Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-04-13
Washin9ton Standard
A FAIRY TALE--PERHAPS.

and yet ! am not so certain that 1t Is
fairy tale, after all. Perhaps it will be
best Just to 20 ahead and tell it, and
then, if yon read it, you may decide
for yourself whether it is fairy tale
or very true story OF the world in
which we live.
Once upon q time one lonrneyed
along the great highway OF life. The
traveller was young, and the sunshine
of the morning was upon him as he
walked.
Now the great highway OF life is
rugged and hard to journey over, but
the traveller did not know it, for in
youth the hills and their canyons still !
are ahead.
To him, as he walked, came one
who was clad in white, and he thought
that she was beautiful, but he could
not surely know because of the mist
that was before her face. And she
spoke to him.
al am the Goddess of Fortune" she
said, "and / have come to grant to
you such favor as you may desire.
Ask, but remember that for whatever
is given to you, you shall eventually
pay the price"
Then the youth thought long and
earnestly concerning the gift for
which he should ask. al might ask
for Goodness" he said to himself, "but
judge that Goodness is not success
in this world, for have observed that
in my fathers church it sits in dark
pew near the door and rarely touches
hands with Prosperity. l might ask
for Fame, but I have been told that
Fame and Sorrow often walk side by
side. On the whole, 1 think that l
will ask for Wealth, for if it is not
Goodness, at any rate when people
meet me with it they will cay, why,
aren't you lovely!' and ii it is not
Fame, it is Notoriety, which is half
cousin to Fame"
So the youth said to the goddess:
81 will take Wealth"
And the goddess said: "It shall be
yours, but remember that you must
pay its price,"
Then the youth walked along the
highway of life, and more and more
Wealth came to him.
And still the sun shone as in the
morning of his life, and the cloud.
ships sailed the upper ocean of blue,
and the mountain SUBMITS were yet
the resting-places of Gods messenger.
angels, but all of these things he did
not see, for such Wealth as he sought
is found only in the gray earth, and
he dared not remove his eyes from it
lest his riches should be less.
Sometimes, too, there came and
walked by his side those whom Power
ty had touched with his skeleton fin
ger, and the youth looked upon their
gaunt faces and the human heart
within him cried out, "These are
your brothers and sisters, and little
of your wealth would 60 very far to
make them happy" but he needed
not the cry, for he said to himself,
"This would involve the expenditure
of nickels, and if I waste the nickels
cannot have wealth."
So the youth became old, and as
the years passed the cry of his heart
for these, the sorrowing, died away in
thin whisper and finally was heard
no more.
And when he was very old there
came to him the stern. gray angel
whom men call Death, and the angel
beckoned him ont into the shadows,
and the man went with Death. And
when they had gone but little way
the Goddess Of Fortune, clad now in
sable, came to them and the three
paused on an eminence and looked
back. Then the goddess said:
Ibid you secure Wealth.
ayes, but"
"Then you admit that kept my
wordf"
ayes, but"
"Aud suppose that you are very
happyf"
We-e-el-"
The man said no more, for he
looked at bis hands and they were
empty. Soon, however, he spoke
again:
"The people down there, are they
mourning for mef"
"Listen," said the goddess.
Then there were borne to them
through the earth-mists such words aa
these: "Well, the old wretch is
gonep though old skinf1intP'
"Got to where he had to loosen bis
grip on the dollars, didn't her" etc.
AS the man listened he sighed
"But," said ne, it is pleasant to
think that my own family, at any
rate, will love and revere my mem.
ory."
"Listen," said the goddess.
The old man listened, and the mem.
bers of his family already were quar-.
reling concerning the division of his
property, and the ground wac hot be.
meath their feet as they fastened to
the Offices Of the lawyers who contest
wills.
Again the man sighed. ais there
no one to love met" he said.