St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-06-02
-fnr hr Children.
Jacob and his Donkey.

jacob and his Donkey.
Jacob was the name of IN Arab boy
in the Oriental city of Cairo. He was
poor, and, like most of the poor boys of
that city. his chief ambition was to own
Il donkey and hire him out to the trav
cleI> to go to the pyramids and other
places "f interest i'll the neighhorhood
of CaiIo. As it WAS, he was only the
driver of another mans donkey; that
i. when the animal WAS mounted by
the Traveller, he ran behind, pokIng the
quadrupcd with II sharp stick t" keep
him in II brisk trot.
One day, while Jacob WAS standing
in front OF Shepherds Hotel, in Cairo,
English traveller ON the vcranda beck
oncd to him and asked him why he
looked 81 wisttul. and Jacob answered
that he was unhappy hcranSr he had
no donkey.
And when the Enelishman heard his
story, he called his servant, and told
HIM to bring up Mati>h. which WAS an
old. sleepy donkey. Then he said to
.Jacoh:
Would You he happy if You owned
that donkey, my lad -
"Oh. master. | would he happy with
amy donkey = said Jacob
Then" said the EngliShnlan, "he is
Yours | make him il present to yon.
When he said this, the other travel
eIS gathered around, with smiles ON
their faces. for it appeared that the
En%ll>hniam WAS Il man much given +"
making fun. He told Jacob to get ON
the donkey and ride him up and down
in front of the hotel Il few times. to
show his gait Jacob got astride of
him, and found that he WAS stit1 in the
legs and moved slowly, notWitlStand
in" the sharp pnkcS he gave him with
his stick.
Il shall give the donkey Il name that
will draw custom for Nuu,' said the
EngliShmln is the lad rode mp to the
NcIanda.
Jacob WAS much pleased that his
hcnctact"r should give the donkey Il
name, for he had seen some of his com
pauiom> who hired their donkrys mon,
easily than others on account of tortu-
nate names given t" them 10y Travellers
Il shall he much clad to call him
what my master plca>r>," said Jacob.
''Thcm his name shall he Lightning
said the Em"li>hnan. and the other
travellers laughed
Jacob did not know what Lightning
meant. and he continued to call his
donkcN 10y that name after the English
man went away. He did not have
much difficulty in hiring his donkey
but when the travellers started on THEN
H., I,..l, H.,
bug. and that he had imposed on them
with his animal. so that they only
kept I.ightnim. for few moments. and
the same people never hired twice.
One daN. ~ he lcd his old donkey
toward the hotel vrranla after hcin.
called Il little humhng 10y an angry
traveller. who refused to pay him tol
hire Of half IN hour. he WAS spoken Ia
10y II fat man in IL long black coat. who
told him he ought to call his donkey
Slow coach.
After that. Jacob called him SLOW
coach. not KNOWN" any more about
that name than he did about Lightning
But this change of name. instead of
mchdlug matters. made them worse.
In short. no one would hire his donkey
any more on any condition.. and Jacob
and SLOW coach Mere IL rueful pair, us
they stood idly before the hotel.
One day. as he stood thus. the Prince
oi Wales came out from the vcriIIda
(thc Prince WAS then on his way to the.
Fast lndi">.) mounted SLOW coach. and
rode him two nr three Yards. aud then
got of and took another donkey.
Thrrcupom Jacob bcmoaned his bad
luck in hearing nt an American >ittin"
ON u tilted chair ON the vrranda.
'..Iac"h." said the American. ..yom
donkey shall he hired nS much aS any
other. hut hereafter his nlmc must Ice
the Prince of Wales"
The American had Il certificate drawn
up aud sworn to before the American
Consul in Cairo. To ,,llnA that the Prince
of Wales had, without any doubt
mounted Jacobs donkey and when
the lad wanted to hire the animal to
ANY man. woman or child from England.
al he had to do Was to show this Ger
tIticilr. and they Straightway engaged
him. not Notwithstanding his mspin" gait
and stiff lcG. They engaged him for
whole days. tomdlcd him. and begged
.Iac"h not to poke him up too sharp
from hrhind. They fed him with what .
ever he would eat. and the only draw
back I" the d"nkeH'> pleasant life was
that his tail WAS rluckrd a good deal
for mcmcntor,
Jacob said, and SAYS still. that the
luckirSt day of his life was when he
WIS spoken T." 10y the American gentle
man on IL tilted chair. 81. Nicholas.