San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-17

struck by lightning, the second slain
by wild boar, and the third is reputed
to have persisted in a contest with
Apollo" .
"They don't seem to have had no luck,
any of them," was Lenders depressed
conclusion.
"Aphrodite, or Venus, ras you choose
to call her, took a prominent part in the
Trojan war, the origin of which ten
years struggle may be traced to a GER
tain golden apple"
"What an old rag-bag it isl" thought
Leander. "Tm only wasting money on
him. He's like a bran-pie at a fancy
fair-what you get out of him is always
the thing you didn't want"
"No, no, Mr.. Freemoult," he said
with some impatience; @leave out about
the war and the apple. lit isn't
either of them as l wanted to hear
about"
"Then have done" said the old
man CURLY. "You've had considerable
more than half a crowns worth, as it
is"
"Look here, Mr.. Freemoult," said the
reckless hairdresser, "if you can't
give me no better value, / don't mind
laying out another sixpence in ques-
tions."
"Put your questions, then, by all
means, and I'll give you your fair SIX
penn orth of answers. Now, then, I'm
ready for you. What's your difficulty?
Out with it."
"Why," said Leander, in no small
confusion, "isn't there story some
where of statue to Venus as some
young man Ia long time back it was,
| of course) was said to have put his
ring on? and do you know the rights of
| it? II can't remember how it ended
myself"
Der something of the legend you refer
to. "You found it in the Earthly
| Paradise make no doubt?"
| al found it in Rosherwich Gardens"
Leander very nearly blurted out, but
he stopped himself, and said instead,
81 don't think I've ever been there, sir;
not to remember it."
| "Well, well! you're no lover of poetry,
that's very evident; but the story is
| there. Yes, yes; and Burton haS a
| version of it too in his Anatomy How
does it go? Give my head minute to
! clear and I'll tell you. Ha! l have it!
1t was something like this: There
| was certain young gentleman of
Rome who, on his wedding day, went
| out to play tennis; and IN the tennis
court was a brass statue of the goddess
Venus"
Mine ought to be brass, from her go
| ing on" thought Leander.
."And while he played he took off his
| finger-ring and put it upon the statues
| hand; a mighty foolish act, as you will
agree"
"Ah!" said Leander, shaking his
| head, you may say that! What next,
| sir?" He became greatly excited to find
that he really was on the right track at
| last.
why, when the game was over and
he came to get his ring he found he
| couldn't get it off again. Ha! hal" and
the old man chuckled softly, and then
| relapsed once more into silence.
"Yes, yes, Mr.. Freemoult, sir! I'm
| a-listening; it's very funny; only do go
| on"
"Go on? Where was l? Hadn't I
| finished? Oh, to be sure. Well, so
Paris gave her the apple, you see"
81 didn't understand you to allude to
no apple, said his puzzled nearer: and
it was at Rome, l thought, not Paris.
Bring your mind more to it, sir; we'd
got to the ring not coming off the
| statue"
81 know, sir; I know. My minds
clear enough, let me tell you. That
very night las | was about to say, if
you'd had patience to hear mel Venus
stopped in and parted the unfortunate
| pair"
at was a apple just now. you aggra-
waiting old muddled 'ed!" said Leander,
| internally.
Venus informed the young man that
he had betrothed himself to her by that
ring" ("Same game exactly" thought
| the pupil "and-and, in short, she led
him such life for some nights that he
l could bear it no longer. So at length he
| repaired to certain mighty magician,
| called-iet me see, what was his name
again? 1t wasn't Agrippa-was it
| Albertus? Odd, it has escaped me for
the moment"
| "Never mind, sir; call him Jones'"
81 will not call him Jones' sir! had
| it on my tongue-there, Palumbu
| Palumbus it was. Well. Palumbus told
him the goddess would never cease to
trouble him unless he could get back
the rlng-unless he could get back the
ring"
Lcander's heart began to beat high;
the solution of his difficulty was at
hand. 1t was something to know for
certain that upon recovery of the ring
the goddesss power would be at end.
1t only remained to find out how the
other young man managed it. ayes,
Mr.. Freemoult?" he said interrogative-
ly: for the old gentleman had run down
again.
81 was only thinking it out. To re-
sumo then. No sooner had the magician
(whose name / said was Apollonius)
come to the wedding than he promptly
coniectured the bride to be a serpent,