St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-10-08
uaikadO-the

"Assuredly, great mlkado-the
equal, to say the least"
You told me but moment since
that nothing was impossible to me.
You have lied to 1ne-yOu have dis
obeyed me, or you have badly ex-
ecuted my orders. l give you five
minutes in which to put out the sun,
or ten in which to commit hari-kari.
Co..
The prime minister went away,
but did not return.
The imperial stonebreaker was
purple with rage.
Upon my word This is a fine
position this of emperor, when
one is obliged to submit to the
familiarities, the caprices, the brutal
tiles of a moving planet. 1t is no
use to deny it, the sun is more
powerful than l. would like to be
the SUM-"
You are the sum-" said the angel.
And the little stonebreaker shone
the high heavens, all radiant, all
| flaming. He took pleasure in
scorching the trees. in drying up the
rivers and the springs, and in cover
ing with sweat the august v1sa9es OF
emperors, no less than the dusty
noses of the stonebreakers, his col
leagues of the morning.
But cloud came between the
earth and him. and the cloud said:
"Halt there! my dear. No one
can pass"
BY the moon This is little too
much. A cloud, a poor little cloud,
without form, calls me my dear
and bars the way Clouds are
more powerful than l. l will be
cloud or shall burst with jealousl y"
do not burst for so little" said
the angel, always in attendance, 'be
cloud, since you wish it.
And the new cloud rested proudly,
in his turn, between the earth and
the respondent sun.
Never in the memory of God had
| there fallen such showers. The
transformed stonebreaker took
pleasure in pouring rain and hail up
on the earth in a fashion so terrible
that trees fell down, finding only
mud in which to fasten their roots.
Under his aquatic rule of several
hours streams became rivers, rivers
! torrents, seas merged into one an
other and formidable waterspouts
were everywhere.
A rock, meanwhile, held up his
head in the storm. In the face of all
he remained impressive. Upon his
| TANKS of granite the waves dashed,
covering with froth the waterspouts
breaking at his feet, and the thunder
made him laugh each time that it
tickled his sides.
Il am at my wits ends!" said the
cloud. This rock ignores my power.
He resists me. and envy him.
Said the angel, Take his place,
and let us see if you will at last be
satisfied"
The transformed cloud at length
felt at ease Impervious, inaccessi-
BILE, impassive, under the burning
caresses of the sun and under the fury
of the thunder, he believed himself
master Of the world.
But 10, at his feet a little soft
hammering drew his attention. He
leaned over and saw poor creature,
covered with rags-thin and pale as
he himself had been in the time of his
greatest misery-who, with a mallet
in his hand, Clipped the granite into
pieces to repair the neighboring road
way.
What is this ? cried the superb rock
"a poor wretch, miserable among
the most miserable, mutilates me
and l cannot defend myself! am
profoundly Inundated. 1 am re-
duced to envying the state of this
creature"
Take his place." said the angel
smiling.
And the Unsuitable parsonage be.
came that which he was before-a
poor little breaker of stones.
AS in the past he worked upon the
roads while there was light at the
time, in all seasons, under the rain
the snow, or the sun.
He was always half dead from
hunger, and three-quarters dead
from fatigue-all of which did not
hinder him from being perfectly con
tented with his lot Translated
from the French of Ernest L'Epine
by Laura Lyon White for Short
Stories.