Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1858-04-23
A PLEASANT LESSON.


One evening as poor man and his
fife, with Eve or six childken. were sit
ling at the door Of their cottage, one OF
the children said 40, father. how poor
We arel do wish good fairy would
E6tne and tell US where we might End a
great treasure. Iguess l would not sit
all day idle any more, and have SO little
10 eat.'
No sooner said than dcne-a beautiful
woman, waith radiant counteuauce, stood
before them, who said: Little boy. l
heard your wish, and if you will obey my
directions. you may find a great treas
ure." Then turning to the man, she
said, "A treasure lies hid in your
grounds; if you will seek for it you will
fnd, and may have it; it is not three feet
from the surface either; begin to dig to
morrow for it ?' She then went away.
The children clapped their hands for
Joy, and the man and his wife could
hardly credit their ears that they had re-
ally heard such thing, for they were
poor indeed. Though the man had q
large tract Of land. it was unculLiVated.
yielding nothing. barely sufficient pastu
rage for poor cow. which afforded them
almost all the sure nourIshment they had.
They were poor, idle. disconteuted peo>
pie, and the children half starved; so to
be sure they were glad enough to hear
the fniry'S words. and could hardly wait
until morning to begin to dig.
They were up with the sun; those that
could get shoveIs dug with them, those
that could not. worked with their hands.
In = few days they had dug considerable
of place over, and several times they
thought they had come to the treasure.
but it was only stones; they went on for
several weeks. but they had not found
the treasure.
One night as they sat at the door the
beautiful fairy appeared. "Well." said
she, "you haven't found the treasure yet?
No matter. dig away, you'll find it some
time or other: meantime, Mr.. Good man,
you must not let these little folks starve:
get some corn, throw into that patch you
have dug. and have some corn growing.
I'll come again by and by-dig away.
you'll JEnd tie treasure ;" so she went away.
"That's capital idea, }" said the father,
GOOD man. I'M get some corn, and
plant there tomorrow.
So he did. and as they dug for the
treasure it pleased them to see how soon
tho corn sprung up, and ripened; and
what a crop they had; aud the cornstalks
made nice food for the COW, TOO. The
mother dug for the treasure, sometimes.
and having become accustomed to it,,
they all accomplished quite large space
in a short time; and soon the good fairy
appeared again.
She said. "she knew they had not
found the treasure yet, but she was afraid
the young children had become tired of
digging, and she thought they had better
go into the woods, aud get some wild
strawberries. and put into the place they
had dug; it was just the place to make
Strawberries very large, and it would
please them; but dig on,'' said she,
''you'll certainly find the treasure yet"
So the next day the children went and
brought home baskets OF strawberry
roots, and planted nice bed of them;
then they dug away again for the treas
ure.
One day they dug terrible hard piece
OF the land, and had to pull out some old
tree stumps and stones, ETC., round q
large cherry tree behind the house, and
they were very tired. That night n
traveller came that way, and had to stop
there over night, they lived so far from
any other house. As they had no barn,
no tied The horse to this cherry tree, and
gave him his oats out Of bag he had
brought on his back. The traveller went
away next morning, but in few days
they found the oats the horse had spilled
and scattered had sprung up in tho nice>
y dug ground, aud they had a little field
of oats This pleased Mr.. Goodman
very -mnch. sand W hen the, good fairy next
appeared i\hestold her oft. 40, yes,''
abe said. sit should be- a good plan to
plant something 10 each place as you diS
It." She said the next time she came
she would bring seeds for them. Sc
they had another object for which to dig
bssidetthe finding OF the,treasure-to see
the things growing. .---.
She was as good as her word, and
Wrought the seeds, aud they had dug SO
well they could plant great many mel.
ofnss' ms and other nice things which they
never had before iu their lives; and the
he"'"esI so good, and had been SO nicely
dng aud turned over for the, treasure. tha
tue plants grew SO rapidly. and rinened
so soon, that the next time she oa,ns sbr
told them they had better sion digr;n :
awhile. just till they could take care g
tho oats. aud Strawberries, melons. .anL
other things. They had eaten as mucl
as they wanted of them all the season
and sold some to the nearest houses. An,
now Mr. Goodman said they would O.
next week to the nearest market tow
NAA