The Semi-weekly leader., 1906-04-11

the cook. made to eat and OF his little
sister who slept with her doll in her
arms, and he was sorry he had stopped
to talk to the little old man in the
| tree.
For long time he was kept shut
up in the cave where he had to chop
wood for the old woman and dig in
the mire day after day, and if he
didn't work fast enough to suit the
man and his wife they would beat
him. He longed for bath, but there
was no water even to wash his hands
or face, and he felt miserable indeed.
He would often beg the man and his
cruel wife to set him free, but they,
only laughed at his pleas or would
beat him for wanting to leave them.
You ought to be happy here the
man was in the habit of saying. "You
never have to be washed and you
needn't go to school,"
Poor Emory got thin and weak. He
couldn't eat the stuff the ugly old
woman cooked and he had such terri
BILE dreams at night that he would
often wake up SO badly frightened
that he could only lie and tremble and
wonder if morning would ever come
again. Very often, too, he would
think of some-verses he had read one
day in one of his fathers books. AS
he remembered them, they were
something like this:
THE things that ought to make us glad
We never half appreciate
Till they are blessings we have had,
And then we value them too late
Man sighs for things that are denied
And deems them rich or thinks them
grand,
And puts them down, unsatisfed
When Fortune lays them in his hand"
He had never known before what
the lines meant. Now he understood
them, and he knew very well what he
should wish if he ever found that
other lucky stone. But he was afraid
that he would never have chance to
wish again. He knew that he could
not live much longer in that dreadful
place. If only he might find pool of
water in the cavern where he could
wash his face and bathe his smarting
eyes he felt that it would not be so
bad. He often tried to imagine how
refreshing it would be to again feel
the clean, cool water upon his cheeks.
Even his tongue was dry, and his lips
clung to his teeth, for he never had
anything but the disgusting broth to
drink.
One day when Emory thought it
would be a welcome relief if he could
die, the man took him out of the cave
into some woods to help gather limbs
to be cut up for the old womans fire.
While they were out there the man
left him alone for moment, and the
boy heard a squeaky voice saying:
Emory Wheeler! Emory WheelerI"
Emory looked up, and there on a
branch above his head was the little
old man again.
"Are you happy now?" the old fel.
low asked, giving his whiskers a fun.
ny twist.
mo-" said Emory, I'm not happy
"If 1 should toss down another
lucky stone do you think you coulG
make a wish that would bring you
happiness?"
Emory said he thought he could.
and the stone fell at his feet. Rub
bing it behind his left ear, Emory
said:
II wish 1 could be back where
was before and have to be washed |
whenever my mother thought I needed |
it and be sent to school, even if ]
didn't want to go, and be satisfied"
When he opened his eyes he heard |
his mother calling:
Emory! Emory! Come in now and |
get washed. It's time for you to go |
to school,
After that Emory was inclined to
believe when he heard people COM
planning that they merely didn't know |
when they were well off.-Chicaso |
Record-Herald.