Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-09-28


man crept past and cried
Why do you go on drudging day and night
without reward Walk two days until you
come to a great ir.tree that stands all alone in
the forest and overtops all other trees II you
can hew it down you will make your fortune"
Not waiting to have the advice repeated, the
farmer shouldered his axe and started on the
journey. Sure enough, after trsmping two
days. he came to the tir-tree, which he instant
ly prepared to cut down. Just as the tree
swayed, and before it fell with a crash, there
dropped out Of it's 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, as il by enchantment,
and when it reached the size of man, it
spread its wings, as IL to try their strength
then, soaring upward, it cried:
''You have rescued me take as a reward
the ring that lay in the other egg it wish
ring. Turn it on your finger twice, and what
ever your wish is il shall be fulfilled But
remember there is only a single wish in the
ring, and as soon as that is granted it loses its
power and becomes an ordinary ring. There
fore consider well what you desire, 30 that
you may never have reason to repent your
choice"
So speaking, the eagle scared high in the
air. circled over the farmers head a few times,
eAN NANA AoAhSht hho III hAApWf NOMhAu bnO
east
The farmer took the ring, placed it on his
finger, and turned on his way homewaFd. To-
ward evening he reached a town where Jew
eler sat in his shop behind the counter, upon
which lay many costly rings for sale. The
farmer showed his own and asked the Jewell
er its value
''It isn't worth straw" the jeweler repli-
ed.
TTnnn that tho farrnar al yarr baort;I,
aud told the man that it was a wish-ring and
of greater value thar all the rings in his shop
put together.
The jeweler was wicked designing man,
and SO he invited the farmer to remain as mis-
guest over night. 'For, he explained, "only
to shelter man who owns a wish-ring must
bring luck"
So 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, a
common one which he had made to resemble
the wish ring.
The next morning the jeweler was all i'm
patience to have the farmer begone. He
awakened him at cock-crow, saying;
"You had better Co. for you have still a
long journey before you"
As soon as the farmer had departed the
jeweler closed his shop, put up the shutters,
behind him, and, standing in the midnle of
the room, turned the ring on his finger and
cried
II wish instantly to possess a million gold
pieces!"
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 be cried for mercy and tried
to reach and unbar the door but before he
cuonaa1ad ha otr a faI hlaoIino 20
the floor 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 gold still poured
down till the million was complete, and the
jeweler lay dead in the cellar beneath his
treasure.
The noise, however, alarmed the neighbors,
who came rushing over to see what the mat
ter was; and when they saw the man dead
under his gold they exclaimed:
"Doubly unfortunate he whom blessings
kill"
Afterward, the heirs came, and divided the
property.
In the meantime the farmer reached home
in fine spirits, and showed the ring to his
wife.
"Henceforth we shall never 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 ad-
vice.
Suppose, she suggested, "thst we wish for
that bit of land which lies between our two
fields ?"
THAT isn't worth WHILE" her husband re-
piled. ''If we work hard for year We shall
earn enough to buy it,"
So the two worked very hard, and at har-
vest time they had never raised such a crop
hafOra nbav had aarpad uuf fcianf m
buy the coveted strip of land and still have q
bit to spare.
"See, said the man, 1--WE have the land and
the wish as WE'LL"
The farmers wife then suggested that they
had better wish for COW and a horse. But
the man replied:
why waste our wish on such triAes The
horse and COW we'll get anyway"
Sure enough, in years time the money
for the horse and COW had been earned. JOY
fully the man rubbed his hands.
The wish is saved again this year, and yet
we have what we desire" said he How
lucky we are !"
But now his wife seriously adjured him to
wish for something at last
Now that you have wish to be granted"
said she, "you slave and toll and are content
with everything You might be king, emPe,-
ror, baron, even a gentleman farmer, with
chests overlooking with gold; but you don't
know what you want"
'We are young and life is long" he answer
ed, 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 of anything2 Have we not prosper
ed, to all peoples astonishment since We had
this ring? Be reasonable and patient for
while. In the meantime consider what We
really ought to ask for.
And that was the end of the matter.
1t really seemed as if the ring had brought
blessing into the house. Granaries and
barns were full TO overhowing, and in few
years the poor farmer became rich and port
| ly person, who worked with his men in the
field during the day, as il he, too, had to earn
his daily bread but after supper he liked to
sit in his porch, oontented and comfortable,
and return the kindly greetings of the folks
who passed and who wished him respectful
| good-evening.
So the years went by. Sometimes, when
they were alone, the farmers wife would re-
mind her husband of the ring, and suggest
many plans but as he always answered that
they had plenty of time, and that the best
thoughts come last, she more and more rarely
mentioned the ring, and at last the good wo-
man ceased speaking of it altogether.
To be sure, the farmer looked at the ring,
and twirled it as many as twenty times day,
but he was very careful never to wish when
he did So
After thirty or forty years had passed away,
and the farmer and his wife had grown old
and white haired, and their wish was still un-
asked, then was God very good to them and
on the same night they died peacefully and
happily.
Weeping children and grandchildren sur
rounded the two coffins and as one wished
to remove the ring from the still hand as
remembrance, the oldest son said;
"Let our father take his ring into the grave.
There was always mystery about 1t ; perhaps
it was some dear remembrance. Our mother,
too, 80 often looked at the ring-she may have
given il to him when they were young"
So the old farmer was buried with the ring,
which had been supposed to be a wish-ring,
and was not yet it brought as much good
fortune into the house as heart could desire.
October SO. Nicholas.
| Remember aye the ocean deeps are mute;
| The shadows roar.
| Worth is the ocean; fame ID but the bruit
Along theBhore. Schiller.
A teacher in the Chinese SundRy-schOol at