Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-05-21

Still the rain OF silver crowns did not
cease, aud soon under the weight OF II
tho floor gave way, sud the unior'
tunate goldsmith and lls money tell
down into deep cellar, Aud still It
ralned on till the hundred thousand
silver crowns were complicated, aud
tho goldsmith lay dead in his cellar
with the mass OF money upon him.
Attracted at last by the noise the
neighbors rushed 10 the SPOT, aud, on
finding tho goldsmith dead under tho
tho money, exclaimed at Is really
a great misfortune when blessings rain
down like cudgels," The heirs came
and divided the spoil
Meantime the farmer went hap
PLY home and showed tho ring to his
wife,
"We shall never want for anything
dear wife," he said, "our fortune is
made. But we must consider well
what We must wish for
The wife had bright idea at
hand"
Met us wish ourselves more land
said she, 1--WE have so little. There
is lust nice strip which stretches into
our field. Let us wish for that
"That would never be worth whlle''
replied the husband, tive have only
to work well Tor year ard have n
moderate share of good luck, and we
can buy it for ourselves
And the man and his wife worked
hard for a whole year, and the harvest
had never been so plenty as that
autumn. SO they were not only able to
buy the strip of land but had money
to spare.
"You sce," said the husband the
land is ours and the wish too
The good woman thought it would
be q capital thing to wish themselves
a COW and horse
"Wite," answered the husband
again clinking the surplus money in
his pocket, "it would be folly to
sacrifice our wish for such a trumpery
thing. We can get the cow and the
horse without that"
And sure enough in another years
time the horse and the COW had been
we'll earned. So the man rubbed his
hands cheerfully and said:
"Another year has passed, and still
the wish is ours, and yet we have all
we want; what good luck we have !
The wife however began to be very
impatient, and tried seriously to enduce
her husband to wish TOR something.
"You are not like your old SELF" she
said Grossly, formerly you were always
grumbling and complaining, and wish
ing for all sorts of things and now,
when you might have whatever you
wanted you toll and work like a slave
are pleased with everything, and let
your best years slip by. You might
be king, emperor, duke, a great rich
farmer with loads of money, but no
YOU can't make up your mind what to
choose"
"Pray do cease continually worry
ing and teasing me" cried the farmer
tive are both of us young and lite is
long. The ring contains but one wish
and that must not be squandered. Who
knows what might happen to us when
we might really need the ring! Do
you want for anything now! Since
the ring has been ours have we not
90 risen in the world that all men mar
vel at us? So do be sensible ano
amuse yourself, ii you like, by think
ing what we shall wish tor
And so the matte, was allowed tc
rest fol the present. 1t really seemed
that the ring brou git blessings on the
house, tor the barn Ind granaries gre"
fuller and fuller from year to year ano
in the course of TIM, the poor farmer
became rich and prosperous one. tie
worked all day with his men as if the
whole world dependsdon it; but in the
evening, when the vesler bell sound
ed. he was always to By seen sitting
, contented and wel-to-d( at his tbres
hold, to be wished "gof evening by
the pass-by. Now an then wher
they were alone end bo one neal
f to hear, the woman still reminded her
! husband of the ring Ad made a.
sorts of propositions tohim. he al
, wavs answered there WI time enough
to think about it, and hat the best
/, idea always occurred to pne last. SC
n she gradually fell into he habit Of
: mentioning it less often, pnd at last Il
rarely happened that thaiug was eve'