New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-30

deformed. The knight was beside him
self with rage and horror. Orator ant
ingrater he cried, thy death shall avengt
the misfortune of my son." And drawing
his sword he plunged it into the breast o
Theos. But to the establishment of all
the wounded man neither staggered no
fell. Such things are of little account tt
great magician. He quietly drew on
the sword, saying, at is stained with thu
blood of an honest man." And SO, will
forgiving smile, be disappeared, no one
knew whittier, For many years he wal
unheard of. Some thought that the
wound had killed him, and served hin
right
The rest of the company soon departed
in no very gay mood; but, as you may
suppose, none of them bearing the bur.
den of sorrow that weighed down the
hearts of the young parents. Their JOY
changed into grief, their happiness turned
to shame, their only son hunchback!
But the young husband and wife re.
solved to hide their misfortune, and the
better to accomplish this, they prayed God
to send them another son. In another
year this prayer was granted.
They took good care to ignore the ma
gician at the baptismal fete Of this second
child. The boy was straight, as well as
strong as strong and beautiful. He had
also the lovely hair of golden tint, with
the sapphire eyes and pearly teeth of his
| unlucky brother. Thus he was received
| with q welcome as warm as the one that
| he had greeted the heir. He soon became
the most important parsonage in the cha
teau. Everybody waited on his looks
obeyed his commands humored his Ca
prices. The deformed boy was given en-
tirely to the care of an old servant, who
fortunately was devoted to him; so he
grew apace in his poor, crooked way.
Sometimes the beautiful proud mother,
moved by an impulse of natural affection,
came on tip-toe to the door of the boys
chamber, praying God TO give her courage
to embrace her son, but when she saw the
little fellow with the terrible hump on mis-
back, crouched in corner, she always
sprang back murmuring, ''Was there ever
anything so dreadful? I can not, can not
kiss him.
''Who is the lady who looks in at my
door," once asked the boy Of the old SER
want.
"Your mother" vas the reply.
"And what is mother?"
"Sbe who brought you into the world,
my boy"
"Wny, then, does she not love me if am
her child It seems to me that she should
care for her own flesh and blood"
''She does not care for you because you
are hunchbacked."
''Is it wrong, then, for me to carry this
hump"
"No, but is a misfortune, and wrong
tune"
Then because my back is round, in
steam of straight, am not to be loved?"
1T seems so, my poor child"
"But you love me, though"
''Yes, with all my heart"
"But why?"
'Just because you are unfortunate"
"And why do you, stranger, love me
for that which causes my mother, who
should care for me most, to hate the sight
of me?"
''The world is so made, my boy"
''Then the world is like me, lily made"
replied Herman, with q smile.
As the boy grew, his infrmity also in
creased, until he was frightfully deformed,
while his brother sprang up into beauti-
ful lad, SO beautiful that they called him
PhGbus. This young gentleman was
quite aware of his good looks, and passed
whole hours in marching up and down be-
lore mirror admiring himself.
The little hunchback also looked in his |
mirror, but only to laugh at his poor
plight. One day he saw some children
playing in the court of the castle, and |
'aid: Il should like to play, too"
"Go down, then," said the old servant.
The child ran off eagerly, but few min |
ties after he came back, his eyes full of |
ears,
"What has happened, demanded the
I'D man. "Tbey made fun of me and |
brew stones. You see am wounded. !
,ut that is nothing. And then they called
ne bad name-'Esop. What does it
mean ?"
''Esop is the name of man"
"Of wicked man. Is it not?"
mo. Master Herman, Esop was q very
,ood man."
why then did they call me Esop?"
"Beeause he was hunchback like
'ou."
"And his hump did not prevent his
rowing to be great mani"
'.But what did he dot"
HE wrote fables, in which the man
vho was physically deformed made moral
ridiculous"
HE was right. And was he born rich?"
mo, he was slave"
"Why then should complain, I who
m free and rich? want to read these
ables, it will amuse me more than play-
ng with children who throw stones at
me-"
The old servant started off to find the
'ook OF fables. The boy was SO delighted
NTH Esop that for several nights he
ardly slept. Then he tried to explain to
is companion what he understood of the
aeaning OF the fables, and the servant
'nnd that his ideas were very good.
$50, SAID Herman, ''my hump does
OF prevent my understanding what this
reat man meant"
.tNo, indeed"
"Are there more books like this? I
ont mean my study books, you know"
ooh, yes; there are great many more" s
''You will bring me some, then?'
"Well, what shall bring?''
mo matter, so that they are good; and,
ind, you must always call me Esop." s
The servant obeyed, and little by little
sop, as be was thenceforward called,
ad through his fathers library. He was
intent with his student life, until one
y, when he happened to see hand n
me young knight splendidly mounted,