The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-05
THE WISH-RING.


and cried: why do you go on drudg- |
ing day and night without reward? |
Walk two days till you come to a great |
fir-tree that stands all alone in the
forest and oyertops all other trees. If |
you can hew it down, you VIII make
your fortune.
Not waiting to have the advice re-
peated, the farmer shouldered his AK
and started on his journey. Sure
enough, after tramping two days, he
came to the fir-tree, which he instantly
prepared to cut down. just as the tree
swayed, and before it fell with crash,
there dropped out of its branches nest
containing two eggs. The eggs rolled
to the ground and broke, and there
darted out of one a young eagle and
out of the other rolled gold ring. The
eagle grew larger, as if by enchantment,
and when it reached the size of a man,
it spread its wings as if to try their
strength, then, soaring upward, it
cried: ''You have rescued me; take as
reward the ring that lay in the othor
egg; it is wish-ring. Turn it on your
finger twice, and whatever your wish
is, it shall be fulfilled. But remember
there is but single wish in the rinS
No sooner is that granted than it loses
its power and is only an ordinary ring
Therefore, consider well what you de-
sire, so that you may never have reason
to repent your choice" So speaking,
the eagle scared high in the air, circled
over the farmers head few times,
then darted, like an arrow, toward the
east.
The farmer took the ring, placed it
on his finger, and turned ON his way
homeward. Toward evening, he
reached a town where a ieweler sat in
his shop behind counter on which lay
many costly rings for sale, The farmer
showed his own, and asked the mer-
chant its value.
ut isn't worth straw" the jeweler
answered.
Upon that the farmer laughed very
heartily, and told the man that it was
wish-ring, and of greater value than all
the rings in the shop together
The jeweler was a wicked. designing
man, and so he invited the farmer to
remain as his guest over night. For, >
he explained. ''only to shelter a man
who owns a wish-ring must bring
luck
So he treated his guest to wine and
fair words; and that night, rs the
farmer lay sound asleep. the wicked
man stole the magic ring. from his
finger and slipped on, in its place,
common one which he had made TO re-
semble the wish-ring.
| The next morning the iewcler was all
impatience to have the farmer begone.
He awakened him at cock-crow, and
said: you had better 60, for YOU have
still a long journey before you.
As soon as the farmer had departed,
the ieweler closed his shop, put up the
shutters, so that no one could peep in,
bolted the door behind him, and stand
ing in the middle of the room, he
turned the ring and cried: II wish in
stantly to possess a million gold
pieces!'
No sooner said than the great, shin
inc gold pieces came pouring down
upon him in golden torrent over his
head, shoulders and arms. Pitifully be
cried for mercy, and tried to reach and
unbar the door; but before he succeed
cd, he stumbled and fell bleeding to the
ground As for the golden rain, it
never stopped till the weight of the
metal crushed the floor, and the ieweler
and his money sank through to the eel
lar. The gold still poured down till
the million was complete and the jew
eler lay dead in the cellar beneath his
| treasure.
The noise, however, alarmed the
neighbors, who came rushing over to
see what the matter was; when they
saw the man dead under his gold, they
exclaimed: ''Doubly unfortunate is he
whom blessings kill" Afterward, the
heirs came and divided the property.
In the meantime, the farmer reached
home in high spirits and showed the
ring to his wife.
.'Henceforth we shall never more be
| in want, dear wife" he said. ''Our
fortune is made Only we must be very
careful to consider well just what we
ought to wish.
The farmers wife, of course, proffered
advice Suppose. said she. THAT we
wish for that bit of land that lies be-
tween our two fields?"
THAT isn't worth while, her hus-
band replied. IF we work hard for a
year, we'll earn enough money to buy
it."
So the two worked very hard. and at
harvest time they had never raised such
a crop before. They had earned money
enough to buy the coveted strip OF land
and still have bit TO spare. ''See,
said the man. '.we have the land and
the wish as well. "
The farmers wife then suggested that
they had better wish for a COW and a
horse. But the man replied: Nv lie,
| why waste our wishon such triflesp The
horse and COW wen get anyway"
Sure enough, in a years time the
money for the horse and COW had beer
earned. Joyfully the man rubbed hi:
hands. 1.-The wish is saved again this
year, and yet we have what we desire
How lucky we arei''
But now his wife seriously adiureC
him to wish for something at last
| ..Now that you have wish to be grant
ed she said, you slave and toll, anG
are content with everything. Yol
might be King, Emperor, baron, even
gentleman farmer, with chests overflow
ing with gold; but you don't know wha
you want.
I'VE are young and life is long, b
answered. There is only one wisl
in the ring, and that is easily said
Who knows but some time we ma,
sorely need this wishp Are we in wan
of anythingp Have we not prospered
TO all peoples astonishment since w
possessed this ring? Be reasonable an'