Publisher's Synopsis
Once upon a time there lived, in a small cottage among some hills, a woman withher son, and, to her great grief, the young man, though hardly more than twentyyears of age, had not as much hair on his head as a baby. But, old as he looked, theyouth was very idle, and whatever trade his mother put him to he refused to work, and in a few days always came home again.On a fine summer morning he was lying as usual half asleep in the little garden infront of the cottage when the sultan's daughter came riding by, followed by anumber of gaily dressed ladies. The youth lazily raised himself on his elbow to lookat her, and that one glance changed his whole nature.'I will marry her and nobody else, ' he thought. And jumping up, he went to find hismother.'You must go at once to the sultan, and tell him that I want his daughter for mywife, ' he said.'WHAT?' shouted the old woman, shrinking back into a corner, for nothing butsudden madness could explain such an amazing errand.'Don't you understand? You must go at once to the sultan and tell him that I wanthis daughter for my wife, ' repeated the youth impatien