The independent. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Kan.) 1860-1874, 1864-08-06
for the little folks.
A FAIRY TALE. WITH A


There was once a poor woman.
and she had no dearer wish than
once, by accident or miracle TO OBJ
tain a great deal of money, because
she believed. that ifshe had money,
all sorrow and suffering would be
as good as gone. The accident and
the miracle. did not happen for a
long time, however, till the woman
one day heard that on the slope Of
a hill there grew among other grass,
a weed. and ifany one were SO for
tunate as to pluck it, the mountain
would open, the plucker would walk
into a large cave, at which seven
men sat round a table, who would
allow her TO take away as much of
their treasure. as she could carry
From this moment the poor woman
had nothing more pressing to do
than TO fetch hill.grass daily during
the summer for her COW, because
she hoped 10 pluck the miraculous
weed among it. And so she did;
one day the woman had again COL
iected grass, carried the heavy bas-
ket on her head, and led her little
daughter by the band, when large
rock opened noiselessly before her
like well oiled door, and allowed
her TO see into a cave, where seven
old men with long boards were sit
ting round a table, and piles of gold
and silver were heaped around them.
The woman naturally soon took ad-
vantage ofsthe opportunity, emiied
her basket upon the ground and fill
ed it with gold. When this was
done, and she was going out, one OF
the old men certainly said, "Woman,
forget Tot the best thing!" but she
did not listen, and went of. But
she had scarce reached the entrance
of the cave when the rock closed
again, and shut in the woman's lit
tie daughter, who had remained be-
hind playing with the gold. Then,
the mothers grief and agony were
great; she ran lamenting TO the cler-
gyman and told him what occurred.
The latter said she must wait other
seven years, till she could find her
daughter again; after that period.
she must go again to the mountain
at the same hour in which she lost
her child, and wait for what might
happen; but she had made a grand
mistake in quite emptying her bas-
ket forihe sake Of the gold, because
the miracle weed was among the
arase che threw away Now she
remembered the old mans words,
and learned to her sorrow that she
had done wrong 10 consider wealth
as the highest blessing. How slight.
iy she now valued the gold she bro,
home,, when she had to pay for i,
by the loss OF her child! She tho,
further, and found that there were
many blessings in the world, which,
II lost, reduce the value of gold
to nothing, This and many other
things the poor rich mother had time
TO reflect on during the seven years,
and TO her honor be It said, that, till
the expiration ofthat time, she wo'd
look at nor handle the gold. A,
length the day came on which she
hoped 10 find her child again. The
woman hurried to the hill in the
neighborhod of the rock where her
child was shut up; and see there
froma distance she perceived the
treasure Of her heart, her child, sleep
ing in front of the rock; it was as
young and bloomingas when she los,
it. She lifted It tenderly, and kissed
it thousand times with tears on the
read home, thinking, "if all the gold
were out Of my room, should be as
happy asif ! had found all the treas.
ures in the world !" But the gold
was not gone; and SO she was great.
ful for that, and enjoyed the advan.
tages Of wealth, and spent much on
the good education of her daughter,
and thus the well-trained maiden
became great and invaluable treas.
ure.-Bentley's Miscellany.
The Fox WITHOUT A TAIL.-A