Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-08-10
THE GRATEFUL GOBLIN.
Nick Nelson was a woodchopper.

Nick Nickson was woodchopper.
 He had lived close to the forest for many years with his wife and children. It was seldom Nick went to town or any where else, because he had great deal of work to do to keep his family alive. Wood hewing never was much of pay ing business, and Nick found it no better. But he never complained. He did the best he could in the best manner, and for the rest he trusted to kind Provi- dence to assist him and his wife and children.
 Nick had now been going into the woods for twenty-five years, and as he was walking along this morning he was thinking of that fact more than once. q have worked very hard" he muttered to himself as he stopped before beauti- ful young oak tree ready to take off his jacket and start operations. "I have worked very hard" he said again, land think ought to be pensioned off soon. But I don't think there is much chance. Where should I get the money to keep my folks at home without work? But there, it is no use growing now on the day of my twenty-ffth anniversary in the wood chopping line. Providence has stood by me so long, and don't think l shall be forgotten in the future. Do your duty with all your might, with all your strength, with all your ability, and with an unwearying spirit of energy and perseverance; that is my motto, and suc- cess is bound to follow some time or other."
 By this time Nick had taken his top coat off and laid it and his hat down in the long grass. Then he took his ax in his hands, and after looking at the tree from its base to it's crown he gave the first blow. Thick splinters flew in all directions, and Nick dropped his ax and jumped back from the tree.
 'What is the matter?" he said; ''did I not hear a noise somewhere like the whining of child?'
 He stood and listened for a few mo- ments, but all seemed to be quiet Then he resumed his task. But he had only made one more blow at the tree when he was stopped again. This time he heard these words: "Get me outi Get me outl"
 "Who is it that calls there?' Nick asked, who was not in the least afraid.
 "It is I, the goblin of Blinkingdaler' a thin voice replied.
 But where are you to be found?'
 ''I am in the oak you have been hew- ing at, and hallooed out because I was afraid you might kill me-"
 "Well, tell me where ought to strike in order to extricate you without doing you any bodily harm," replied Nick Nickson.
 "Thc ax is too big and too sharp alto gether," now said the voice from the tree; "talze your pocket knife and start cutting the bark about two feet from the ground. But be very careful or you will hurt me-"
 Nick now took his knife and he began cutting the bark. Piece by piece flew out, until at last he got to a hollow space, when the voice in the tree let out shriek that was so loud and terrible all the trees in the wood seemed to be shaken by it.
 "Now you have cut my beard, you old villain of a woodchopper, cried the goblin. "Oh, will kill you if you arc not careful"
 Poor Nick trembled with fear, because he had often heard of goblins and theil cruelty to people. But he soon realized that he was yet master of the situation and he need not be afraid of the goblin.
 Look here, MT. Goblin," said Nick eff you mean to kill me when you gel out, think will leave you where yol are and go home. Good-by."
 "For gracious sake, don't do that, my good man, so hallooed the goblin; II dit not mean what said then, but you die hurt me, and no mistake. But be care ful of my beard; it is very long, and i hurts very much if you pull only one O the hairs out Now will tell you some thing else. If you get me out withou doing me any more harm will give yol great reward, and make you the rich est man in the world"
 "How did you get into that tree? asked Nick of the goblin.
 ''To tell you that would be very lon, story to relate. Be it sufficient for yol to know that have been in that Ire twenty-five years today. You have go me out of my long imprisonment, and will give you Q reward when the tim | comes."
 With the last word the goblin Ina, vanished.
 "Well, but where ismy reward?' erie, Nick. ''It is all very well to say shal have it when the time comes, but whel will that be? Oh, you mean little scam of @ goblin, to get me first to extricat you from an oak tree, where you wer buried for twenty-five years, and then t run away from me because you are to stingy to thank me for it. An! this an ungrateful, cruel world. Just whel l thought that 1 was to be made ricf too. An, well! never mind; let mo COT tinue at my, work of wood choppjng, bu I will be careful not to have any moro { do with goblins."
 Nick now worked away with his ax i Q mad humor. He struck the trunk ( the oak with terrific force. It seemed t satisfy his anger, because he imagine every time the ax hit the tree he wa hurting the little goblin. In few mc ments the roots of the tree lay bare, an beholdl what did Nick find? At the yer base of the oak he saw little blac ebony box. He picked it up and he nc ticed there was no lock to it.
 On the top was written the two word "Open mer' But the words were spelle backward, and when Nick looked at thel it read in his mind: "em nepOp Mic never had been very sharp in book learl ing, and it never struck him to try an make some sense out of the words Gel ' nepO." He saw that he did not kno what it meant and he did not trouble an more. When he went home he took tl box along with him, thinking it woul make toy for one of his children.
 Arrived at his little cottage he foun one of his neighbors sitting on the doc