Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1866-12-26
A Long Story.

ing stories told To this amusement he gave
up all his time, but yet he was never salts
fled. The exertions of his courtiers were all
In vain He at last made proclamation,
that if any man would tell him story that
should last forever he would make him his
heir and give him the princess, his daughter,
In marriage, but if any should pretend he
has such story, but should fail-that is, If
the story did come to anend-he was to have
his head cut off.
For such prize as beautiful princess
and a kingdom, many candidates appeared,
and dreadful long stories some of them told.
! Some lasted week, some month, some SIX
months Poor fellows, they all spun them
out as long as they possibly could but all in
vain. Sooner or later they all came to an
end one after another the unlucky story
teIlers had their heads chopped off. At last
come man who said he had story that
would last forever, if his majesty would be
pleased to give him trial. He was warned
of his danger; they told him how many 9th
ers had tried and lost their heads but he
said he was not tafraid, and so he was brought
before the King He was man of very
composed and deliberate way of speaking,
and after making all requisite stipulations for
time for his eating, drinking and sleeping,
he thus began
80, King there was once a King who
was great tyrant and desiring to increase
his riches, he seized upon the corn In his
kingdom, and put it in an immense granary,
which was built on purpose as high as a
mountain. This he did for several years,
until the granary was quite to the top. He
then stopped doors and windows, and closed
it up fast,on all sides. But the brick-layers
had by accident, let very small hole near
the top of the granary and there came
fight of locusts, and tried to get at the corn,
but the hole was so smalltha only one locust
could pass through at time. So one locust
went in and carried off one grain Of corn,
and then another locust went in and carried
off another grain of corn, and then another
locust went in and carried off another grain
of corn, and then anotherlocust went in and
carried off another grain of corn.
He had gone on thus from morning till
night Except when he was engaged at his
meals for about month, when the king be-
gan to be rather tired of the locusts, and in
terrupted the story with-'Wel, well, we
have heard enough of the locusts, we will
suppose they have helped themselves to all
the corn they wanted. Tell US what happen
ed afterwards To which the story teller
answered deliberately IF it pleases your
majesty, it is impossible to tell what happen
ID afterwards before tell what has happen
ed frs" And then he went on again.
''And then another locust went in and
carried off another grain of corn, and then
another locust went in and carried off anoth-
er grain Of corn.
The King listened with unconquerable pa
tience six months more, when he was again
interrupted with ''Oh, friend l am weary
of your locusts How soon do you think they
will have done p To which the story
made answer: "Oh, King, who can tell !
At the time to which my story has come, the
locusts have cleared a small space, 1t may be
a cubic foot each way round the inside Of the
hole, and the air is still dark with locusts on
all sides. But let the king have patience,
and no doubt we shall come to the end in
time. Thus encouraged, the king listened
on for another full year, the story-teller still
going as before.
And then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then
another locust went in and carried off anoth-
er grain of corn, and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain of corn.
At last the poor King could stand it no
longer, and cried out ''Oh, man, that is
enough take my daughter take my king
dom take everything-everything, only let
us hear no more of the abominable locusts."
And so the story-teller was married to the
King daughter, and was declared heir to
the throne, and nobody ever expressed
wish to hear the rest of the story, for he said
it was impossible to come to the other part
of it till he had done with the locusts.