The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-04-14
THE BLACK BREAD.
By Anatole France,


might he sat at his desk busy counting
his money. He lent large amounts to
emperor and pope, and when he did
not lend any to the devil 1t was only
because he was afraid that there might
not be profit enough in the business.
Nicholas Nerli was keen and sus-
ipecting. He had accumulated vast
fortune and made many people poor.
but he was highly respected in the city
OF Florence. He lived In q magnificent
palace. but great iron bars had been
put In front Of every window, and all
the lower windows were hidden by iron
shutters, and daylight was only ad-
mitted through those in the upper
story.
Now this was very wise Of Nerli, for
the houses Of the rich must be like
cages and those who have acquired
ffches by usury must be prepared to
defend them by force
Therefore Nicolas Nerlrs palace was
surrounded by high wrought iron
and barred. Inside It was At for a
king. Heavy carpets covered the floors.
and costly COLLINS, representing the
virtues. In the forms Of beautiful wom-
an, covered the walls; while In other
ICONS were priceless paintings show
Ing the history Of Alexander. Caesar
and other great heroes.
table institutions, and outside of the
city walls he had built a hospital, the
outside walls Of which showed In fres-
cos the noble deeds of his own life.
In return for q large amount OF
money which he had given to complete
the building Of the church Of Santa
Maria Novella his portrait had been
hung In the center nave Of the church,
showing him kneeling before the holy
virgin. Every one in the city recog-
nized him in his red cap. his coat lined
with ermine and his small, piercing
eyes. His good wife, Mouna Bisman-
tosa, stood on the other side Of the vir-
gin with a pious expression in her hon
est, good natured face.
Nicolas Nerli was counted one of the
best citizens of the republic, having
never raised his voice even once to
somplain OF the existing laws. He
knew nothing Of the sufferings Of the
poor, nor of those whom the high and
mighty had thrown into prison.
One evening as he was returning to
his palace he was surrounded by a
crowd of ragged, half starved beggars,
who pitifully asked him to help them.
He tried to drive them away with
harsh words, but hunger had made
them reckless. They crowded around
him and cried for bread, II only mis-
cradle crust.
He was just in the act Of STOPPING
down to pick up some stones to throw
at them when he saw one of his serv-
ants walking toward the palace carry
ing q huge basket full of loaves of
black bread. He told him to hand him
the basket, and instead Of throwing the
stones at the poor he divided the loaves
of black bread among them. The same
night while he was sleeping he was
struck with apoplexy and died so
quickly that he thought he was still
dreaming when ST. Michael appeared
before him with a pair of scales in his
hand. In the one, and that was the
heavier, he saw all the jewelry that he
had taken from orphans and widows
who had pledged 1T with him, all the
gold which he gained by usury, and
when he looked into the face Of the
archangel 1t was grave and stern, and
as Nerli understood that his fate hung
In the balance he began to tremble in
deadly fear.
Saint Michael" he said, "if you put
IN the one scale all that have robbed
and stolen, please I'LL the other with
all the good that have done. Remem-
Der all the money I gave away to
charity Do not forget the Cathedral
would never have been finished but for
me, nor the great hospital which was
built by my money alone"
Have no fear, Nicholas Verli" the
angel replied. II shall not forget"
And with his beautiful hands he put
the cathedral and the great hospital,
with it's beautiful frescoes, in the 9TH
er scale, but 1t did not go down. Neril
trembled with fear.
"Oh. Saint Michael. you have not put
in the golden basin for the holy water,
which I gave to st. Johns church. the
carved pulpit / gave to st. Andrews
church or the baptimal fount I gave
20 the Church OF Saint Peter. These
gifts cost me much, very much money!
The archangel put the basin, the pull
pit and the baptismal found in the
scale, but still 1t did not move. Great
beads Of perspiration stood out on Ner-
lis forehead.
Saint Michael" he stammered, "are
you quite sure that your scales are
correct?"
Saint Michael smilingly replied that
they were modelled after the pattern Of
those used by all the bankers In Venice
and Florence.
"Then, woe to me! And the church,
the hospital, the pulpit and the fount
do not weigh as much as my miserable
gold!"
"You see for yourself. Nicholas Nerli.
that your sins are far heavier than
your good deeds"
Then must go to hell" stammered
Nerli. whose legs almost failed him.
Patience! Nicholas Nerli. patience! I
have not yet put In all. There is some
thing here"
And his angelic face. radiant with
joy, he drew forth a basket filled with
loaves of black bread and put 1t into
the scale, which began to sink imme-
diately until the two were exactly even.
Nicholas would not believe his own
eyes.
"You see now. Nicholas Nerli." the
angel said, you are fit neither for
heaven nod hell! Go back to Florence,
give away more bread to the poor, and
give the loaves away with your own
hands. as you did last night. without
letting anyone know it, and you are
saved, for the gates Of heaven will be
opened to you when you have done
good for the sake Of doing good with
out any thought of conceit."
Nicholas Nerli awoke In his bed and
decided to follow the advice of me
Grchangel and feed his poor bretht en-,
that he might enter heaven, and he