, 1889-07-03

~ III III pDChtl. NICK ulu IOL HOLlCe
it. He was too honest himself to suppose
any one else n thief.
When the neighbor got into his cottage
he Immediately got n chisel and a ham
mer and smashed the box open. Inside
he found a piece of paper, which was
wrapped around n tiny little silver key.
On the paper he read these lines:
In the forest by the brook,
Where the silver maple grows
You VIII find a little nook
That with solid silver flows
These lines were signed, "Your Crate
full Goblin"
The man at once understood all. He
Knew where the box came from, and he
knew that the goblin who had been in
the oak had intended this for Nick.
Mick is a fool, the man said to himself.
81 nm going to lift the treasure. Why
did he not keep the box for himselfy'
He accordingly went into the forest.
He found the little nook, just as he was
told, beside the silver maple tree. Ex-
amining the ground, he noticed n tiny
keyhole. He had already put the key
into the hole; he turned it around, and
he saw the shining silver In the nook,
when his hand was suddenly arrested by
the goblin.
"You arc not the man who liberated
me from the oak treel'' said the little
man.
The thief then had TO confess that he
got hold of the box because his neighbor
Nick could not read backward.
"Well, you had no business to be n
thief, and you certainly had no right to
take that box which did not belong to
you"
Il am sorry" replied the man; 'if
you will forgive mo l will go home and
tell Nickson all about this silver treas
ure, and he can come and get it himself"
NO, there is no necessity for that.
Anyhow, | do not believe you would
keepyour word. But now that you have
found this silver treasure, take it and
carry it to your home; it shall be yours"
Then the goblin vanished.
The man Mt once began to fill his pock-
cts with silver. When they were filed
he took his cap, hen his handkerchief,
then he took of his coat and used it ms a
bag. Blu when all were filled he could
not carry the load; it was too heavy. So
he had to leave some behind. He hurried
home and gave the silver TO his wife,
then he took n wheelbarrow and return
ed to the work by the brook. He loaded
tho wheelbarrow to its utmost capacity
before no left for home. On his way TO
his cottage, however, he had to cross a
small bridge which led over n stream,
and when he was in the center of this
bridge the boards broke under him, and
the wheelbarrow. the silver and the man
fell down into the deep. The load had
been too heavy. The man was too
greedy; he wanted too much, and now
no was drowned and he had nothing at
all. 1t was fortunate for his wife and
children that he had brought some of
the treasure home, and they were saved
from starvation.
Now we will return to Nick Nickson,
the woodchopper. He never missed the
little black box at all. Next morning he
returned to the forest and worked away
at chopping down trees as hard as ever.
Sometimes he would think about the
goblin, and her Nick would murmur:
''The world is very ungrateful. The next
goblin l find in n tree has to stay there
for all l care"
After hsbad chopped down one tree
he was astonished to find again a little
black box at the roots. He picked it up
again, and On the top these words could
be read again: "Open me-" But this
time the writing vas straight, and not
backward; so Nick read it at once, and,
of course, understood.
"Open yurl All right, that is easily
done" He put the box on the ground,
took his AK, hit it one stroke and the box
was smashed. Inside Nick found a piece
of paper wound around a beautiful
golden key of tho finest workmanship.
Nick took the paper and, looking at it
close, he saw that 1t contained the fol-
lowing verse:
At tho castle on the mount
Is n golden treasure,
Where golden rod Is often found
Waiting for your measure.
Tho slip of paper was signed: ''The
Grateful Goblin" Nick looked at the
writing long and intently. well" he
said, at last, 81 will at once go and find
out whether that goblin has played an
other trick on me. l might as well be
fooled twice as once"
He Immediately ran toward the noun
tain, which stood not far into the forest.
Arrived there he climbed up the steep
ascent, and when he got to the walls of
the castle he walked all around until he
found the yellow golden rod growing
everywhere. Then he examined the
wall. In n IN he noticed n small
hole in the wall, which seemed to have
been made for his golden key. Putting
it in the hole and turning round was
done in a second. Nick already beheld
the glittering mass of shining gold before
him when the goblin appeared.
80 here you are, then," he said to
Nick; $50 you did not give the box away
this time. Why did you not keep the
otherT'
Nick explained to the goblin that he
did not know what the box contained.
why did you not open ity'
81 don't know"
well, your neighbor did, though, and
he got q silver treasure. But l punished
him before he was able to enjoy it, and
he is now dead in the stream. Now,
look here, Nick, you fancied that l did
not mean to give you your reward as
promised"
well, it looked like it, did it notg'
AT - ~ :. -,