The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1900-01-11
The Kings Plan.

A long time ago there lived a king
who took great delight in teaching his
people good habits. One night he put
a large stone in the middle of the road
near his palace and then watched to
see what the people VINO passed that
a would do. Early in the morning a
sturdy old farmer named Peter came
along with his heavy OK cart loaded
with corn. "Oh, these lazy people!"
he cried, driving his oxen to one side
of the road. Here is this big stone
right in the middle of the road, and no
body will take the trouble to move it."
And he went on his way ,scolding about
the laziness Of other people, but never
thinking of touching the stone himself.
Then came a young soldier, singing a
merry song as he went along. A gay
feather was stuck in his hat, and a big
sword hung at his side; and he was
fond of telling great stories OF What
he had done in the war. He held his
head SO high that he did not see the
stone, but stumbled over it and fell in
the dust. This put an end to his merry
s~ongSand as he arose to his feet he be-
gan to storm at the country people.
"Silly drones!' he said, "to have no
more sense than to leave a stone like
that in the middle of the road" Then
he passed n but did not sing any
more. An hour later there came down
the road six merchants with their
goods on pack horses, going to the fair
that was to be held near the village.
When they reached the stone the road
was so narrow hat they could hardly
drive their horses between it and the
wall. did you ever see the like?"
they said. There is that big stone in
the road, and not a man in all the
country but that is too lazy to move
it," And so the stone lay for three
weeks; it was in ~everybody's way, and
yet everybody left it for somebody else
to nov Then the king sent word to
all his people to meet together on a
certain day near his palace, as he had
something to tell them. The day
came, and a great crowd of men and
women gathered in the road. Old Pc
ter, the farmer, was there, and so were
the merchants and the young soldier.
81 hope the king will not find out
what a lazy set of people he had around
him." said Peter. And then the sound
of the horn was heard, and the king
was seen coming toward them. He
rode up to the stone, got uown from
his horse and said: my friends, il
was | who put this stone here three
weeks ago. 1t has been seen by every
one of you, and yet every n has LEFT
it Just where it was, and scolded his
neighbor for not moving it out Of the
way" Then he stopped down ant
rolled the stone over. Underneath the
stone was a round hollow place, IL
which was a small iron box. The king
held up the box so that all the people
might see what was written on a piece
of paper fastened to it. These werO
the words: For him who lifts tn,
stone" He opened the box, turned
upside down, and out of it fell a beauti
full gold ring and twenty bright golc
coins. Then every one wished that h
had only thought of moving the ston
instead of going around it and indini
/ fault with his neighbor. There ar
man. people still who lose prizes be
cause they think it easier to find faul
| than to do the work which lies befor
them.-Anon.