He told
one of the riddles to his grandmother,--I think it was the one about
the pink-eyed monkey and the wagon-load of beans--"
[Illustration: THE BOY AND HIS GRANDMOTHER.]
"No," said the small girl; "the elephant and the gold-fish was the
other part of the pink-eyed monkey one."
"Oh, it don't make any difference," said Huckleberry, "I don't join my
riddles together the same way every time. Sometimes I use the gold-fish
and elephant with the last part of one riddle, and sometimes with
another. As there's no answer, it don't matter. I begin a good many of
my best riddles with the elephant, for it makes a fine opening. But, as
I was going to tell you, this boy told one of my riddles to his
grandmother, and she liked it very much; but when she found out that
there was no answer to it, she gave him a good box on the ear, and that
boy has never liked me since. But now I'll tell you a story. That is,
it's like a story, but it's really a riddle. Father made it and
everybody thinks it's one of his best. There was once a fair lady of
renown who was engaged to be married to a prince. And when the
wedding-day came round--they were to be married in one of the prince's
palaces in the mountains--she was so long getting dressed--you see she
dressed in one of her father's palaces, down in the valley--that she
was afraid she would be late, so as soon as her veil was pinned on, she
ran down to the stables, threw a wolf-skin on the back of one of the
fieriest of the chargers, and springing on him, she dashed away.
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