Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1883-10-26
THE WISH-RING.
From October ST. Nicolas.

| II young IdImer " slU WIS very NlIN
lucky sat on his pillow moment to rest,
and just thsa an old woman crept past
and CREDIT "Why do you 90 on drudg-
ing day and night without reward?
Walk two days till you come to great
hr-tree that stands ali alone in the fol-
est and overtops all other trees. # you
can hew it down, you will make your
fortune"
Not waiting to have the advice re-
peated, the farmer shou!dered his AK
AID started on his Journey. Sure
enough, after tramping two days, he
came to the fr-tree, which he instantly
prepared to cut down. Just as the tree
swayed, and before it fell with crash,
there dropped out of it's branches nest
containing two eggs. The eggs rolled to
the ground and broke, and there darted
out OF one young eagle, and out of
the other rolled a gold ring. The
eagle grew larger, IS if by enchantment,
and when it reached the size OF man
it spread its wings as if to try their
streng h; then, soaring upward, it cried:
"Io on have rescued me; take as a re-
ward the ring that lay ON the other egg,
it is a Nish-r ring. Turn it on your finger
twice, and, whatever you wish is, it
shall be fulfilled. But there is but &
single wish in the ring. No sooner is
that granted than it loses its power. and
is only an ordinary ring. Therefore con-
slider we'll what you desire, 80 that you
may never have reason to repent your
choice" So speaking, the eagle scared
high in the air, circied over the farmcf's
head a 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 home
ward. Toward evening he reached a
tow where a jeWeler sat in his shop
behind counter, on which lay many
costly rings for sale. The farmer showed
his own, and asked the merchant its
value.
1T isn't worth straw" the jeweler
answered.
Upon that the farmer laughed very
heartily, and told the man that 1t Was
wish ring, and of greater value than
all the rings in the shop together.
| The jeWeler was wick ID, desi!ning
main as his guest over night, ''For," he
explained, "olly to shelter a man who
owns a wish-riny must bring luck"
SO he treated his guests to wine and
fair words; and that night, as the farm.
er lay sound asleep, the wicked man
stole the magic ring from lis finger and
slipped on, in it's place, q common one
which he had made to resemble the
Wlshring.
The next morning the jeweler was all
impstience to have the farmer begone.
! lie awakened him 1T cOck-crOW, and
said: ''You had better go, for you have
still q long journey before YOU"
| AS soon as the farmer had departed
the jeweler 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
stanlly to possess million gold pieces"
| No sooner SAID than the great shining
gold pieces came pouring down upon
| hun in golden torrent over his head,
shoulders and arms. Pitifully he cried
for ms roy, and tried to reach and I'M
| bar the door; but before he succeeded,
ground AS for the golden rain it never
stopped until the weight of metal
crushed the floor, and the jeweler and
his money sank through to the cellar.
The gold still poured down till the mill
| lion was complete, and the jewe}er lay
dead in the cellar beneath his treasure.
! The noise. however,. alarmed the
neighbors, who came rushing over to
see hat the matter was; when they saw
the man dead under his gold, they ex-
claimed: "Doubly unfortunate he whom
blessings kill" Afterward the heirs
came and divided up 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 for
tune is made. Only we must be very
careful to consider we'll just what We
| wish.' 's.
The farmers :9n wife, Of course, preferred
wish for that bit of land that.lies between
our TWO fields"
"That ism t.worth while," her husband
| replied. eff 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. q bit to- spare:
| ''See"- said the man, >"we, have the land
and wish as well.'
| The farmers wife then. suggested
that they had better wish for a COW
! and a horse. But the man replied:
| "Wife, why waste our wish on such
way" u
Sure enough, in a years time the
| money for the horse and cow had been
| earned. Joyfully the man rubbed his
han s. "The wish is saved again this
| year, and yet we have what we desire.
| How lucky we are"
But now his ife seriously adjured
| him to wish for something at last,
"Now that you have q wish to be grant.
ed, you slave and toll and are content
with everything. You might be King,
! Emperor, Ruler. even q gentleman farm
er, with chests overlooking with gold
but YOU don't know what Won want"
I'VE are young and life is long," he
answered. "There is only one wish in
the ring, and that is easily said. Who
knows but some time we may sorely
need this wish? Are we in want O
anything? Have we not prospered te
all peoples establishment since We pos
sessed this ring? Be reasonable and
Il patient for a while. In the meantime
i consider what we really ought to wish
for."' rs'# .-"4@.
i And that was the end of the matter.
Il It really seemed as if the ring had
Il brought blessing into the house Gran:
!, aries and barns were full to. OVERLOOKING
and in the course of few years the
| poor farmer became rich and portly