PRINCESS PIPER
AT PRINCESS PIPER’S christening, her thirteenth fairy godmother tap-danced into the royal nursery, kissed the rosy little princess on her tiny button nose, and pronounced cheerfully, “Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, she shall have music wherever she goes.”
Then the twinkling, dancing, glittering fairy swept a deep curtsy and exited stage left.
All in all, the King and Queen were rather pleased.
“It could be worse,” said the King. “I like a good tune as well as the next fellow.”
“Oh yes,” agreed the Queen. “So much nicer than those nasty poisoned spindles. And she’s left lovely gifts—a silver flute and an ebony guitar and a golden wand.”
As Piper grew, she soon gave up wearing bells on her toes. “Too jangly,” she
