd said, take fortune when

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<v Speaker 1>it comes, little one. So when night came and the

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<v Speaker 1>hall in the castle was full of light and music,

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<v Speaker 1>and the lords and ladies were dancing before the king.

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<v Speaker 1>Just as the clock struck twelve, Tatacoats and the goose

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<v Speaker 1>Herd entered at the great doors and walked straight up

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<v Speaker 1>the ballroom, while on either side the ladies whispered, the

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<v Speaker 1>lords laughed, and the King, seated at the far end,

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<v Speaker 1>stayed in amazement. But as they came in front of

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<v Speaker 1>the throne, Tatecoat's lover rose from beside the king and

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<v Speaker 1>came to meet her. Taking her by the hand, he

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<v Speaker 1>kissed her thrice before them all, and turned to the king. Father.

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<v Speaker 1>He said, for it was the prince himself, I have

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<v Speaker 1>made my choice, and here is my bride, the loveliest

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<v Speaker 1>girl in all the land, and the sweetest as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Before he had finished speaking, the goose Herd had put

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<v Speaker 1>up his musical pipe to his lips and played a

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<v Speaker 1>few notes that sounded like a bird singing far off

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<v Speaker 1>in the forest. And as he played, Tattercoat's shabby clothes

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<v Speaker 1>were changed to shining robes, soon with glittering jewels. A

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<v Speaker 1>golden crown lay upon her golden hair, and as the

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<v Speaker 1>king rose to greet her as his daughter, the trumpet

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<v Speaker 1>sounded loudly in honor of the new princess, and the

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<v Speaker 1>people outside in the street said to each other, Ah,

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<v Speaker 1>now the princess chosen for his wife, the loveliest girl

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<v Speaker 1>in all the land. But the goose herd was never

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<v Speaker 1>seen again, and no one knew what became of him,

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<v Speaker 1>While the old lord went home once more to his

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<v Speaker 1>palace by the sea, for he could not stay at

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<v Speaker 1>court when he had sworn never to look on his

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<v Speaker 1>granddaughter's face. So there he still sits by his window,

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<v Speaker 1>weeping more bitterly than ever, and the river of his

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<v Speaker 1>tears runs away to the great sea.