Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-04-30

y III No - told 6IiI. w'hsn foztli
from ne waters broke mock upon mock
|of jackdaws. There seemed 70 b no
end to them, and the sky was dark,
ened with their wings.
Without sign Of wavering. they few
until the kings acres were reached,
and there they spread out. and each
jackdaw gathered up one grain in its
bill and few with it to the barn. All
day they kept coming, and at shutdown
the barn was full.
Then the king came out and said:
Zone grain is missing. knew ev-
cry one
Just then the cav OF belated jack
daw was heard, and it brought the mis-
sing grain.
The king could hardly speak for
amazement and anger; but after lit
tie while he said:
These two tasks have you perform
ed quite well. But now / have little
favor to ask of you; since you can do
that which is to others not possible,
hear me; my mother died in this vii
lage long ago, but she took with her to
the other world jewel that l fain
would possess. Bring me that gem,
and you shall henceforth go unmolest-
ed"
Now the king felt sure that at last
he had given difficult enough task,
and believing that the man could not
accomplish it, he began to think of all
he would gain when the fairy was
queen.
But the man went home this time
with faith in his heart and said:
my wife. must go to the lower
world if 1 would not lose you: and
since you have made the difficult easy
for me, tell me new how | may do this,
that all the past need not be undone."
"Ah! woe is mel said the woman,
did not tell you not to burn my frog
skin, that trouble would come upon you
If you did,"
But instead of mourning with her the
man said:
Cease your weeping! Tell me this
secret, that may go to the lower world
and return again. to you to remain for
evermore unmolested by the king!
Then when she saw his dauntless
spirit, the maiden jumped up in JOY
and said:
ITO your will nothing is impossible!
Go then tomorrow morning to the lake
where you found me, and say, Father
and mother, l beseech you to lend me
to-day your RAM, and above all, be not
frightened at anything you may see or
you may be lost to me forever"
The next. morning the young man
went to the lake and pronounced the
words she had told him. when out of
the clear blue waters came a ram with
twisted horns, whose mouth and nos
trils breathed out smoke and flames;
but the youth feared not; and the ram
said to him:
Mount my back"
No sooner had he done this than on
the wings of light the ram flew with
him to the lower regions. Darker and
darker grew the way, but the ram flew
on, though there was no ground for its
feet to touch. Suddenly the man saw
woman and man seated on bulls
hide, but though it was very big and
wide, they were in constant dread Of
falling off.
why DO you sit on that bulls hide,
and fear that We may fall?" he asked.
1--WE have seen many pass on like
you, who questioned u.s. they answer
ed, but no one ever returned. When
you come back this way we will answer
YOU"
On and on through the gloom the ram
went, its flight swifter than the winds.
And now the man espied a man and
woman seated on the handle of an axe,
yet they did not fear that they would
fall.
He questioned them as he had the
others, and they gave him the same an
swer. And again the ram flew on.
Soon the youth saw venerable man
with great long beard, minding
focks. And the flocks were not graz
ing on the green, but upon the old
mans beard, which spread like grass
over the ground.
This sight was so strange that the
youth questioned the old man as he had
the other people that he had met in
this strange underground world, but he
received the same answer; and on flew
the ram. till they reached a pit of
burning pitch, the flames of which
leaped high and cast a lurid glow
around.
With a great leap the ram cleared
the flames, and they stood without the
castle Of the dim realm