The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-09-09
-eENIUsGoepEKLb0M

believed everybody who piques himself OF
d being a genius; SNt We cannot trust them;
first order OF g~sniases. Hewas only q poo
= scamp sei 1. senipe who, eat in the assembl,
y Of eenii only by right Of birth and on suffer
ance pftAegeIdf WNS We're such in their owl
= right. 6ss*- time he presented himsel
among them he bore az device on his it'll
Z fferemQnial banner: do right, come wha'
nay. So they all named him the Geniul
Goodfelow.
Far away and long ago lived a rich dow
:, ager whose name has been forgotten. tn,
good dame had lost her son and her youn,
daughterin-law, and had left to consoll
70 her old age only her grandson and grand
daughter, who seemed created to rejoice tn.
eye; for Painting herself, who aspires te
: surpass the works OF God, has made moth
. was named Sapphire, and the girl, two
q years younger, Amethyst. It is believed
: that these names had been given them be
: cause OF the color of their eyes, the sapphire
being a beautiful stone of a transparent
!, blue while the amethyst shades to violet.
: You would have to look a long time be-
= fore finding as good a woman as this grand
q mother; she was even too good, which is an
extreme into which women readily fall
. when they take the pains to be good at all.
! This risk, however, is not sufficiently COM
mon to cause great u~neasiness. To avoid
confusion then we will call this lady 'Too-
!, good"
Toogood loved her grandchildren so much
that she brought them up as if she had not
loved them at all: She allowed them to
follow all their whims, never spoke to them
OF study, and played with them to renew
their pleasure when they wearied of play.
The result was that they knew almost
nothing, and would nave known nothing at
all had they not had the curiosity of all
children.
Now, Toogood was an dc friend Of the:
genius Goodfellow. whom she had met some
where in her youth, but probably not at
court. She often blamed herself in their
private Conversations for not having SUI
ficient strength OF character to instruct the
two charming little creatures who would
soon be without her in the world. The
genius had promised her to attend to it
when his affairs would permit; but he was
extremely busy for the time in r~emedying
the evil effects OF training by charlatans
and dedants, who were beginning to be
fashionable.
Now, one summer evening Toogood had
retired early, as usual. Amethyst and
Sapphire were talking in the d%rawing-room
about nothing, and would have yawned
more than once in each otder's face had
not Nature occupied them by one of her
most terrible and yet most ordinary phe-
nomena. The storm was roaring outside.
Lightning Illuminated space or traced zig
Gags OF fire on the rafting windows. The
trees on the avenue croaked, and broke
with loud crashes. Even the chapel bel!
vibrated with terror, and mingled it's plant |
with the uproar OF the elements.
Suddenly the servants announced that
they had received a little old man, saturat- |
ed, chilled and probably dying from hunger, |
for the tempest had drawn him far from his ,
route OF travel. Amethyst ran first to meet
the stranger. Sapphire could have easily
preceded her, had he not wished to give her
the pleasure OF arriving first. I leave you
to imagine whether the poor mans aching
limbs were warmed by a clear and spark
ling fire, and whether there was any lack of
sugar in the generous wine which Amethyst |
warmed for him over the bed of glowing
Goals. l will not even tell you who the old
man was, but keep a pleasant surprise for
you.
When the old man was a little recovered
from his fatigue he became cheerful and
laxative, and the young people were de-
lighted.
II suppose" said he, that in this grand
castle, where everything is to your wish,
you spend beautiful days?"
Sapphire dropped his eyes.
1--WE are happy, OF course" replied Ame-
thyst. ''Our grandmother is so kind to us,
and we love her so much. We lack nothing,
indeed, but we are often weary"
"Weary!" exclaimed the old man with
the greatest astonishment. "Who ever
heard OF such a thing at your age? Weari-
ness of spirit is the complaint Ct useless and
idle people and Of fools. Such q man is a
burden to society and himself. But it is
not enough to be endowed with an excel
lent disposition like yours unless you cult
vate it by labor. Do o not work."
"Work??' replied Sapphire, somewhat
piqued. "We are rich, as is evident.
has more than gold enough
for the luxury of our home"
But robbers might steal it,"
'.As you came" continued Sapphire, '.yon
must lave crossed a wide plain covered
with vineyards and harvest fields. The
mountain that overlooks the plain is
crowned with a palace built by my ances-
tors, in which are stored the wealth of ten
generations."
'Alas!" replied the stranger, slime has
spared the surest of your hopes. /
along the plain of which you
speak, but it has been replaced by a lake. 1 {
desired to visit the palace of your ancestors,
heritage and the rest belongs to the !,
OWLS" l
The children looked at each other. .
There is but one possession" continued :
;he old man,; (Which can put us beyond the E
each OF such changes. and that is procured =
,nly by study n labor. Aptitude for do :
nestle care is the crown OF u woman. The -
nan who possesses a usefultrade or knowl- h
dge OF common application is more really +
ich than the rich themselves" y
Amethyst and Sapphire had never heard :
UGH language. They looked at each other -
gain. The old man was becoming trans 4
lgured. His features rcsumed the graces of =
'Outh and his limbs the robust attitude of y
'outh. The old man vas a benevolent ~
enius, whose acquaintance we have already -
made. y
II will not leaveyou," he continued, smil- -
ng, without giving a slight pledge of my :,
ratitude for the kindness you have shown -
Ne. Receive from me these two rings, i;
'hich are powerful .talismans. Push this =;
pring and you will find within an infallible =;
emedy against that sad sickness of heart y,
nd mind OF which you complain. To this =;
tile gift l attach only two easy conditions =.
first, not to consult the oracle unless ~
vercome with WEAKNESS of life; and second, =,
D execute promptly his instructions. In a ~
ear we shall meet again." +,
With these words the Genius Goodfellow !
ent away; OF, as an author of more poetic y,
Imagination would have said, he disap- "
cared. l believe that is the usual manner ~
which a genius takes leave. Amethyst ~
nd Sapphire slept little that night. They ~
robably were thinking OF their lost fortune u
nd of their years of intelligence still more -.
reparably lost. In the morning they =,
gloomlly, returned to their usual d.
and were less than usual r.
VI
II I'm tired to death!" exclaimed Anne Fl
,yst finally, and at the same time she he
ressed the spring in her ring. Sapphire, th
ready at her side, read with her this in fI
10
"Work to be useful. Be useful to be Al
we'd. Be loved to be happy" tn
THAT is not ALL" observed Sapphire. ha
We must carry out Immediately what the fiji
racle says. Lee us try. Work cannot be wi
ore tiresome than idleness." ~;
Let us try it, as you say" replied the ~,
A unpleasant day will soon end" do
The day had nothing agreeable in it, as tit
methyst had expected. Their instructors,
often dismissed, were summoned, and bo
emed to speak a harsh and unusual lam sa'
Iage. Twenty times during each lesson wi
le spring was pressed, and twenty times oh
he obstinate inscription appeared without to-
lie change OF a word. 1t was the same TO,