McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-10-04
THE W1sH-RING.

A young farmer who was very un
lucky sat on his pillow a moment to rest
and Just then an old woman crept pas
and cried: ssWhy do you go ON drudg
ing day and night without reward
Walk two days till you come to a great
fr-tree that stands alone in the forest
and overtops all other trees. If you
can hew it down, you will make YOU
fortune.'
Not waiting to have the advice re.
peated, the farmer shouldered bis axe
and started on his journey. Sure
enough, after tramping two days, he
came to 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 a 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 gold ring. The
eagle grew larger,a if by enchantment,
and when it reached the size of man,
itspread its wings as if to try its strength,
then, soaring upward, it cried: "You
have rescued me take as a reward the
ring that lay in the other egg: it is a
wish-ring. Turn it on your finger twice,
and whatever your wish is, it shall be
fulfilled. But remember there is but a
single wish in the ring. No sooner is
that granted than il loses its power and
is only an ordinary ring. Therefore,
consider well what you desire, so that
YOU may never have reason to repent
III, kha 10
scared high in the air, eircled over tho
farmers head few times, then darted,
Like an arrow toward the east.
The farmer took the ring, placed it
on bis finger, and turned on his way
honeWard. Toward evening he reached
q town 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 mer-
chant its value.
ssIt isn't worth straw" the jeweler
answered.
Upon that, the farmer laughed very
heartily, and told the man that it was a
wish-ring, and of greater value than all
the rings in the shop together.
The jeweler was wicked, designing
4nan, and so he invited the farmer to
remain as bis guest over night. 'For,"
he explained, s'only to shelter a man
who owns w1sh-ring must bring luck"
So he treated his guest to wine and
fair words; and that night, as the far
s,er 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 resemble the
wishring.
The next morning the jeweler was all
impatience to have the farmer begone.
he awakened him at cock-crow, and
SAID: ssYou had better 90, for you
have Still long journey before you"
AS soon IS the farmer had departed,
The jeweler closed bis shop, put up the
shutters, so that no one could peep in,
bolted the door behind him, and, stand
ing In che middle of the room, he
turned the ring and cried: 81 wish in
SANITY to possess million gold pieces!"
= No sooner said than the great, shin
ing gold pieces came pouring down |
upon him in a golden torrent over his |
head, shoulders, and arms. Pitifully |
he cried for mercy, and tried to reach |
and unbar the door; but before he sue
ceeded, he stumbled and fell bleeding
to the ground. As for the golden rain,
itneFer stopped till the weight of the
metal crushed the floor. and the jeweler
and his money sank through to the Gel
4ar. The gold still poured down till the
million was complete, and the jeweler
say dead in the cellar beneath his treas
me.
The noise, however, alarmed the
aeighbors, who came. rushing over TO
SEQ what the matter was; when they
saw the man dead under his gold, they
exclaimed. ssDoubly unfortunate 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
cling to bis wife.
sfHenceforth we shall never more be
N want, dear wife," he said. Sour
fortune is made Only we must be
very careful to consider well just what
we ought to wish"
The farmers wife, of course, prof
fared advice. 'sSuppose, said she,
tsthat we wish for that bit of land that
lies between our two fields!"
ssThat isn't worth while," her hus-
band replied s'If we work hard for
year, Wen earn enough money to buy