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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, and welcome to sleep tight stories. This story

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Speaker 1: is about change. There has been a king that has

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Speaker 1: reigned over the meadow for a long time, and now

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Speaker 1: there is talk of choosing a queen. The meadow folk

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Speaker 1: are divided between keeping the king and choosing a queen instead.

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Speaker 1: When the rock and the maple put in their votes,

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Speaker 1: the number are in favor of the queen. How will

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Speaker 1: the new ruler do in the meadow? Queen Astor. For

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Speaker 1: many seasons, the golden Rods had reigned over the meadow,

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Speaker 1: and no one thought of choosing a king from any

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Speaker 1: other family. Where they were strong and loved to rule.

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Speaker 1: But one autumn something happened which caused a great excitement

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Speaker 1: among the flowers. It was proposed to have a queen,

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Speaker 1: and such a thing had never been heard of before

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Speaker 1: It began among the astors, for some of them grew

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Speaker 1: outside the wall beside the road and saw and heard

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Speaker 1: what went on in the great world. These sturdy plants

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Speaker 1: told the news to their relations inside, and so the

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Speaker 1: astors were un usually wise and energetic flowers, from the

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Speaker 1: little white stars in the grass to the tall sprays,

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Speaker 1: tossing their purple plumes above the mossy wall. Things are

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Speaker 1: moving in the great world, and it is time we

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Speaker 1: made a change in our little one, said one of

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Speaker 1: the roadside Asters, after a long talk with a wandering wind.

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Speaker 1: Matters are not going well in the meadow for the

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Speaker 1: Golden Rod's rule, and they care only for money and power,

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Speaker 1: as their name shows. Now, we are descended from the

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Speaker 1: stars and are both wise and good, and our tribe

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Speaker 1: is even larger than the Golden Rod tribe. So it

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Speaker 1: is but fair that we should take a turn at governing.

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Speaker 1: It will soon be time to choose, and I propose

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Speaker 1: our stately cousin, Violet Astor for queen this year. Whoever

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Speaker 1: agrees with me, say I. Quite a shout went up

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Speaker 1: from the Asters, and the late clovers and buttercups joined in,

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Speaker 1: where they were honest, sensible flowers and liked fair play.

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Speaker 1: Do their great delight. The pitcher plant said I most decidedly,

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Speaker 1: and that impressed all the other plants, for this fine

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Speaker 1: family came over in the mayflower and was much honored everywhere.

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Speaker 1: But the proud cardinals by the brook blushed at the

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Speaker 1: idea of a queen. The fringe Gentians shut their blue

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Speaker 1: eyes so that they might not see the bold asters.

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Speaker 1: The golden raw duds laughed and were much amused at

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Speaker 1: the suggestion to put them off the throne where they

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Speaker 1: had ruled. So long let those asters try it, they said.

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Speaker 1: No one will vote for that city violet, and things

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Speaker 1: will go on as they always have done. So, dear friends,

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Speaker 1: don't be troubled, but help us elect our handsome cousin,

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Speaker 1: who was born in the palace this year. In the

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Speaker 1: middle of the meadow stood a beautiful maple, and at

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Speaker 1: its foot lay a large rock, overgrown by a wild grapevine.

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Speaker 1: All kinds of flowers sprang up here, and this autumn

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Speaker 1: a tall spray of golden rod and a lovely violet

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Speaker 1: aster grew almost side by side, with only a screen

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Speaker 1: of ferns between them. This was called the Palace, and

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Speaker 1: seeing their cousin there made the astors feel that their

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Speaker 1: turn had come, and many of the other flowers agreed

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Speaker 1: with them that a change of rulers ought to be

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Speaker 1: made for the good of the kingdom. So when the

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Speaker 1: day came to choose, there was great excitement. As the

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Speaker 1: wind went about collecting the votes. The golden Rods, cardinals

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Speaker 1: and Gentians voted for the prince, as they called the

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Speaker 1: handsome fellow by the rock. All the asters, buttercups, clovers,

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Speaker 1: and pitcher plants voted for Violet, and to the surprise

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Speaker 1: of the meadow, the maple dropped a leaf, and the

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Speaker 1: rock gave a bit of lichen for her. Also. They

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Speaker 1: seldom took part in the affairs of the flower people,

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Speaker 1: the tree living so high above them, busy with its

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Speaker 1: own music, and the rock being so old that it

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Speaker 1: seemed lost in meditation most of the time. But they

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Speaker 1: liked the idea of a queen, and both believed in

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Speaker 1: gentle Violet. Their votes won the day, and with loud

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Speaker 1: rejoicing by her friends, she was proclaimed Queen of the

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Speaker 1: Meadow and welcomed to her throne. We will never go

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Speaker 1: to court or notice her in any way, cried the

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Speaker 1: haughty cardinals, red with anger. Nor we dreadful creature. Let

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Speaker 1: us turn our backs and be grateful that the brook

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Speaker 1: flows between us, added the Gentians, shaking their fringes at

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Speaker 1: the mere idea. Others hid their faces among the vine leaves,

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Speaker 1: feeling that the palace was no longer a fit home

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Speaker 1: or delicate high born flowers like themselves. All the golden

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Speaker 1: rods raged at this dreadful disappointment, and said many untrue

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Speaker 1: and disrespectful things of Violet. The prince tossed his yellow

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Speaker 1: head behind the screen and laughed as if he did

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Speaker 1: not mind, saying carelessly, let her try. She never can

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Speaker 1: do it, and we'll soon be glad to give up,

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Speaker 1: and let me take my proper place. So the meadow

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Speaker 1: was divided. One half turned its back on the new queen,

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Speaker 1: and the other half loved, admired and believed it her,

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Speaker 1: and all waited to see how the experiment would succeed.

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Speaker 1: The wise asters help her with advice. The pitcher plant

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Speaker 1: refreshed her with the history of the area, the honest

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Speaker 1: clovers sweetened life with their sincere friendship, and the cheerful

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Speaker 1: buttercups brightened her days with kind words and deeds. But

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Speaker 1: her best help came from the rock and the tree.

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Speaker 1: For when she needed strength, she leaned her delicate head

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Speaker 1: against the rough side of the rock, and courage seemed

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Speaker 1: to come to her from the wise old stone that

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Speaker 1: had borne the storms of a hundred years. When her

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Speaker 1: heart was heavy with care or wounded by unkindness, she

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Speaker 1: looked up at the beautiful tree, always full of soft music,

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Speaker 1: always pointing upward, and was comforted by these glimpse of

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Speaker 1: a world above her. The first thing she did was

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Speaker 1: to send the snakes away from the field, as they

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Speaker 1: were always sneaking up on the plants and birds and

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Speaker 1: never listening to anything they were asked to do. The

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Speaker 1: next task was to stop the red and black ants

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Speaker 1: from constantly fighting, or they were always at war, to

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Speaker 1: the great dismay of more peaceful insects. She told each

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Speaker 1: tribe to keep in its own country, and if any

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Speaker 1: dispute came up, to bring it to her and she

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Speaker 1: would decide it fairly. This was a hard task for

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Speaker 1: the ants loved to fight, but she made them friends

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Speaker 1: at last, and everyone was glad. Another reform was to

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Speaker 1: purify the news that came to the meadow. The wind

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Speaker 1: was telegraph messenger, but the birds were reporters, and some

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Speaker 1: of them were not very good ones. The larks brought

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Speaker 1: tidings from the clouds and were always welcome. The thrushes

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Speaker 1: from the wood, and all loved to hear their pretty romances.

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Speaker 1: The robins had domestic news, and the lively wrens bits

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Speaker 1: of gossip and witty jokes. To relate, But the magpies

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Speaker 1: made such mischief with their naughty news, and the crows

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Speaker 1: criticized and condemned everyone who did not do just as

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Speaker 1: they did. So the magpies were forbidden to go gossiping

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Speaker 1: about the meadow, and the gloomy black crows were ordered

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Speaker 1: off the fence, where they liked to sit, cawing dismally

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Speaker 1: for hours at a time. Everyone felt safe and comfortable

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Speaker 1: when this was done, except the cardinals, who liked to

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Speaker 1: hear their splendid dresses and fine feasts talked about, and

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Speaker 1: the golden rods, who were so used to living in

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Speaker 1: public that they missed the excitement. A hospital for sick

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Speaker 1: and homeless creatures was opened under the big burdock leaves,

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Speaker 1: and there several belated butterflies were tucked up in their

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Speaker 1: silken hammocks to sleep till spring. Ladybug found comfort in

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Speaker 1: her loneliness, and many crippled ants sat talking over their

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Speaker 1: battles like old soldiers in the sunshine. It took a

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Speaker 1: long time to do all this, and it was a

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Speaker 1: hard task where the rich and powerful flowers gave no help.

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Speaker 1: But the asters worked bravely, so did the clovers. And buttercups,

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Speaker 1: and the pitcher plant kept open house with the old

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Speaker 1: fashioned hospitality one so seldom sees nowadays. Everything seemed to prosper,

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Speaker 1: and the meadow grew more beautiful day by day, safe

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Speaker 1: from their enemies. Birds came to build in all the

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Speaker 1: trees and bushes, singing their gratitude so sweetly that there

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Speaker 1: was always music in the air. Sunshine and shower seemed

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Speaker 1: to love to freshen the thirsty flowers and keep the

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Speaker 1: grass green, till every plant grew strong and fair, and

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Speaker 1: passers by stopped to look, saying with a smile, what

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Speaker 1: a pretty little spot this is. The wind carried tidings

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Speaker 1: of these things to other colonies, and brought back messages

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Speaker 1: of praise and goodwill from other rulers, glad to know

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Speaker 1: the experiment worked so well. This made a deep impression

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Speaker 1: on the golden rods and their friends, where they could

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Speaker 1: not deny that Violet had succeeded better than anyone dared

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Speaker 1: to hope. And the proud flowers began to see that

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Speaker 1: they would have to give in own they were and

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Speaker 1: become loyal subjects of this wise and gentle queen. We

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Speaker 1: shall have to go to court. If ambassadors keep coming

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Speaker 1: with such gifts and honors to her majesty, for they

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Speaker 1: wonder why they don't see us there, and will tell

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Speaker 1: them we are sulking at home instead of shining, as

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Speaker 1: we only can, said the cardinals, longing to display their

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Speaker 1: red velvet robes at the feasts which Violet was giving

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Speaker 1: in the palace when kings came to visit her. It

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Speaker 1: is hard to see the good old ways changed, but

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Speaker 1: if they must be, we can only gracefully submit, answered

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Speaker 1: the Gentians, smoothing their delicate blue fringes, eager to be

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Speaker 1: again the bells of the ball. Clematis astonished everyone by

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Speaker 1: suddenly beginning to climb the maple tree and shake her

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Speaker 1: silvery tassels like a canopy over the Queen's head. I

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Speaker 1: cannot live so near her and not begin to grow,

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Speaker 1: since I must cling to something. I choose the noblest

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Speaker 1: I can find, and look up, not down forevermore, she said.

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Speaker 1: Or like many creatures, she was easily guided, and it

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Speaker 1: was well for her that Violet's example had been a

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Speaker 1: brave one. Prince golden Rod had found it impossible to

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Speaker 1: turn his back entirely upon her majesty or he was

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Speaker 1: a gentleman with a really noble heart under his yellow cloak.

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Speaker 1: So he was among the first to see, admire and

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Speaker 1: love the modest, faithful flower who grew so near him.

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Speaker 1: He could not help hearing her words to those who

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Speaker 1: came to her for advice. He saw the daily acts

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Speaker 1: of charity which no one else discovered. He knew how

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Speaker 1: many trials came to her, and how bravely she bore them.

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Speaker 1: She has done more than ever we did to make

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Speaker 1: the kingdom beautiful, safe and happy, and I will be

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Speaker 1: the first to own it. To thank her and offer

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Speaker 1: my allegiance, he said to himself, and waited for a chance.

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Speaker 1: One night, when the September moon was shining over the

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Speaker 1: meadow and the air was balmy with the last breath

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Speaker 1: of summer, the prince ventured to serenade the Queen on

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Speaker 1: his wind harp. He knew she was awake where he

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Speaker 1: had peeped through the ferns and seen her looking at

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Speaker 1: the stars with her violet eyes full of dew, as

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Speaker 1: if something troubled her. So he sang his sweetest song,

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Speaker 1: and her Majesty leaned nearer to hear it, or she

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Speaker 1: longed to be friends with the gallant prince, because both

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Speaker 1: were born in the palace and grew up together very

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Speaker 1: happily till coronation time came. As he ended, she sighed,

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Speaker 1: wondering how long it would be before he told her

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Speaker 1: what she knew was in his heart. Goldenrod heard the

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Speaker 1: soft sigh, and, forgetting his pride, he pushed away the

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Speaker 1: screen and whispered, while his face shone and his voice

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Speaker 1: showed how much he felt. What troubles you, sweet neighbor,

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Speaker 1: forget and forgive my unkindness, and let me help you

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Speaker 1: if I can. I dare not say as Prince consort,

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Speaker 1: though I love you dearly, but as a friend and

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Speaker 1: faithful subject, for I confess that you are better to

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Speaker 1: rule than I. As he spoke, the leaves that hid

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Speaker 1: Violet's golden heart opened wide and let him see how

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Speaker 1: glad she was as she bent her stately head and

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Speaker 1: answered softly, there is room upon the throne for two.

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Speaker 1: Share it with me as king, and let us rule together.

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Speaker 1: What the Prince answered, only the moon knows. But when

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Speaker 1: morning came, all the meadow was surprised and rejoiced to

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Speaker 1: see the golden and purple flowers standing side by side,

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Speaker 1: while the maple showered its rosy leaves over them, and

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Speaker 1: the old rock waved his crown of vine leaves as

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Speaker 1: he said, this is as it should be, love and

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Speaker 1: strength going hand in hand, and fairness making the earth glad.

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Speaker 1: And that is the end of our story. Good Night,

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Speaker 1: sleep tight,