One day in springtime, some five years after the marriage of Admetus, a stranger youth came to his palace and desired to speak with the king, who received him courteously, after his wont, and asked him his name and errand.

“My name is nothing to the purpose, oh, king,” answered the stranger; “I am a poor, homeless lad with my bread to earn, and I come to beg of you to make me one of your hired servants, for I hear everywhere that you are the best of masters. If you will take me into your house, I will become your bondman for a year and serve you faithfully.”

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

There was once a king in Thessaly, named Admetus, whose exemplary life and conversation were renowned throughout the land. His piety towards the gods was only less remarkable than his scrupulous fulfillment of his duties towards his fellowmen. He was an obedient son, a tender husband and father, a kind master to his household slaves and the serfs on his demesnes.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

The wise princess had her will, and the king’s mood softened in spite of himself as she plied him with the delicate fare and the noble wine set before them. And then she brought him to her chamber, where the great southern moon looked in through casements opening on the sea, and paled the radiance of seven golden lamps fed with ambergris. The lofty walls were covered with row on row of bright-hued blazonry — the wars and triumphs of bygone monarchs, the incarnations as beast or bird of the strange gods of Nile, displayed in endless processions of solemn and fantastic figures.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

The galley was no sooner out of sight than Theoclymenus hastened to the women’s quarter of the palace, eager to discuss his new happiness with his sister. He would have sought her before, but in his zeal he had himself superintended the lading of the ship with treasures worthy of his magnificence. With some vexation, he learned from her women that the princess desired to be alone. In this, however, there was nothing unusual, for Theonoe spent much of her time in seclusion, reading and meditating the mystic lore of ancient scrolls, written by the hands of priests. The king himself never ventured to disturb her at these studies; so he betook himself to the shore again, there to wait Helen’s return with what patience he could.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

Menelaus had not sat long beside the tomb, pondering what Helen’s plan was to be, when a train of huntsmen with their hounds descended the flowery terraces of the cliff, headed by the king. Theoclymenus was a young man of fine presence; his features resembled his sister’s, but lacked her serenity of expression; from his lowering brow it might be guessed that the day’s sport had not pleased him. At his gesture of dismissal, the train withdrew to the rear of the palace; he himself was approaching the great doorway when Helen came forth again, in such guise that Menelaus scarcely repressed a cry of dismay. Her glorious hair was cut short, her face whitened to ghastliness, and a coarse black mantle enveloped her completely.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

As the palace doors closed behind her, Helen went forward with a beating heart to the tall figure that stood dejectedly by the tomb of Proteus. But — could that be Menelaus — that gaunt, weather-beaten man with unkempt, grizzled hair, and a single discolored garment hanging in tatters around him? Menelaus, who went ever sleek and splendid, loving to deck his florid comeliness in purple and fine linen!

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

Scarcely had Teucer made good his retreat from the Egyptian king's palace, when the great bronze doors swung open, and a small group of persons advanced in procession to the tomb before the chapel. First came four small negro boys, carrying on their heads baskets of woven reeds, heaped with blue lotus flowers.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

Not knowing in what part of the wide world to seek his fortune, Teucer resolved to ask counsel of Apollo's famous oracle at Delphi. So he sailed first to the port of Cirrha, whence he traveled on foot to the high mountain glen of Delphi and entered the holy temple. When he had duly sacrificed, he made known his request; and the priestess, speaking by inspiration of Apollo, bade him found a city in the far island of Cyprus and name it Salamis after his old home. There, she said, he should dwell prosperously all his days and see his children's children, who should reign as kings after him.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

Everyone knows how the Greeks laid siege for ten long years to the city of Troy to win back Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, for her husband, the king of Sparta. It was Paris, a son of the old Trojan king, who stole her away from home; and because of her beauty, neither king nor folk would heed the warnings of the seers and wise men that the wrath of the gods would fall on Troy unless they gave up Helen. Year after year the war went on; the flower of both armies fell in battle; the losses and hardships of the besieged grew ever greater; but still they would not hear of giving Helen back. Even those who were ready to curse her forgot all the woes she had brought on Troy whenever they looked on her face. Once the elders of the city, grave and ancient men, were sitting together on the ramparts when Helen passed by, and one said to another, "Small blame to the Greeks and Trojans that they have fought and suffered those many years for the sake of such a woman as this, for she is like an immortal goddess to look upon." So great was the power of Helen's beauty on all who beheld it.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).

Long, long ago, in the land called Pamphylia, a brave man named Er was killed in battle, fighting for his country. The enemy won the field, and it was ten days before the fellow citizens of Er could take up the bodies of their dead to give them burial. And they buried the rest where they lay, for decay had done its work on them — but when they found Er’s body, behold, it was still fresh. So his friends carried the corpse home and laid it on a pyre of logs to be burned after the custom of the country. But even as they set light to the pyre, the dead man sat up and began to speak. And when he was taken down from the pyre and had fully come to himself, he was urgent to tell them the things he had seen and heard in the other world, for this, he said, was a charge laid upon him there. Those that then heard the tale placed it on record; thus it was preserved, and as Er told it, so it is set down here.

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📚 Source: Evergreen Stories (1920?) by W. M. L. Hutchinson (1868-1936).