Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-07-16
Fables of the CENT. (No. u

Fables of the CENT. (No. -
In the years that are gone by thousand or so,
Thcre one, it is said in those legends of old,
Both crafty and bold, and of whom there is told
strange story: and, when we repeat it again.
More incredulous persons will wonder that men
Could have ever believed it; but matter it none,
For the moral comes not till the story is done.
Although power may be great blessing to use
1t Alright. yet if he that possesses shall choose
To- do wrong tits curse Now the legends
relate
great
More often was known in the wrong than the
right,
might,
plain
But the ''cat and the mouse'' in the fable again,
''while the cat should be belled'' yet the mouse
that would dare
Would be found pretty scarce if the Get should
be there.
Such hazardous thing therewould none undertake
For the genius, an enemy surely would make.
But an end of the man who should try it. At
last,
Coming down from the mountain, a shepherd
there passed
With his flock, by the sea, when he saw, ON the
shore.
This identical genius we mentioned before.
Now the shepherd was dressed as peasant is
clad,
And the staff in his hand the lone weapon he had,
So simple indeed does the shepherd appear,
To obapc
Rourd his neck swung bag, with his dinner of
bread,
And bottle for water Good mornins!, He
said.
IT am happy to meet you, which way do you go?n
The genius in answer said, "how may 1 know
Where my fancy may lead mes' "Out of mis-
chief to keep.''
Said the shepherd: Perhaps you will tend to
my sheep
While may go off for day on the sea,
Yet I've many fears that failure you'd be
AS a Shepherd ''what! I!,'' thus the genius
replied,
could tend ell your sheep and thousand
beside.''
To cut short our story of gatherings made
At last with the shepherd wager he laid.
In terms OF the wager they both did agree
For whole year his servant. The shepherd
began.
'This is one of the things you may do If you can
In a moment to grow to a wonderful size,
With your feet on the earth and your head in the
skies.''
No sooner the words had been spoken aloud
Than it seemed that his form, like terrible cloud.
Had spread over the earth where the shepherd now
stood.
No. the least bit alarmed he but said, "very good-
and the second would that so small you will be
AS to enter this bottle L carry with me.'
Scarcely spoken the words. like flashing of
light,
And into the bottle he vanished from sight
But as quick as a thought while the genius was
there,
The shepherd had sealed up the bottle. From
where
He then stood pitched it into the sea,
And he said, as he did it, "you wagered with me,
But three things to do and the third
will be when
You shall find yourself out of the bottle again.
For Solomons seal had been placed DER his head
And the genius imprisoned as though he were
dead.
Now the centuries long had been passing away
When fisherman out in shallop one day,
In casting for fishes drew up in hts net
This bottle with Solomon's seal on it yet.
Twas curious thing, and he viewed it all DER,
Then opened it. Loi With a terrible roar
With mutters of wrath and with thunderings
loud
The form of the genius arose like cloud.
But the earth had changed since the genius |
was free
Or so long had he been in the depths of the sea,
That although he would strike with a swift,
vengeful arm,
Yet he found he was powerless now to do harm. |
So momen. he stood. undecided, and then
He slowly sank into the bottle again.
Once more was sealed Ep. in the sea cast away,
And for aught that we know, he is there to this |
day.
though CALAMITY hung DER the land like cloud. |
With its terrible thunders and mutterings loud,
With ~isage grim and with terrors untold,
t concluded, at last, Like that genius of old,
Since longer it couldn't play havoc with men,
70 90 back 70 its little black bottle again.
(QUI:l