The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-06-26
THE WAY OF THE WORLD.


straight, and slender as he wanted, till
he came high up under great heap of
stones. There he heard groans and
means as though some one were at
deaths door. So he went up to see
who it was that needed help, and then
he heard that the noise came from I'M
der Il great fiat stone which lay upon the
heap. 1t was so heavy it would have
taken many a man to lift it. But the
man went down again into the wood
and cut down q tree, which he turned
into lever, and with that he tilted up
the stone, and 10! out from under it
crawled Dragon, and made at the man
to swallow him up. But the man said
he had saved the Dragons life, and it
was shameful thanklessness in him to
want TO eat him up.
MAY be, !" said the Dragon; "but you
might very well know / must be starry
ed when | have been here hundreds of
years and never tasted meat. Besides,
its the way of the world-that's how it
pays its debts"
The man pleaded his cause stoutlv,
and begged prettily for his life and at
last they agreed to take the firsF living
thing that came for daysmaIi. and il
his doom went the other way the man
should not lose his life. but if he said
the same as the Dragon, the Dragon
should eat the man.
The first that came was an old hound
who ran along the road down below
under the hillside. Him they spoke to,
and begged him to be judge.
''God knows" said the hound. 'have
served my master truly ever since l was
little whelp. l have watched and
watched many and many night through
while he lay warm asleep on his ear.
and have saved house and home from
fire and thieves more than once: but
now | can neither see norhear anv more
and he wants to shoot me. And so |
must run away, and stink from house to
house, and beg for my living till / die
of hunger. No! it's the way of the
world, said the hound that's how il
pays its debts"
Now | am coming to eat YOU up
said the Dragon, and tried to swallow
the man again. But the man begged
and prayed hard for his life. till they
agreed to take the next conner for q
Judge; and if he said the same as the
Dragon and the hound, the Dragon was
to eat him. and get meal of man S
meat; but If he did not say so, the man
was to get off with his life.
So there came an old horse limping
down along the road which ran under
and settle the dispute. Yes; he was
quite ready to do that.
''Now, | have served my master, "
said the horse, s. as long as l could draw
or carry. L have shaved and strived for
him till the sweat trickeled from every
hair, and L have worked till | have
grown lame, and halt, and worn out
with toll and age now / am fit for
nothing. l am not worth my food, and
so l am to have bullet through me, he
says. Nay! nay! it's the way of the
world. That's how the world pays its
debts"
''Well, now I'm coming to eat YOU
said the Dragon, who gaped wide, and
wanted to swallow the man. But he
begged hard for his life.
But the Dragon said he must have a
mouthful of mans meat he was so hun
CRY, he couldn't bear it any longer.
See, yonder comes one who looks
as if lie was sent to be a judge between
us, the man, as he pointed to Reynard
the fox, who came stealing between the
stones of the heap.
All good things are three" said the
man; ''let me ask him, too. and
if he gives doom like the others, eat me
up on the spot"
every WELL" said the Dragon. He.
three, and so it should be bargain So
the man talked TO the fox as he had
talked to the Others
eyes, YES" said Reynard :; 81 see how
it all is :" but as he said this, he took the
man little on one side.
"What will you give nae if free YOU
from the Dragon 2" he whispered into
the mans ear.
you shall be free to come to my
house, and to be lord and master over
my hens and geese, every Thursday
night" said the man.
"'Well, my dear Dragon" said Rev
nard, this is a very hard nut to crack.
l can't get it into my head how YOU.
who are so big and mighty a beast.
could find room to lie under yon stone. .
Cant you?" said the dragon; .'well
L lay under the hillside, and summed my
self, and down came a landslide, and
hurled the stone over me-
''All very likely, / dare saw" said
Reynard but still can't understand it,
and, what's more, | won't believe it till
/ see it.
So the man said they had better prove
it, and the Dragon crawled down into
the hole again but in the twinkling OF
an eye they whipped out the lever, and
down the stone crashed again on the
| Dragon.
'Lie now there till Doomsday," said
the fox. You would eat the man,
would you, who saved your life ?"
The Dragon groaned, and moaned.
and begged hard 10 come out; but the
two went their way, and left him alone
The very first Thursday night Rev
nard came to be lord and master over
the hen roost, ann hid himself behind q
great pile of wood hard by. When the
maid went to feed the fowls, in stole
Reynard. She neither saw nor heard
lanything of him; but her back wa.
scarce turned before he sucked blood
enough for week. and stuffed himself
| so that he couldn't stir. So when she
game again in the morning. there Rey-
nard lay, and snored, and slept in tn,
morning sun, with all four legs stretch
ed straight; and he was as sleek anC
round as German sausage.
Away ran the lassie for the goodv. an(
she came. and all the lassies with her
with sticks and brooms to beat Reynard
and. to tell the truth, they nearly bang
ed the life out him; but Just as it wa
talmost all over with him, and he though
his last hour was come, he found a hol,
in the floor, and so he crept out anC
limped and hobbIed off to the wood.
\ '-Oh. oh" said Reynard "how true i
is IT'S the way of the world and thi
is how it pays its debt. a Week
1t is said that for some months priol
TO his visit to this country, Mr.. Dicken
had been engaged upon story which
he intends shall be the greatest of hi
, works, and his return is FASTENED by hi
ldesire to complete it. In conversation
with gentleman of ALBANY he recent,