The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-12-30
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TmRM s.
THE LoxaEsT s sTo5iRY ON RECORD.

| 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 satisfied. The
exertions of his courtiers were all in
vain. He at last made proclamation
that if any man should tell him story
that should last forever, he would
certainly make him his heir and give
him the princess, his daughter in
marriage, but if any, one should pre-
tend he had such a story and should
lail-that is, if the story did come to
an end-he was to have his head cut
off. '5e .iid -a.s-liE.5s .4'-.'al. ''.
For such a price as beautiful prin-
cess and a kingdom, many candidates
appeared, and dreadful long stories
some of them told. Some lasted a
week, some a month, and some six
months. Poor fellows, they all spun
them out as long as they possibly
could, but all in vain. Sooner orlater
they all came to an end, one after an
other, and the unlucky story tellers
had their heads chopped off. at last
came man who said that he had q
story that would last forever, if his
majesty would be pleased to give him
a trial. He was warned of his dan
ger; they told him how many others
| had lost their heads, but he said he
was not afraid land so he was brought
before the king. He was man of a
very composed and delibe rate way of
speaking, and after making all the
necessary stipulations for his eating,
drinking and sleeping; he thus began;
"Oh, king there was once 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 granery, which was built
on purpose, as mountain. This he
did forseVeral years, until the granery
was quite full to the top. He then
stopped the doors and windows on all
sides. But the bricklayers had by
accident, left a very small hole near :
the top of the granery; and there came
a flight of locusts, and tried to get-.at
the corn, but the hole was so small
that only one locust could pass
through at a time. So one locust
went in and carried off one grain of
corn, and then an other locust went
in and carried off another grain of corr,
and 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 ahother locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn" --.s'
He had gone on thus from morning
till night, except when he was en-
gagged at t'hisfmeaIs1 for about month
when the king began to be rather
tired of his locusts, and interrupted ,
his story with: 80 .i".@.i'' -,
swell, well, we have heard enough
of the locusts, we will suppose they
helped themselves to all the corn they
wanted. Tell US what happened after
ward. "f"aN .-5lSa r.s.. f.t.ss =. 'as
TO whiehsthe story-teller answered
deliberately; "Ifit please your mai
esty, it is impossible to tell what hap
pened afterward before l tell you
what happened first" -.
And then he went on again: 'And
then another locust went IN and car
ried 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
carried off another grain of corn, and
then, auother locust went in and
carried off another grain of corn" 49,.
The King listened with unconquer-
able patience for six months more,
when he againinterrupted him with:
Oh! friend! l am weary of your
locusts. How soon do you think
they will have done?" ..s... ......
To which the story-teller made an
swer: "Oh, King! who can tell2 AT
the time to which my story has come
the loeusts have cleared small place;
it may be cubit each way round the
hole, and the air is still dark with To-
Gusts on all sides. But let the King
have patience, and no doubt we shall
have come to the end of them in
time" -. ,,s.-. ...........z-..
Thus encouraged, the King listened
ON for another full year, the story-tel-
ter going, on still as before: .-.,..., r..
"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 car
ried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went in and car
sied off another grain of corn."2 -.
AT last the poor King could stand
it no longer, and cried out; -
"Oht man, that is enough, so take
nay daughter, take my kingdom, take -
any thing, every thing, only let me
hear no more OF the abominable To-,
Gust" -.....
And so the story-teller was married
to the Kings daughter and was de-
clare ! heir to the throne, and nobody
ever expressed wish to hear the rest
of the story, for he said it was impos-
sible to come to the other part of it
till he had doue with the loeusls.
----sSeS-- .- t-.
ROMEO ON THE RAMPAGE ..
The elephant Romeo" who has al
ready killed three keepers, has again
been on the rampage in Indiana. The
occasion was an attempt to separate
Romeo from the society of the female %
where he had come by chance