The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-29
The Wish Ring.

co, i"' Aher VINO was very unlucky
SAY say on MS plow moment to rest, and
pl Juss ,hen an Old woman crept past aud
Slied why do you 90 on drudcing
Gay and night without reward ? Walf
Two uays TIL you come to great fir.tree
mat stands all alone in the forest and
o'ertops all other trees. If YOU can hcw
II down, you will make your fortune"
N0t waiting to have the advice repe,t i.
ed, the farmer shouldercd his ay and
started on his journey. And sure enough
a'ter tramplng two days, he came to the
lt,tree, which he instantly prepared to
I"s down: Just as the tree swaved, and
ouiore IL leii with a crash, there dropped
OUT OF us branches nest containing Two
eggs. lhe eggs rolled to the ground and
oroke, and there darted out of one a
young eagle and out of the other rolled
aa.goid ring The eagle grew larger. as
if by enchautment, and when il rearbt %
:He III size OF a man, it spread its wings as
a 70 ry their strength, then, soaring up
"afd, II cried: You have rescued me :;
take as reward the ring that lay in the
Nher egg it is wishring. Turn it on
your hnger twice, aud whatever your wish
~, 1t shall be fulfilled. But remember
tnere ls but single wish in the ring.
NO sooner IL that granted than it loses lis
power and is only an ordinary ring.
therefore, consider 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 over
the farmers head few times, then dart.
cd, like an arrow, toward the east.
Inc iatmer took the ring, placed it on
his finger, and turned on his way homo.
ward. Toward evening, he reached a
town where ajeweler sat in his shop
behind a counter on which lay many
costly rings fer sale. The farmer showed
his own, and asked the merchant it's val.
ue.
1T isn't worth straw" the jewcler
answered.
Upon that the farmer laughed very
heartily, and told the man that it was a
wishring, and of greater value than all
the rings in the shop together.
The jeweer was a wicked, designing
man, and so he invited the farmer to re-
man as his guest over night. "For," he
explained, only to shelter man who
owns wishring must bring luck"
sc, he treated his guest to wine and fair
words; and that night, as 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 10 resemble the wishring.
lie next morning the jeweler was all
impatlence to have the farmer begone.
lie awakened him at cooke crow, and
said You had better go, for you have
still long journey before you"
AS soon rs the farmer had departed,
the jeweler closed his shop, put up the
shutters, so that no one could peep in,
bcted the door behind him, and, stand.
ing III the middle of the room, he turned
the ring and cried: II wish instantly to
possess million gold pieces !"
NO sooner said than the great, shining
gold pieces came pouring down upon
him in golden torrent over his head,
shoulders, and arms. Pitifully he cried
for mercy, and tried to reach mud unbar
the doors but before he succeeded, 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 jeweler and his money sank
through to the cellar. The geld still
poured down til! the million Tas com.
P'SNSI aio viz JS"SiSi 10y uStA III lut
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 ex-
claimed: "Douhly 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.
''Henceiorth we shall never more be in
want, dear wife," he said. "Our fortune
is made. Only We uiust be very careful
to consider we'll just what we ought TO
WISH"
The formers wife. of course, proffered
advice. Suppose" said she, "that we
wish for that bit of land that lies between
our two felds?"
THAT isn't worth while," her husband
replied. "If we work hard for q year.
we'll earn money enough to buy it,"
So the two worked very hard, and at
harvest time they had mover raised such
a crop before. They had earned money
and moro 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 WE'LL"
The farmers wife then suggested that
they had better wish for q COW and
horse. But the man replied: "Wife,
why waste our wish on such trifles2 The
horse and COW we'll get anyway"
Sure enough, in years time the
money for the horse and cow had been
earned. Joyfully the man rubbed his
hands. 'The wish is saved again this
year, and yet we have what we desir"
How lucky we arev'
But now his wife seriously adjured him
10 wish tor something at last. Now that
you have wish to be granted" she said,
"you slave and toll, and are content with
everything. You might be King, Em-
peror, baron, even gentleman farmer,
with chests overaowing with gold; but
you don't know what You want"
"We are young and life is lcng," he
answered. "There is only one w;sh in
the ring, and that is easily said. Who
knows but some time we may sorely need
this wish7 Are we in want of anything :?
Have we not prospered, to all peoples
astonishment since we possessed this
ring7 De reasonable and patient for
awhile. In the meantime, consider what
we really ought to wish for"
And that was the end of the matter.
It really seemed as if the ring had
brought blessing into the house. Gre
N q r;oo and harna Syara fnll IN ovp rf10wiDp