The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-06-15
The Longest Story Oh Record.

| The following will almost amuse INV one
| who will take the trouble and spare the time
| TO read it through.
There was once certain king, who, like
many Eastern kings, was very fond of hear
| ing stories told. To this amusement he
gave up all his time, but yet he was never
satisfied. The exertions of his courters
were all in vain. He at last made procla
nation that if any man should tell him a
story that should last forever, he would GER
tainly make him his heir, and give the prin
cess, his daughter, in marriage, but if nny
one should pretend he had such story, and
| should lail-that is, il the story did come
to an end-he was to have his head cut off.
For such prize as a beautiful princess
| and kingdom many candidates appeared,
! and dreadful long stories some ofthem told
| Some OF them lasted a week, some month
| and some six months. Poor fellows, they
all spun out as long as they possibly could,
but all in vain. sSooner or later, all came
to an end, and, one after another, the un.
| lucky story tellers had their heads chopped
off. At last came man who said he had
a story that would last forever, if his males.
ty would be pleased to give him trial.
lie warned him 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 ola very composed and de.
liberate Way of speaking, and, after making
all necessary stipulations for his eating.
drinking, and sleeping, he thus began -
ION, king, there was once q king who
was a great tyrant; and, desiring to increase
his riches, he seized upon the corn in his
kingdom, and put it into an immense gran.
airy, which was built on purpose, as hig as
a mountain. This he did for several Years,
until the granary was quite full to the top.
He then stopped, the doors and windows on
all sides. But the bricklayers had, by acci.
dent, left small hole near the top of the
granary, and there came flight of locusts
and tried to get at the corn, but the hole
was so small that 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'anoth.
er grain Of corn, and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain ofcorn.
and then another locust 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
began to be rather tired with his locuss,
and interrupted his story with
swell, well, we have heard enough of
the locus:s; we will suppose they helped
themselves to all the corn they wanted.-
Tell us what happened afterwards
10 which the story-teller answered DELHI.
erately:-
I" If it please your majesty, it is imnossi,
BILE to tell what happened afterwards before
tell what happened first"
And then he went on again." 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, and then another
docust went in and carried off another grain
of corn"
The king listened with unconquerable pa
tience for six months more, when he again
interrupted him with:
"Oh, friend | am weary of your ocusts.
How soon do you think they will have
done?''
To which the story teller made answer:
sob king, who can tell? At the time
to which my story has come the locusts have
cleared small place; it mag be a cubit
each way round the hole, and the air is still
dark with locusts on all sides. But let the
king have patience, and no doubt we shall
have come to the end of them in time"
Thus encouraged, the king listened on for
another full year, the story.teller going on
still as before.
'And 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 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 anothe; locust went in
nd I'D of ha, &c,
At last the poor king could stand it no
longer and cried out:
'Oh, man, that is enough! Take my
daughter, take my kingdom, take anything,
everything, only let me hear no more Of
the abominable locusts.'
And SO the story.teller was married to
the kings daughter, and was declared heir
to the throne, and nobody expressed aswish
to hear the rest of the story, for he said il
was impossible to come to the other part OF
it till he had done with the locusts.