The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-26

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Perhaps the old King" he thought,
sis as tired of my lowly habitation as [
am of his crown. / shall 60 and see if
he w II exchange places with me-" So
the King put on his finest robe and his
crown. as the old King had previously
done, and drove away in his grandest
carriage.
As soon as the old King had placed
his crown on the head of the peasant,
and had seen him vanish in The dis
tance, he went out where the peassn MT
had been digging. and continued the
work. After he had worked half an
hour. all the rheumatic pains, of which
he couldn't rid himself as q King, de-
parted. And he sang as merrily as the
birds in the trees, and felt happier
every minute. At dinner he had such
an appetite that he enjoyed every NOR
sci in a way that he had never done
during his entire reign.
That night he slept as he had never
been able to sleep while burdcned with
the affairs of his country. He didn't
toss about at all, and he did not wake
up until the sun was high Then he
hurried down and had his breakfast
while the birds hoped about the
door or sung in the rose-bush by the
window.
Il am as happy as q King is sup
posed to be-" he cried. land | should
be happy to know that the present
King. poor fellow, would ever be as
contcnted as am now"
And the old King worked on in per-
feet contentment for days. feeling
safe from the conspiracies of enemies,
and on the best of terms with his own
conscience. SO that he was indeed 4
happy man.
The garden was progressing finely;
and the new occupant grew happier
every day, and saw nothing but sum
shine. This continual flow of happi-
ness was never disturbed until one
night when the King peasant had a
terrible nightmare. He awoke fear
fully agitated and in cold perspira-
ton
He had dreamed that he was King
again!
He hastily arose and lighted candle
to take 4 look at the surroundings, to
make sure that he was not in a pal
ace and was not Il King. He was
afraid TO go to sleep for fear the dream
might be repeated.
That very day, when he was work
Ing and singing in the garden. he saw
a great dust down The road; and in 4
few moments the carriage of the King
stopped at the gate.
How is the garden getting on?"
said the new King.
"Splendidly."
Would you not like to give me my
howell back in exchange for your palace
and CROWN"
Il could not think of it!' said the
old King. You must 90 to some one
who has never been King. if you want
to make such an exchange. If You 60
on little farther down the road you
may find some man who would be glad
to wear crown"
So the new King drove down the
road and asked the first laborer he
met, if he would like to be King.
No" replied the laborer; Il was
King for u few days. and that was
enough for me; l traded off my crown
for this shovel and pickaxe. because
the King who had given it to me for
a small hut refused to trade back"
The King rode on; and much to his
surprise, every man he met refused the
unhappy Monarch's offer to make him
a King. each one stating as his reason
that he had already been a King for a
greater or less period.
1t seems that every man in the king
dom had worn the crown at one time
or another. and that the King, who
was trying to exchange places with the
humblest being III the realm, was
simply the last man in the land TO GET
it.
Thus it was that the nation was filled
with people who found the greatest
happiness in the humblest spheres of
life, and learned to be contented with
out nursing an ambition to be great or
powerful.
The Peasant King had to rule all his
life, for no one would exchange with
him. And when he was bent and tot
tering with age, he would go TO the
bridge that commanded the main
ayenue of his domain. with an umbrella
held over him to keep Off the sun and
rain, and persistently offer his crown
to every passer-by. Bat no one would
accept it!-R. Il. EunkittricG, en- ST.
Nicholas.