Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-03-15
THE LONGEST STORY ON RECORD.

Tho following oriental story about q
story will amnso almost any one who
Will take the trouble and spare the
llmo to read it through
There WAS once Il certain king, who,
like many Eastern kings, was vory
fond OF hearing stories told. TO this
amusement hc gave up a|l his time,
| but yet he was Eevcr sa,ificd. Tho
cXertions of lis courticrs were all in
vain. llo at last made II proclamation
that il any man, should tell him d
story that would last forever, ho
would certainly make him his heir
aud give him the princess, his
! daughter, in marriage; but if any one
should pretend he had such II stcry
and should f.il-tiat is, if the story
did come to an cnd--iIc was to havo
! his head cut oil.
For such q price as y beautiful prin-
cc:-s and Il kinSslom, nanny candidates
appeared; and dreadful long sto,ie.,
souo Of them told sonc lasted a
week, sOmo month, and sornc six
months. Poor fellows! they all spun
them out as long as they could; but
! all in vain sooner or later they al!
came t. an end, one after another, and
! tho un!ucky story tcllcls had their
heads CHOPPED oil. AT last came man
who said he had q story that woul!
last furcvcr, if his majesty would be
! pleased to give him tlial. lie was
warned Of his darScr; they told him
how many others had tried and lost
their heads but he said he was not
afraid; and 80 ho Was brough! before
! The llis.g. lIc was man Of veiy
conn oscd and deliberate way of speak
ing, and after alling all necessary
stipulations for his eating, drinking Z
and sleeping, he thus began:
GO, king! there was once king
who was great tyrant; and, desiring
TO increase his riches, he seized upon
tho corn in his kingdom and put il
in an immense granary, which was
built on parpnsc rs high q mountain.
! This he did for several years, until the
granary was quite full lie then stop
! ped q, ors and widows on all sides.
But the brickayers had, by accident.
left vo,y SIN all hole Lear the top OF
! the eranary aud there came flight
! of locnsts and tried to get at the corn :;
! but the holo was so small that only
orc went in and carried tff one grain
Of corn, and then another locust went
in and carried off another grain Of
! corn, and thea another locust went in
and carried off another grain OF corn,
and then another locust went in and
carried off another grain tf corn, and
then another locust W eEt In and car
ricd cfl another grain Of corn, and
then another locust went in and car
iied off another grain f corn, and then
anO ssr locust went il and carried eff
another grain Of cyrn."
lIo had gone OIL thus from morning g
till night (except when ho was engag.
cd at his meal~) for al out month,
when the king began to be rather tired
with his locusts, and interrupted him
with
"Wcll, well VIC have heard enough
of the locnsts, we still suppose they
helped themselves to al the corn they
wanted. Toll us whai happened alter.
wards"
To which tic story teller answered
deliberately:
eff it please yur majesty, it is i'm
possible to tell what happened after
wards bofore | tell what happened
first" And then he went on again:
"And thon another locust went in
and carried off another grain Of corn,
aud then another locust went in and
carried off another grain Of corn, and
then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain Of corn, and
then another locust went in and car
ricd off another grain Of corn, and
then, another locust won't in and car
ried off another grain Of corn, and then
another locust went in and carried off
another grain Of corn.
The king listened with unconquer-
able patience for six months more,
when he ageip interrupted him with
go, friend am weary Of your
locusts. How soon do you think they
| will have done? pr
To which the story teller made an.
swer:
30, king {! who can toll At the
time to which my story has come the
loeusts, have cleared small piace-it