Mildred Kennedy

“ Never in all his royal existence had the Bronze King been addressed so. He grew so angry that his face looked more coppery than ever in the flickering light of the torch; Ruth thought she had never looked upon any one more terrible in all her life. A sound came from him that seemed to start somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. It was like the roar of a raging forest fire.
He turned the torch so that its light fell on David’s face. And when he saw the boy{133} standing there before him, he laughed in scorn and turned, dragging Ruth toward the doorway. ”

“ Many a one had already become food for the ravenous beasts, who were at all times half starved. Had David taken one misstep, had he left the little narrow winding path by so much as a hair’s breadth, the Lions would have roared furiously, alarmed all within the Palace, and frightened poor David so terribly that he would have run blindly on, and so have been caught and devoured. ”

“ And never try to force the door,”
came the song again.
“That’s all right,” said David, “but how can a man be patient for ever? I must and will rescue Ruth!”
As he spoke there appeared, in the window above him, the Bronze King himself. David hid in the leaves of a neighbouring thicket so that the King could not see him, though he himself could gaze with safety upon the unearthly and monstrous visage of the King. The thought of Ruth’s being a captive in that monster’s Palace was almost more than he could endure. ”

“ The months passed by, and David and Ruth worked and worked for the Cobbler—for both he and his wife knew how to keep the children busy. But as time went on, the two children grew older and wiser, till at last they grew so wise that they saw right through the old Cobbler and his wife. They knew that the pair pretended a great deal that was not true, simply in order to keep the children in ignorance so that they would fear their elders. For there is nothing that keeps one so filled with fear as ignorance. ”

“ The King was a terribly powerful and heavy man, but he had no weapon save his own strength. David was slender and frail, but he held within his grasp a power that made him fearless and wise to act. The King, infuriated by David’s boldness, relaxed his grasp on Ruth’s arm; and she, finding herself free, ran a few steps from him so that she might be beyond his reach should he attempt to seize her again. In a moment{134} David and the Bronze King were rolling over and over in an angry struggle, that same strange sound belching from the King’s huge body with increasing volume. ”

“ In fact, each one has to make his own trail, even when he seems to be following another’s and deceives himself into thinking that he is doing so. It is the law of the Forest, for any trail other than the one we make ourselves may lead us where we do not desire to go, and all at once we find ourselves deep in the woods, the path lost and we ourselves lost. ”

“ David caught Ruth by the hand, and together they fled toward the Wingèd Horse. In an instant they were on its back. David held the reins of the magic bridle in one hand while with the other he supported Ruth, who sat before him on the wonderful steed which was now so miraculously to save their lives. Looking toward the Palace, they saw that armed men were rushing into the Garden from all directions. ”

“ Everything that has an outside has been made for the sake of the inside that it contains; and as everything has two sides, of course, you understand that there must be an inside as well as an outside. It is a very good thing to be able to see the inside of a thing and to look for it more carefully than you look for the outside; and if you learn really to see it, you will have more than a few surprises in your life, through finding that you are able to see both sides at once.
David now found himself able to understand the song of the Blue Bird as he had never understood it before ”

“ Could David succeed in rescuing her? Could he, in so short a time, devise any method of saving her from the terrible life that seemed so surely about to become hers? What if anything happened to David? What if he met any of the King’s men in or about the woods that adjoined the Palace? She recalled what the King had said to her on that first day, the day when she was captured; and she shuddered as she repeated the words to herself—“As for that young David of whom you speak, he had best keep off my land! All who are found trespassing upon my kingdom are put to death at once.” “David, oh, David! ”

“ The Horse turned and rubbed its soft velvet nose against David’s cheek. Yes, David was his master, to be recognized as such. The wonderful bridle had given them both the power to understand and trust each other.
“You must take me to the Bronze King’s domain, dear Wingèd Horse,” said David. “We are to rescue Ruth, the sweetest and most beautiful little girl in all the world. It is for this I have sought and captured you; for the Bronze King is keeping her a prisoner in his great Palace. I fear what may happen to her. Come, we must go to the Palace and hide in the woodlands and watch and wait. ”

“ Only when one cannot clearly see or understand does one make the mistake of thinking of one’s power as coming from one’s self.”
As he spoke they passed through a series of lovely groves—first, trees of heavy wood such as cedar, oak, pine, and chestnut; then fruit trees, apple, orange, pear; then nut trees of varied kinds. As they walked on they noticed that the series of groves grew in such a pattern as to form a spiral of huge dimensions, toward the center of which they were now journeying. Soon they beheld such scenes as neither David nor Ruth had ever imagined or pictured. ”

“ I will start you on the trail at sunrise to-morrow.”
“Why can the Blue Bird not guide me?” asked David.{110}
“Do you know for what the Blue Bird stands?”
David thought for a moment. Then the word “happiness” came into his mind. He spoke it softly.
“Exactly!” said the old man. “Happiness born of Truth; that is, the Happiness contained in the Love of Truth. For a Bird is but a symbol of thought; and Happiness is an expression of thought; the colour represents its quality. You have left the region of the Blue Bird for a while, for it cannot journey a great way from the Mansion of Happiness. ”

“ Like the wind she{127} sped along the narrow passageway that led to her own apartments, opened the door, and flew to the long casement window that gave access to the Palace Garden, where she knew David awaited her. She stepped out into the night.
A gust of wind blew the window to behind her with a crash that shattered the glass into a thousand fragments. Her heart sank. “David, David!” she called softly. There was no answer. It was dark—so dark that she could see nothing—and she feared lest the sound of the crashing glass had awakened the sleepers. ”

“ It is dissatisfaction caused by growing tired of a thing, or the growing tired of a thing causing dissatisfaction, that makes one desire and seek something else. It is this desire and seeking that is the root of all progress.” David found it hard to understand her very well; her words seemed strange to him. So he just said, “Why?”
“Because you are a living Soul, David; never forget that. It is worth remembering, and it will help you to understand many strange things.”
David looked at her in silent wonder. ”

“ It was not the kind of light that dazzles the eye and pains: it gave an effect more like that which one feels in watching the sun rise, when the first streaks{150} of dawn come in the sky and every moment brings more light, makes all objects more distinct and vivid. It seemed as if each step took them nearer and nearer to the serene splendour of noontime. ”

“ David, many older men{68} than you have forgotten to follow the Blue Bird; many have never even followed him long enough to see as much as the outside of my dwelling house, let alone ever daring to knock on the door.”
“What has happened to them?” asked David.
“Some of them are wandering about in the Forest, lost; some have returned to their own homes and forgotten the Tree, the Garden, and the Blue Bird. Others have fallen into a deep sleep and are merely existing, not really living at all. ”

“ It is the only bridle with which the Pale-Coloured Horse can be captured. The moment one slips the golden bit between his teeth, that moment the beautiful great powerful Horse is tamed, and he who fits the bit to his mouth becomes his master. Take the bridle, David, and wait patiently at the spring, to which the Horse will surely come to drink. Seize him fearlessly by the fore{109}lock and slip this over his head and the bit into his mouth. He will obey you then, and carry you wheresoever you may wish. When the creature has served your need, tell him to return to my cottage and to me. ”

“ The flames rose high, so high that they seemed almost to burn the stars, and the heat was terrific. It was necessary to fly far up, and the air was so thin that it was almost impossible for them to breathe. ”

“ David knew that this Voice which he had heard was nothing but the voice of the{37} coward within himself, although he talked aloud to it just as if it were a real person.
“Well,” said David, “walk behind me, then; I will shield you from the light as much as I can. But, for my part, that is the very thing that I most love. Only think how the Blue Bird will look in this light, when we see him again! It is worth staying here just for that alone.”
Some one must have heard the sound of his voice, for when he looked up he saw a young man approaching. ”

“ If you are able to understand only the outside of a thing, you will, more times than a few, entirely misunderstand the whole thing;{60} but if you can understand the inside, it is not in the least necessary to bother much about the outside, for that will take care of itself. ”

“ So you see, although I may start out on this path, that does not mean{20} I shall follow it all the way; it depends upon the way the bird flies.”
“What bird?” asked David.
“The Blue Bird,” answered the old Woman.
“There are no blue birds in these woodlands,” said David. “I have lived here all my life and have never seen one. There are yellow birds and red birds, brown birds and green birds, white birds and black birds; but I have never seen a blue bird—I did not know there was one of that colour.” ”

“ But it could not be: we found that we must seek it together.”
“But the Blue Bird never comes to the borders of the Garden: he only remains within it,” said the stranger. “You must have come to this point alone.”
“No, no!” said David and Ruth in one voice. “The Wingèd Horse brought us here!”
As they conversed, the country through which they journeyed grew more and more{148} beautiful. Its wonders unfolded before their eyes as they talked together.
“One never does anything alone,” said David. “I mean, of one’s own power. One is always guided, led, or helped. ”

“ David grew fast and was strong, for his life in the woodlands was one to make any boy well and happy. He learned his father’s trade, and in a short time, although he was not nearly full grown, he could wield an axe as well as many a grown man ”

“ David told her of the old woman, of her{54} beauty and sweetness, of the long, long trail that he had followed before reaching the Cobbler’s Cottage.
She listened to his story. “Yes, David,” she said—and she tried not to let a shadow of sadness enter her voice—“you must follow the Blue Bird. I will help you in any way I can.”
“Stay here, then, Ruth, just for a moment, while I run to the cottage and get my axe and hunting knife. Watch the Bird till my return, so that I may not lose it again; I will come back in a minute.” And David started off in the direction of the cottage. ”

“ This is the way it is with us all when we are truly very happy.
One day David began to grow restless. He had strapped about his waist the case that contained his hunting-knife, and had taken out the knife and was feeling of the blade. He stooped over to sharpen it on the sole of his shoe. As he did so, the little{66} leathern pocket of the case flew open. Something fell from it. He leaned down and picked it up—a spray of tiny forget-me-nots, dried and almost colourless.
“Ruth!” he cried, almost as if he expected her really to hear him. “Ruth, where are you? I have been away from you so long! ”

“ Is in tune with the song of a bird.”
Day by day she longed to escape. But that was impossible: she was watched and{86} guarded. A prisoner! She knew it all too well. The thought of ever marrying the Bronze King grew more and more terrible to her. “I can’t do it! I can’t do it!” she would say to herself. “What shall I do? Oh, David, what shall I do?”
At such times she took up the little forget-me-nots, the poor faded, dried, dead little things, only the shell of the lovely and fragrant blue blossoms that she had gathered in the meadow that ill-fated day when she left the Cobbler’s cottage. ”