Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-07-26
A Long story Briefly Told.

: The following story will bear printing
once in seven years-it is about that time
since it went the rounds:
There was certain king, who, like many
eastern kings, was very fond of hearing
stories told. To this amusement he gave up
all his time; but yet he was never salts
fed. All the exertions of his courtiers
were in vain. The more he heard, the
more he wanted to hear. At last ne made a
proclamation that if any man would tell him
story that would last forever, he would
make him his heir, and give him the prin-
cess, his daughter, in marriage; but if any
one should pretend he had such story, but
should fail-that is, if the story did come to
an end-he was to have his head chopped
off Immediately.
For such rich prize as beautiful prin-
cess and kingdom, many candidates ap-
peared; and dreadful long stories some of
them told Some lasted week, some a
month, some six months. Poor fellows !.
They all spun them as long as they possibly
could, you may be sure but all in vain.
Sooner or later they all came to an end, and,
one after another, .he unlucky story-tellers
had their heads chopped off.
AZ ldSt CdulG ~ udI WHO Sdlu Ludt uc udu
a story which would last forever, if his
majesty would be pleased to give him a
trial.
He was warned of his danger; they told
him how many others had tried and lost
their heads; but he said he was not afraid,
and SO he was brought before the king. He
was man Of very composed and deliber-
ate way Of speaking, and, after making all
requisite stipulations for time for his eating
drinking and sleeping, he thus began his
story:
go king there was once a king who was
great tyrant. And, desiring to increase
his riches, he seized upon all the corn and
grain in his kingdom, and put it into an
immense granary which he built on purpose,
as high as mountain.
sThis he did for several years, till the
granary was full up to the top. He then
stopped up all the doors and windows, and
closed it up fast on all sides.
ssBut the bricklayers had, by accident,
left small hole near the top of the granary,
and there came fight of loousts and tried
to get at the corn but the hole was so small
that only one locust could pass through it at
at time. So one locust went in and car
ried 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 another locust went in and carried off
another grain of corn, and then another
grain of corn, and th en- another locust went
in and carried off another grain of corn,
and then another locust went in and carried
off another grain of corn"
He had gone on thus from morning till
night Except while he was engaged at his
meals) for about month, when the king
began to be rather tired of the locusts, and
interrupted him with:
"Well, well, we have heard enough of the
locusts; we will suppose they helped them
selves to all the corn they wanted tell US
what happened afterward"
To which the story-teller answered, very
deliberately -:
g If it please your majesty, it is impossi-
BILE to tell you what happened afterward
beforeI tell you what happened first"
And then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then
another locust went in and carried off an
other 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
The king listened with unconquerable
patience six months longer, when he again
interrupted him with:
go, friend L am weary with your To-
Gusts How soon do you think they will
have done?''
70 which the story-teller made answer:
go king who can tell? At the time to
which my story has come, the locusts have
cleared away only small space; it may be
cubit, each way around the inside of the
hole, and the air is still dark with locusts
on all sides. But let the king have pa
tience, and, no doubt, we shall come to the
end of them in time"
Thus encouraged, the king listened on
for full another year, the story teller going
on as before: '.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
another locust went in and carried off an
other grain of corn," till at last the poor
king could stand it no longer, and he cried
out:
ooh, man, that's enough take my king
dom take anything everything only let
us hear no more of your abominable To-
custsl"
And so the story teller was married to
the kings 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 rest of
his story until he had done with the locusts.
The unreasonable caprice of the foolish
king was thus over-matched by the ingeni.
Gus device of the wise man.