Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-09-24
The T,ro Nciyhhors.

Once upon a time, in Il far-otf coun
try, lived two old men, Each of them
had just one child. IL SON. These two
boys We're fast friends, but they We're
not one bit alike III looks and DISPOSE
ton. Their names we're Richard and
Robert. Richard was slightly built,
with dark hair and eyes, While Robert
was large, With light hair and eyes.
When they played together Richard
was always the one to DO the fetching
and carrying. He always dug the bait
when they went fishing, and carried
the oars when they went to row, and
climbed the trees when they gathered
fruit or went nutting, all of which made
him strong, agile boy, and withal
fine-spirited, good-tempered lad. In
school it was always Richard that
searched for the cities, towns, capes,
bays, and lakes, and then pointed them
out on the map to Robert, and it was
always Richard that worked out the
hard problems in arithmetic and ex-
planned them to Robert, and whenever
there was an unusually hard lesson to
be learned Robert was sure to be seized
with such severe headache or tooth
ache that he would not attend school,
and Richard would patiently explain
the difficult matter to him and tell him
where the lessons for the next day were
to be found.
I don't know whether it was best for
Richard to be so kind and helpful or
not. am only telling you what he did,
and leave you to judge whether his
kindness was the best thing for Robert
In the course of time they both grew to
manhood and married, and were sur
rounded each with a family of beautiful
boys and girls. Then their fathers
died and were buried, and Richard and
Robert found themselves the heirs of
their fathers wealth. Each of them
found himself the possessor of fine
farm and considerable sum of money.
Richard invested his money in safe
place and then proceeded to dig, pillow,
and fertilize his farm, mend the fences
and gates, clean out the barns and
cellar, trim the fruit trees, and SOW
good seeds, both of grain and vegeta-
bles. Robert walked round with his
hands in his pockets and let things
look after themselves The result was
that he raised no crops and was forced
to buy grain, fruit, and vegetables with
his ready money. Pretty soon his
barns were dilapidated, his gates UNI
hinged, and his fences broken down.
Then his money became exhausted and
he came to Richard to borrow. For
the sake of their old friendship Richard
kindly lent him money. Then Robert
said: "You have abundant crops while
have none; won't you divide?" And
Richard divided, and he worked even
more diligently than ever to raise
greater and better crops, and the next
year it was as the last. Robert said ::
ooh! dear, my farm is so overgrown
with thorns and brambles it is no use
to try to raise anything on it," SO when
harvest again came round he again APP
pealed to Richard, and Richard again
divided; and again he went to work
with cheerful heart and willing hand
and plowed and digged as before, and
his family grew and thrived, while.
strange to say, Robert and his family
did not thrive, but grew wan and thin
and pale and peevish and shriveled up.
Now you will all acknowledge that was
queer. How coAld it be that the same
food, shared alike by Richard and
Robert, could produce such different
effect? Well, all I know is that in that
far-of land, where Richard and Robert
dwelt, there was law enacted by the
good and wise King that he that would
not produce should not thrive on what
he consumed. Where is that land :?
Why, don't you know? We all live in
It. 1t is the real land. The land of