Our King could never conquer the other
one, who has a much stronger army."
"Do you know," asked the Pop-corn man, "if they have ever had any
pop-corn on the other side of the river?"
"I don't think they have," replied the Baron.
"Then," said the Pop-corn man, "I think I can free the Princess."
"You!" cried the Baron scornfully.
But the Pop-corn man said nothing more. He bowed low to the Baron and
the Head-nurse, and left the tower.
"The idea of his talking as he did," said the Baron. But the nurse was
pinning her shawl, and she hurried out of the tower and overtook the
Pop-corn man.
"How are you going to manage it?" whispered she, touching his sleeve.
The Pop-corn man started. "Oh, it's you?" he said. "Well, you wait a
little, and you will see. Do you suppose you could find six little
boys who would be willing to go over the river with me to-morrow?"
"Would it be quite safe?"
"Quite safe."
"I have six little brothers who would go," said the Head-nurse.
So it was arranged that the six little brothers should go across the
river with the Pop-corn man; and the next morning they set out. They
were all decorated with strings of Pop-corn, they carried baskets of
pop-corn, and bore corn-poppers over their shoulders, and they crossed
the river in a row boat.
Once over the river they went about peddling pop-corn.
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