“It’s too bad about your palace,” said the Dude to Dragonfel.
“Oh, don’t trouble yourself about that,” said the enchanter cheerfully. “I never did like its style of architecture, anyhow.
I’ll soon have it rebuilt, and give the Union scale for labor, with double pay for over-time. The palace was a rather tame affair anyway, I ran too much to the emerald, topaz, and turquoise in its composition. I’ll make more use of the sapphire, the ruby and cornelian, in the makeup of the new structure; and those columns, I always felt a little weak over them, as they were only imitation chalcedony, the real thing goes in the next one, if I have to import it from Palestine.” The glances the Brownies exchanged showed they felt that they had struck a master in his line.
It is said, that some of the Brownies, to this day, annually celebrate their deliverance from the mine, and the reformation of Dragonfel, by proudly parading half the night, bearing the implements they had to use while in captivity.
So delighted was King Stanislaus over the general outcome that his blithe spirits found expression in a jolly song that was a great favorite of his, and the Brownies all joined in the chorus. The words follow:
I’M RULER OF THE BROWNIE BAND!
King Stanislaus
I’m ruler of the Brownie band,
Most favored of personages;
I sway my sceptre o’er a land
Not found upon hist’ry’s pages;
I take my nightly promenade
By anarchists unmolested;
On me no bomb or hand grenade
Has ever by them been tested!
If you could only see me dine,
You’d find me extremely placid;
I never fear a dish of mine
Is seasoned with prussic acid!
Brownies
Oh, you’re all right!