Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-11-04


ooh! King, live forever; but then
must seek one who Is more worthy and
Can better appreciate the honor thou
wouldst ocnier on thy servant, for to me
my wife AID child are dearer than tie
possession of the whole world without
them"
King Solomon dismissed the man,
and then made the addition to the ttSi
in his Book # Wisdom: Bat one
mau among Thousand have l found"
To avoid suspicion, hlug Solomon
did not in any manner alter in his de-
meanor toward his proteges, and some
time after putting his man TO the test.
al invitation was sent to the woman
from the princesses to be present at the
scdding OF one If the sisters of the
King. Daring the festivities, King
Solomon found opportunities for pri-
vate interview with the young wife,
whom he had decided to put to the test
" fSi|HouSO DIG, DO hcli hb EtE nus
band might prove to be the one among
thousand. The King tffered to make
ner bis wife and queen Of the land, if
she would only put her husband out of
the way. The woman at first refused,
indignantly; but, carried away by the
surrounding magnliiceIce. the fattt ries
Of the great King and tne conrtiers. sh.
nesitatej, and replied that she had no
means of Kidding herself of her hus-
oand except that Of deserting him.
The KING informed her that such q
course would create too much scandal
and would not be counteIanced in the
future queen, and dead men made no
complaint. To make it easy for her,
the King would lend her his own
sword, which was endowed with sufli
cient magical Qualities to enable it to
, slay almost without the aid of human
hsnas-,he will 10 do the deed being
absolutely necessary; consequently,
she might strike lightly and accomplish
her purpose. Tue King further eau
toned her against tampering with the
edge, and bade her not examine it or
remove it from the scabbard till the
moment for action arrived.
The festivities lasted for many DAYS.
The splendor aud msgniticeuce of the
surroundi. gs, the 6Attery, the adula
lion offered to the Kings protege. al!
combined to make the return to the
routine Of daily domes life at home
tame and dull by comparison. The
young wife brooded over the difference
Of The actual and what might be, ana
gradually came to the conclusion tia,
she was Lot sufficiently appreciated i'll
the home circle, and that she had only
now aUoke to the possibilities of her
talents, her beauty, and her hearl.
Her husband had been absent for sew
eral days, indulging in tie pleasures
Of the chase, and returning home one
day, heated, fstigued, and dusty, he
threw himself down on one Of the
silken coucbes and fell asleep. Unfor-
tunately for the wearied man. he had
not sought his wife's presence on his
arrival, but merely hidden tue domes-
tic give her notice of the same; and
what was still worse. owing to tempo
rary uneasy position, was snoring
loudly. Already worked up to an un-
healthy state Of mind. this circumstance
proved the last drop that made her cup
! of discomfort overflow. The K,ug,
she muttered to herself, would never be
seen in such position asleep, travel.
stained and snoring. My husband
cares not for me, for had he loved me
bis frat thought, on his return, would
have been Of NE, while, as it is. he
only seeks his own ease. Were the
queen. the King would treat me differ
emily. Oa the angry impulse of the
moment, she decided that the opportu.
nifty was most favorable for riddinp
herself OF the obstacle to q throne and
devoted and admiring royal spouse.
Hastily fetching the sword the King
had given her, she unsheathed it and
aimed at her husbands throat, as he
lay with his head thrown back. For
tunately for the sleeping man, q mos.
quito at that moment stung him. and
he moved quickly, which brought the
blow intended for bis neck upon his
shoulder with the full force caused by
the excitement under which his wife
was laboring. This had the effect of .
sudden, il not pleasant awakening Of
more than one kind.
II know" said the awakened man,
who took in the situation at q glance,
"whose work this is, my wife. 1t is
that of King Solomon"
The next day the young wife repaired
to the palace, taking the sword with
her. She requested audience OF the
King. which was Immediately granted
Have you accomplished the Decd"
inquired King Solomon. "and are you
here now to claim the fulfilment of my
promise?".
II have come" replied the exasper
ated woman, "to inform thee that,
king as thou art, thou art as deceitful
as any other man. In place OF the
sword whose magical qualities would
enable it to sIsy without the aid of
human hands. thou gsvest me blunt
old instrument, which hath no edge st
all, and didst employ thy arts to make
me play the fool, and lose the conf
dence Of my husband for the rest of our
married existence, no matter what ex.