The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-03-03
A kINGLY FABLE.
BY DIR. DORAN.

king, the moral OF which may De well
applied by all sovereigns. The old mon
arch, when dying, call his son to him,
put III his hand the sceptre, and then
asked him if he could take advice as east
w as he had taken from his father the
symbol of authority. The young heir,
grasping the sceptre tightly, and limiting
al the excellence of brevity in his conn
sci az well as i'll wit, said under the cir
cumstances, he could"
II will he brief as my BREATH" an
sweIcd the abdicating monarch, "and
that is short enough. You look upon
the world, boy, as house of pleasure;
now, hear better from me. Woe, my lad,
tumblcs in pailsful and good luck is on
ly distilled i'll drops"
The son looked down ut his now silent
father, and found he was dead. The
new king commanded a SPLENDID tuner
al, and arranged grand hunting party
Tor the day after. He laughed at the
paternal smile, and, to publish his weak
ness and his own felicity he caused to be
placed above his palace large silver.
toned bell; rope passed from it to each
room which he occupied. II will ring
it," Said he, whenever feel thoroughly
happy. have no doubt that i shall
weary my own arm, and deafen my peo-
pies ears
For amouth the bell was silent. II
have had my hand OIL the rope" said the
king; fifty times, but felt that / was
hardly happy enough to proclaim it to
my people; but we have got over our FIRST
difficulties; and to-mOrrOw"-
a l,, hn hna OF rnf
the fidelity and friendship of one of his
ministers, helearnod that his friend and
servant was i'll the habit ofbetraying the
contents of his private dispatches to a
ncighhoring potentate, from whom the
traitor received stars and crosses in re-
turn. The king sighed. I'VE shall not,
then toll the bell to-day; but assuedly
tomorrow"
In the morning he rode over to the
house Of the mistress of his heait.-
There" he remarked to himself, as he
went aloug IN that pace which used to
he observed by the pilgrims to Canter-
bury, aud which in England has taken
It's name from the first two syllables of
the citys name-"There i have never
found disappointment" What he did find
he never told; but on his return to the
palace, when his groom of the chambers
looked interrogatively between him and
the bell rope, the monarch simply twist.
eel the end of the latter into a moose, and
angrily muttered, as he flung it down
again, Would to heaven that they were
both hanging from it together" .l....
On the following day, he philosophical
~ reviewed his case. Il have been un-
reasonable" he said why should |
grievc because have been betrayed by
a knavc, and Tilted by girl with golden
hair! | have wide dominions, a full
treasury, 4 mighty army, laughing vine
yards, Verdant meadows, people who
pay taxes as if they loved Inc, and Gods
free air To breathe in. may he happy
vet, added he, advancing to thewindow
may, am" and he reached his hand
tothe rope. He was on the very point
of ringing it with good will, whom he saw
sight without and voice within,
which made him pause
A messenger was at his feet. ooh,
sire exclaimed the bringer of bad
tidiugs, "thOn seest the dust, the fires,
and the CLEAN of arms without. The foe
has broken III upon the land, aud terror
rs before and devastation behind HIM"
Now, curse upon kingship, that
brings wretched monarch evils like
these" cried the king who wanted to be
happy. The courier limited something
about the miseries of the people. by
that Lady of Hate, whose church is in
Brittany, cried the Prince, thou art
right! | thought to pull Justify at the
bell, but | VIII as Justify pull at nv
sword i'll the sheath, and see if there he
not virtue i'll that. How came in the foe
and who commands theml"
The answer to this double uuerv told
him that the enemy could not hay. .n.
tered had not his dis patches been i've
trayed to the invader; and that tn. van
of the army was under the command of
prince, whose name was no sooner MT
tered to the king, than the latter turned
red with fury, and exclaimed, "Ha then
| shall ring the bell yet Twill have his
life and the LADY,
He said no more, but went out, fousbt
like man, cleared the land of the fne
hung the traitor with all his orders on
him, manned the young leader of the
hostile vanguard past sympathy from On.
pid, and returned to his capital in N;
umph. He had 50 much to employ him
after his return, so much to accomplish
for the restoration of the fortunes Of his
people, 90 much to mediate upon fos fu-