Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-01-18
DIAMOND AND PEARL.

when each country had but single ruler
and when wise and good monarchs were few,
there reigned a king who, by his kind and
just administration, had gained for his sub
jects happiness and success and for the whole
kingdom peace and prosperity. This king,
who was called "The Wise,n reigned over
vast dominion, which, on account of its great
size, and, therefore, diversity of people, had
ever been in troublesome condition.
So constantly in trouble and at war was
this country-which with peace would have
been most productive one-that even the
gods and fairies were concerned for it,
There had been many legends handed down
from parent to child telling of contracts
made between the gods and different kings Of
the country whereby, in specified future
time, the welcome and long delayed peace
and prosperity were to come But the peace
came not and the people still looked in vain
for it. Finally ali the legends vanished and
gave place to one universal tradition, doubted
by many yet believed in by more.
This tradition said that good fairy had
once appeared to one of the kings and told
him that the country would continue in its
deplorable condition until a king succeeded
who could by kindness and justice command
the love and admiration of his subjects to
such an extent that his word would rule as
supreme law among them, even in the most
distant portions of his domain. When he
had kept his kingdom free from war and
dissension for ten years, it said, fairy
would visit him in the night and give him
present, the possession of which would per-
petuate his race of kings in happiness and
fame, and so, by rulers like himself, make
the kingdom a paradise forever.
The king called sThe Wise" was a master
whose rod never fell, and whose simple word
of command bore with it feeling of love
that went to the hearts of even the most de-
graded.
He was truly wise king and plainly saw
the effect he had upon his subjects, SO when
his father had been dead a sufficient time to
allow it with respect, he gave orders that all
his palaces be opened upon certain days of
each week, and that his people be invited to
come on those days and receive the hospi-
tality and blessing of their new king. Diff
ferent provinces were called on different
days until every person in the land had seen
his king and had been elevated by his bene-
diction and his love. Such good effect had
this wise action of the monarch that there
after not soul would quarrel with another
or do any wrong action lest it should offend
his majesty the beloved king.
So it went in this country for nearly ten
years-peace bringing prosperity to the peo-
pie and praise to the good king The king
seldom thought upon the tradition of what
continued peace was to bring him, and his
people rarely spoke of it until, finally, the
story was forgotten by nearly all. The king,
however, never remembered it so forcibly as
when nine years of his peaceful reign had
gone and the tenth was almost past. Then,
lying upon his royal bed, he would often say
to himself:
$50 many nights must pass in this couch
ere the good fairy breaks my slumbers with
the priceless gift. But what could this gift
be- even should it Gomez The tradition goes
that my line of kings shall descend in pros
perity, and yet have no son to follow me.
NV precious daughter, although she soon will
be of an age to marry, declares that she will
never do so, because she can love no one as
she does her sire. Her mother is dead, and
there can be no son to succeed me. unless
these mysterious fairies can make it So"
At last the final night of the tenth year
came and the king retired to his rest. He
Immediately fell asleep and slept soundly
until the midnight had come, when he softly
awoke and saw standing beside his bed, clad
E1N0SiAAS0
about her, a fairy of greater beauty than he
had ever before seen. Even his daughter,
the princess, whose spotless beauty was world
renowned, could in no way be compared with
the loneliness of this vision. When the king
had sufficiently recovered from his amaze
nent to understand her, the spirit spoke
thus:
s'Thou are a great and illustrious king; and
thv good deeds shall be rewarded, even to
thy farthest posterity. Thou hast made a
paradise of a pandemonium; thou hast
brought by peace the prosperity the gods
could not bestow, for thou hast reached the
hearts of thy people, which they could not.
Receive. then, thy due. For thyself thou
modest no reward, for thy happiness is
thine; but for thy children and all who
shall come after thee, bestow upon thy
daughter, through thee, this priceless pearl. -
The fairy put into the kings hand pearl
of wondrous beauty and rare size, telling
him its virtues and the happiness it must IN
evitably bring upon all his descendants and
their country for all time. She told him that
| the pearl was the companion to a rich dia-
1nond and that both stones had many years
before been given to a mighty prince for a
| good deed he had done for the fairy world.
| These gems had the rare charm of always
being in the possession of the two persons
most worthy of favor in the world, and no
| matter into whose hands they came, their
owners would surely be brought together in
| marriage The diamond could never be-
long to any one but male, while the pearl
would always be the reward of females
| worth.
With this the fairy disappeared, and the
king at once returned to sleep. In the morn
ing he awoke and looked quickly about him
for the mysterious pearl, but he could not
find it; and, thinking his experience of the
night had been no more than passing
dream, he resolved to proclaim to his people
| that the tradition had come false, and that
| no one should ever again believe in such a
thing. But ere he could do SO his daughter
| came to him and said she had had vision
during the night, and in it fairy had given
| bar yvonderful pearl that was to keen her