Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-01-02

SCOW on MIN q numD0r anu q place II
the royal register"
lowed suit, and the unhappy l sank
beneath the glowing storm of theil
| eyes
What number shall we give him p
said the king, pensively. " Fetch hithel
the register"
A small detachment of subjects car
ried in with difficulty $500 volumes
and the four secretaries set to work with
will.
After looking for some hours, one oi
| the secretaries, with q low bow, an
nounced all were occupied-that the
| last number used was 9,999 ,999, and
| that therefore the newcomer must be
9O,OO0,OOO.
The king for one moment foamed at
| the mouth then, recovering his speech,
| flew at the secretary (71032), and, tear
| ing off his number, cried:
"The traitor has dared to propose
that this stranger, this indivisib1e boy,
shall henceforth become one of the
royal family-one of the nearest to our
own person"
Every one hooted 1882, who hid be-
hind his fellow secretaries to escape the
popular storm.
mo" continued the prince, some
other plan must be thought of. Who
ever brings, before tomorrow at noon,
an unoccupied number, not over SO, $685.
999, for this boy, shall have a nought
added to his name"
The people shouted and Withdrew :;
but Tommy, who had never before
looked on royalty, fingered behind to
rooms and grand company.
Tho EipU continual his diotatio
never observing the absence of 1902 !;
so every 4th chapter of the novel was
missing; but this, of course, only made
it the more interesting.
Tommy's curiosity soon got the better
of his manners, and he interrupted them
with,
"What did you have for dinner 2
what's your name? and how old are
you 2"
Boy" said the prince, "you are as
yet unnumbered."
Well, come now, that amt my fault,
you know" argued Tommy.
The king had never seen it in this
light before, and his face grew milder
and more gentle, SO Tommy dared to
add,
What's your name, or number ?'
"I," said the king, with pride, " 1 am
the Innumerable Nought."
Whatever is that 2" thought Tommy;
but he didn't ask, only went on to him.
self, Thought into nought, nought re.
mains; multiply by nought, and then
divide by nought, and the answer is
nought." But he soon became confused
and gave it up.
You do not seem to understand
And so saying, the king unwound
from his waist white satin scarf of
in1n OF
broidered in gold thread an endless sue
cession of noughts-thus, 000000O0, etc.
Tom looked at him with awe.
"What divides your" he asked, re-
peatipg the current phrase, and acting
up to the spirit of that proverb which
advises you what course to pursue when
you find yourself in the city of the
seven hills.
"Everyt, ingp was the proud reply
on which Tommy resumed his former
calculations, and relapsed into tenn
porary state of hopeless imbecility.
n x
No. 1, and Tommy both passed rest
less and feverish night; but ere they
left for Arithmetical Progression in the
morning, the mind of No. was made
nought; and being thus promoted to 10
(while the original of that number was
degraded to his humble position), he
would have no less than three servants.
"And which of you," asked the In
Vulnerable Nought, "has thought of a
number to bestow on this waif of the
skies ?"
His majesty piqued himself on the
poetical turn of his sentence.
"Please sir, have.'' And I stepped
forwsrd with little bow and flourish.
Well," said o, cycling him scorn-
fully, proceed"
40, o the intimate, what if he should
be a fraction ?'
ga what ?" asked chorus of voices.
What in the world of numbers do you
mean ?'
"May I never be divided" said the
king, eff can understand youl'
No. began to explain what frac-
should be ].
And l should not have dared to pro-
pose this if it had not been that the
wretched boy had hitherto been num-
berless, and therefore half a loaf would
be better than no bread.'
The king, ever ready to encourage
talent, by his example, and to reward
it lavishly with smiles, held out his
hand to No. 1, who knelt and humbly
kissed it.
Your ingenuity is-as virtue ever is
its own reward. You are no longer
the lowest in the kingdom; for Tommy
Spratt-'' THAT young gentleman had
been careful, in the absence of any num-
Der to which he could lay claim, to in
form them of his name), "for Tommy
Spratt takes his place as the slave of
slaves and divisor of l.
Tommy was about to weep-he had
actually gone SO far as to lift his cuff
for the purpose of drying his eyes, when
thought struck him.
"And where's + then? He'd divide
me, and I, and 1-16, and 1-32, and 1-64?
he went on, taking spiteful delight in
seeing the grand blank of incomprehen-
sion which overspread the features of
his listeners. "And 1 dare say, if the
truth was known, you're some of your
fractions yourselves"
YOUTH" said the king, in tone OF
the utmost severity, " be silent p
And have heard, ~. ".eentinued Tom
my, whose hiherto-despised and hated
arithmetic began to stand him in good
stead, and l have heard tell of deci.
mails, and if you are innumerable, be-
lieve you're neither more nor less than