KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES
Wherein it appears that an absent minded king forgot the duty in hand while he was thinking of something else.
A long time ago there lived in England a good king who was named Alfred. He was very wise and brave, and did so much for his people that he is known as Alfred the Great.
In those days kings had many wars with their enemies. The king always led his own men in battle, and was up in the very front ranks where the fighting was the worst.
At the time we are telling of, the Danes had come over to England, and had fought a fierce battle with King Alfred, and had scattered his army far and wide, so that the king had to flee through woods and swamps in order to save his life.
Alfred escaped from his pursuers, and late in the day came to the hut of a poor wood-cutter, deep in the forest. He was very hungry and was weary, and muddy and did not look much like a king. In fact he looked more like a beggar than anything else. He asked the old woman in the hut to give him something to eat, not letting her know who he was.
“Very well,” she said, “I am going out to milk the cow, and if you watch those cakes on the hearth while I am gone, I will let you have one. Watch so that they do not burn.” And she went on out to milk the cow.
Alfred sat down in front of the fire, and the cakes were cooking on the hearth. He watched them for awhile, and then he began to think about his army, and his people, and the Danes, and to wonder if he would ever get his soldiers together again. He forgot all about his hunger, and all about the cakes on the hearth. He even forgot he was in the wood-cutter’s hut, for his mind was on his own affairs, and they were very bad indeed.
The one cake began to burn, then another cake began to burn and then all the cakes began to burn. Still Alfred paid no attention to them, but kept on looking into the fire and thinking about the enemies of England.