Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1883-10-04
THE WISH-RING.

a young farmer who was very un
| lucky sat OH his plow moment to rest
and Just then an old woman crept pas
and cried: "Why do you go on drudgin.
day and night without reward? Wall
two days till you come to a great fr-tre'
that stands all alone in the forest anC
overtops all other trees. If you can hev
it down, you will make your fortune"
! Not waiting to have the advice re.
repeated, the farmer shOuldered his axe
and started on his journey. Sure enough
after tramping two days, he came to the
! tir-tree, which he instantly prepared to
cut down. Just us the tree swayed, and
before it fell with crash, there drop
ped out of its branches ii nest contain.
ing two eggs. The eggs rolled to the
ground and broke, and there darted out
of one young eagle and out of the 9TH
er gold ring. The eagle grew larger.
AS if by enchantment, and when it
reached the size of man, it spread its
wings as if to try their strength, then
soaring upward, it cried: Ou have
rescued me take as reward the ring
that lay in the other egg; it is wish
whatever your wish is, it shall be full
filled. But remember there is but sim
gle 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, so that you
may never have reason to repent your
choice So speaking, the eagle SCARED
high in the air. circled ever the farmer 3
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 reach
ed a town where jeweler sat in his
shop behind connter. on which lay
many costly rings for sale. The farmer
showed his own, and asked the mer-
chant its value.
at isn't worth a straw" the jeweler
answered.
Upon that, the farmer laughed very
heartily, and told the man that it was
wish--ing, and of greater value than all
the rings in the shop together.
The jeweler was wicked, designing
man, and 50 he invited the farmer to re-
main as his guest over night. For he
explained, "only to shelter man who
owns wish-ring must bring luck"
So he treated his guest to wine and
fair words; and that night, as the farm
er lay sound asleep, the wicked man
stole the magic ring from his finger and
slipped on, in It's place, a common one
which he had made to resemble the
wish-Ting.
The next morning, the jeWeler was all
to have the farmer begone.
He awakened him at cock-crou, dad
said: you had better GO, for you have
still 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: Il wish instantly to
possess million gold piecesl'
No sooner said than the great, shining
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 succeeded, he
stumbled and fell bleeding to the ground.
AS for the golden rain, it never stopped
floor, and the jeWsler and his money
through to the cellar. The gold still
poured down till the million was COM
plete, and the jeweler lay dead in the
cellar beneath his treasure.
The noise, however, alarmed the neigh |
bors, who came ruShtng over to see
what the matter was; when they SAW
the dead man under his gold, they ex-
claimed: "Doubly unfortunate lie 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 for |
tune 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 husband
replied IF we work hard for q year,
we'll earn enough to buy It,"
So the two worked very hard, and at
harvest time they had never raised such
l crop before. They had earned money
enough to buy the coveted strip of land
md still have bit to spare, "See,"
said the man, 1--WE have the land and
he wish as WELL"
The farmers wife then suggested that
hey had better wish for COW and
lorse. But the man replied: "Wife, why
waste our wish on such trltles? The
lorse and cow we'll get anyway"
Sure enough, in years time the
money for the horse and'cow had been
armed. Joyfully the man rubbed his
lands. "The wish is saved again this
ear, and yet we have what we desire.
low lucky we are
But now his wife seriously adjured {
i'm to wish for something at last. Wow
hat you have wish to be granted"
he said, "you slave and toll and are {
ontent with everything. You might be
ing, emperor, baron, even gentleman I
armer, with chests overlooking with )
old; but you don't know what you l
'ant." q
ave are young and life is long," he q
nswered There is only one wish in S
ie ring, and that is easily said. Who d
nows but sometime we may sorely
eed this wish? Are we in want of
nything? Have we not prospered, to
i peoples astunishment, since we pos t
,ssed this ring? Be reasonable and /