Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-03-26

poor woman, wringing her hands with
grief and disappointment.
60 home and wait until tomorrow.
II the gold is then in your possession
1t is real money and not fairy gold.
But If it Is real money you must try
to restore it to its rightful owners.
Take, also, these pieces which you
have given me, for cannot accept gold
that is not honestly come by"
Sadly the poor people returned to
their home, being greatly disturbed by
what they had heard. Another Sleep
less night was passed, and on Mon
day morning they rose at daylight and
ran to see If the gold was still visible.
1T Is real money after ALL" cried the
man, "for not single piece has disap-
peared."
When the woman went to the brook
that day she looked for the beetle, and
sure enough, there he sat on the fiat
stone.
Are you happy now?" asked the
beetle as the woman paused before
him.
I'VE are very unhappy" she answer
ed; "for although you have given us
much gold our good parson says 1t
surely belongs to some one else and
was stolen by you to reward u.s."
| Your parson may be a good man."
returned the beetle with some indigna-
ton, but he certainly is not overwise.
Nevertheless If you do not want the
gold 1 can take it from you as easily
as gave it."
But we do want IT," cried the wo-
man fearfully. That is. She added,
"if it is honestly come by"
1T is not stolen" replied the beetle
sulkily, land now belongs to no one
but yourselves. When you saved my
life 1 thought how 1 might reward
you, and knowing you to be poor de-
cided gold would make you happier
than anything else.
| You must know" he continued,
that although I appear so small and
insignificant I am really king Of all in
sects, and my people obey my slight
est wish. Living as they do close to
the ground, the insects often come
across gold and other pieces Of money
which have been lost by men and have
fallen into cracks. and crevices or be-
come covered with earth or hidden by
grass or weeds. Whenever my people
find money in this way they report the
fact to me: but l have always let 1t
lie, because it could be of no possible
use to an insect.
| However, when I decided to give
YOU gold knew Just where to obtain
it without robbing any OF IT fellow
creatures. Thousands of insects were
at once sent by me in every direction
to bring the pieces Of lost gold to this
hill. II cost my people several days
| of hard labor, as you may suppose,
but by the time your husband had
finished the we'll the gold began to
arrive from all parts Of the country,
and during the night my subjects
dumped it into the we'll. So you may
use it with a clear conscience, know
ing that you wrong no one.
This explanation delighted the wo-
man, and when she returned to the
house and reported to- her husband
what the beetle had said he was also
overjoyed.
| So they at once took a number of
the gold pieces and went to the town
to purchase provisions and clothing
and many things Of which they had
long stood in need; but so proud were
they Of their newly acquired wealth
that they took no pains to conceal 1t.
They wanted everyone to know they
had money, and so it was no wonder
that when some Of the wicked men In
the village saw the gold they longed
to possess 1t themselves.
"If they spend this money so free
ly," whispered one to another, there
must be a great store of gold at their
home"
THAT is true" was the answer. LET
us hasten there and ransack the house
before they return"
So they left the village and hurried
away to the farm on the hill, where
they broke down the door and turned
everything topsy-turvy until they had
discovered the gold in the wood box
and the teapot. It did not take them
long to make this into bundles. which
they slung upon their backs and car
ried off, and 1t was probably because
they were in a great hurry that they
did not stop to put the house in order
again.
| Presently the good woman and her
Husband came up the hill from the
Village with their arms full Of bundles
and followed by a crowd Of small boys
who had been hired to help carry the
purchases. Then followed others,
youngsters and country louts, attract
ed by the wealth and prodigality OF
the pair, who from simple curiosity
trailed along behind like the tail Of a
comet and helped swell the concourse
into a triumphal procession. Last
of all came Guggins, the shop-keeper
carrying with much tenderness new
silk dress which was to be paid for
when they reached the house, all the
money they had taken to the village
having been Iavishly expended.
The farmer who had formerly been
a modest man, was now so swelled
with pride that he tipped the rim of
his hat over his left ear and smoked
a big cigar that was fast making him
i'll. His wife strutted along beside
him like a peacock, enjoying to the
full the homage and respect her wealth
had won from those who formerly
deigned not to notice her and glanc-
ling from time to time at the admir-
ling procession in the rear.
But, alas for their newborn pride!
When they reached the farmhouse
Ithey found their door broken in. the
furniture strewn in all directions and