The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-11-03

JVu ACiO " &c NCfouicu ny the win
beastsr'
'Alas, Jonathanp' she moaned, 1--WE
must die togetherp'
NAY, be not foolish in that thought!
Long have l believed in thy friendship,
and thou hast deceived me. Now
shalt thou die, as thou deservest, but 1
shall be saved, for my magic carpet
will take me wheresoever l wishm
When she heard this Subtilia feign-
ed weeping, but she was really full of
joy, for she thought she saw way to
hold her riches in safety. She looked
up at last, and begged time to think.
81 will give you," said Jonathan,
''till the rim of the sun touches the
parcbed earth;;" and then, lying down,
he soon was overcome by the heat and
slept.
The crafty girl no sooner saw this
than she began, very softly and gently,
to pull the carpet from Under him. But
he suddenly awoke, and as he leaped
to his feet and tried to regain the car
pet Subtilia wished herself at home. A
loud mOeking laugh of victory and de-
rision was the last that Jonathan heard
from her in that desert place.
Only then did he realize the extent
of his folly. He pictured the girl reveI-
ing in all the wealth and esteem that
should have been his, and the desire
for revenge grew strong within him.
He did not know where to go, however,
and he jOurneyed on, day and night,
for many weary mile.
Fatigue and thirst had nearly over
whelmed him when he saw before him
clear, shining river. 1t was not deep
and Jonathan stepped in to cross it.
But the water deceived him, and he felt
his flesh burned by its terrible beat.
There was no hope in returning, so he
pressed on, aud on the opposite bank
he sunk exhausted. Then he drank
from the stream, but his mouth was
scorched as the rest of his body had been
Marveling much at the strange prop
critics of the river, the prince poured
some of the water into small crystal
flask that he had with him and con-
tinued his journey.
His thirst soon gave way to hunger,
and after weary walk he beheld
beautiful tree, laden with golden fruit.
He ran forward and plucked the fruit;
but when he had eaten it, he found
himself sick unto death with loath-
some disease; he was leper!
Crying aloud in his anguish he gath
cred some of the fruit and went ON till
he reached a dark, turbulent stream.
Despair had overcome him, and, care
less Of life, he plunged into the torrent.
He found it shallow, however, and it
buoyed him up and bore him to the
opposite bank; though seeming to rush
ON with headlong violence, il offered
him no resistance.
When he stood upon the bank his
heart leaped with joy and thankful
ness, for he found that his burnt flesh
had been restored by the water to all
its whiteness. He stopped and drank
of the river, though it looked so dark
and repugnant, and much refreshed,
gathered some in flask and continued
on his pilgrimage.
Still he hungered, and was possessed
by that awful sickness. On and on he
wandered, but could find no food.
Again, as despair came upon him, he
saw a small wormeaten tree, bearing
on one branch few withered apples.
Anything was better than nothing,
and he ate of the fruit, and in one mo-
ment he was cured of his ills. New
life, new vigor, and a new spirit, was
in him, and he journeyed on joyfully,
feeling no fatigue by virtue of that
water; unhungering and unthirsting
by virtue of that fruit, of which he
gathered some and took with him.
So the prince wandered for many
moons. and his vigor grew and his
spirit hghtened ever on his way. One
day he approached a high-walled city,
and would have passed in, but the
porter hailed him, asking him whence
he came and who he was.
al come from a far land" replied
Jonathan, land am physician"
"Then art thou come in good time,
master. My king lies sick with lep-
rosy. Can'st thou cure him? Then
great viii be thy reward! But he who
tries and fails must die! Lookw
And Jonathan saw great numberof
stakes, to each Of which physician
had been bound and thus met the re-
ward OF his failure.
''I will try my skillr' said Jonathan.
Then he was ushered into the kings
chamber, and announced rs great
physician from far-off lands. He gave
the king the dried and withered apple,
and poured over him the life-giving
water from the turbulent stream and
all the glow of health came back to
him and he arose q new man.
'sThou art indeed a physician" cried
the king. "The reward Is thinei But
live with US and thou shalt have all
honor.
''Nay, most gracious king, / cannot
remain, for have ore work yet to per-
form.u
Then Jonathan departed, but he took
no reward; that he distributed among
the poor. Soon be reached the city of
his home, and gave out that wonder
full physician had arrived.
Now it happened that Snbtilia was
i'll; aud all her charms could avail her
nothing, because of the evil that she
had done. When she heard Of Jona-