Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-03-24

they journeyed into the desert to-
gether in search of fortune and ad-
venture. The good man was good,
and was rot elated, for he owed all
to. the grace of God. The evilfman
was evil, and took no shame, for it
was ordained that he should do evil.
They walked along side BY side the
desert track, while the sun. blazed
down upon them, and their feet sank
into the heavy sand. Some days they
walked, toiling all day In sand and
resting at night on the ground.
Food ran low, and water; for each
carried his own store. The good
mans bottle failed first, and he was
faint and thirsty. and the desert
stretched dry before them. II can go
no farther" said the good man; give
me drink from your bottle, lest
die in the drifting sand" why
should I do good?" the evil man re-
piled. II will give you no water to
drink" The good man struggled on,
and, fainting, appealed again for
water. Il will not give you water
without price. Let me pluck out one
eye of yours, and will give you one
cup of water" The good man sank
down in the sand and vainly strug-
gled to rise. IF lose one eye," he
said, II shall still be able to see the
bright world and see the faces that
I love-" So the evil man plucked out
one eye and flung it on the ground,
and then gave him a cup of water.
The good man rose refreshed, and
they continued their journey to-:
gether. Again they slept in the sandy
desert and struggled on next day, but
the sand still stretched before them
and the way was long. The good
man felt the. heat again and cried out
for water, but the evil man refused.
The good man tainted, and appealed
again. Shall not the evil man do
evil? Give me your other eye and
will give you another drink" The
good man said to himself, 1T is bet
ter to be blind than to die, for life is
sweet, and shall still hear the voices
of my friends" So the evil man
plucked out the other eye, and then
gave him another drink. Then the
two went on together, the good man
and the evil man, hand In hand. AS
the evening fell. lights Of a town ap-
peared ahead, but the good man did
not see them. The evil man led him
along till he came to a deep, dry
well on the edge of the desert. Stop
here, friend he said, and thrust him
in and saw him fall Shall not the
evil man do evil27 he said, and
laughed as he went towards the city.
There he found food and refreshed
himself and went upon his way. But
the good man lay in the well, bruised
and hurt and blind
AS he lay there, night fell and it
grew dark, though It was now always
night to him, save in his heart, where
the sun still shone. He heard the
pad. of wild beasts walking round the
we'll, and soon he heard their voices
and knew that he could understand
what they said. A lion and jackal
and a wolf gathered round the we'll.
Said the others to the lion, How do
you keep so fat and sleek, though
game is scarce in the land?" "Game
is scarce" the lion replied, aand II
must go far to kill, yet there is a
place in the desert, a withered oak
tree near stone; beneath are buried
the treasures of seven kings. When
I am hungry I lie there, and the
thought of the riches below fills me
with fulnsss. = ~,
"But when the lion .hungers the
jackal hungers; how do you keep so
well, jackal?" II, too, have a secret,
said the jackal. "West of the city,
in the grove, is white Towering
plant. The very sight of the leaves
gives comfort to the hungry, and it
has virtues to cure lepers. There I
lie and am happy. But the wolf has.
a secret. too"
/. ayes" replied the wolf, "I. too,
have secret. In this well grows a.
fern which gives sight to the blind
and strength to the weak. I am here
now to smell it and to get strength.
The good man lay below and lis
tened, and knew that God had heard
him. He lay till dawn broke and the
animals stole away. Then he arose
and felt with his hands, and found
the fern, and, breaking off some.
branches, rubbed them on his face
and smelt them; and at the touch
sight came again to him, and the
smell brought healing to his wounded
body. He saw the sun again, and
felt his strength return, and gave
thanks to God. Slowly he clambered
up the ruined well till he stood on the
bank above, and saw the world again,
and the city amidst green palms and
glistening springs, Frightening in the
morning.
He went on alone to the city, and
as he reached the gate he saw a
proclamation and heard herald who
beat upon a drum and cried aloud to
all who heard. He cried that the
kings daughter, who was his only
child, was iii Of a leprosy, and that
he who cured her should have her to
wife and the half of his kingdom.
The people listened and cried with
grief and beat their brests, for they
lored their king and knew that his
daughter was as beautiful as the day.
The good man was filed with pity.