The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-06-21
Folklore.

Two hundred and fifty years before
the birth of Christ the common people
of ancient India told their children a
story like this: Upon one of the great
Buddhist monuments it is carved in pic
tures-part of their folklore. "Once
upon a time Brahnadatta was King of
Benares. This King was very talka-
tive and when he talked there was no
chance for any other to get in a word.
The future Buddha was the Kings adj
wiser in all things, human and divine,
and wishing to stop his much talking,
he one day made opportunity to tell the
King the Story of
THE TALKATIvE TORTOISE
There dwelt a tortoise in a certain
pond in the region of Himalaya. Two
young wild geese, searching for food
struck up an acquaintance with her.
BY and by thev wv close friends to-
gether. One these two said to
her, Friend we have a lovely
home in Hin IN a plateau of
Mount Chittakuta, IN a cave of gold"
will you come with us?
"Why, said she, How can l get
there?"
ooh, we will take you there, if only
you can keep your mouth shut and say
not a word to anybody"
Eyes, l can do that" says she: "take
me along"
So the fowls found out a stick and
made the tortoise hold it fast with her
teeth and then each Of them, taking
an end of it in their mouths, flew
straight up into the air. To see a tor
toise flying in the air was a strange
sight indeed! The village children saw
it and exclaimed: "There are two geese
carrying a tortoise by a stick" See,
see! she hangeth by the throat and
therefore she speaketh not" The tor
toisc wanted to cry out: "Well, and if
my friends do carry me what is that to
your" And behold a whole flight of
birds met them and seeing them flying
thus strangely lowered around them
with great laughter and noises and
speaking the vilest words to them they
could. (By this time the geese flying
swiftly, had arrived at the space above
the palace of the King, at Benares.)
The taunts and spiteful words went to
the heart of the tortoise so that she
was as mad as she could be. She could
NJ longer hold back, burt answer she
would and when she opened her mouth
to speak, down she fell into the open
court yard and smashed her all to pieces
and all because she would have said-I
am an honest woman and no thief, l
would that we should know it, knaves,
rascals and raving birds that we are.
Forgetting the good counsel given her
before time she paid her folly with
death"
A few years ago a yonng District At
torney determining to run the "Grafters"
of st. Louis out of business or into the
penitentiary. The task was immense.
Practical politicians of both parties
said cit can'tbe done" AS he warmed
VII NiSii IldlN OllC luSC dlIcI dllOIilcI was
tried to throw him off the scent. With
eyes open-mouth shut and nose to the
ground he pressed the chase. The seath-
ing criticisms of a subsidized party
press failing to defect him the "Bood-
lers" founded al organ the purpose of
which was to libel their pursuer in the
hope that pausing to answer, the pace
might be Stacked, but he kept on.
What be was doing finally overcame the
inertia of the masses ard many who
should have been with him from the
first, joined in the chase. AT the death,
there was a glorious company. The
rest is history and Joseph w. Folk, is
Governor of Missouri.