Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-04-28
A STONE IN THE ROAD
An Old, Old Story Well Worth Tell
ina Aoain.


A long time ago there lived a king
who took great delight in teaching his
people good habits. BAD luck comes
only to the lazy and the careless" said
he; "but to the busy workers, God
gives the good things of this life
One night he put large stone in the
middle Of the road near his palace
and then watched to see what the peo-
pie who passed that way would do.
Early in the morning a sturdy old
farmer named Peter, came along with
his heavy ox-cart loaded with corn.
20, these lazy people!" he cried.
driving his oxen to one side Of the
road. Here is this big stone right
in the middle of the road, and no
body will take the trouble to move 1t. y
And he went on his way, scoldlns
about the laziness Of other people, but
never thinking OF touching the stone
himself.
Then came a young soldier singing
a merry song as he walked along. A
gay feather was stuck In his hat, and
a big sword hung at his side: and
he was fond of telling great stories
Of what he had done in the war. He
held his head so high that he did not
see the stone, but stumbled over II
and fell fiat into the dust.
This put an end to his merry song
and, as he rose to his feet, he began
to storm at the country people.
SILLY drones!" he said, ito have
no more sense than to leave a stone
like that In the middle Of the road"
Then he passed on but he did not
sing any more.
An hour later there came down the
road six merchants, with their goods
on pack horses, going to the fair that
was to be held near the village. When
they reached the stone the road was
so narrow that they could hardly
drive their horses between it and the
wall.
Did any one ever see the like?''
they said. There is that big stone In
the road, and not a man in all the
country but that is too lazy to move
it,"
And so the stone lay there for three
weeks; it was in everybody's way, and
yet everybody left it for somebody
else to move.
Then the king sent word to all his
people to meet together on a certain
day near his palace, as he had some
thing to tell them.
The day came, and a great crowd OF
men and women gathered in the road
Old Peter, the farmer, was there; and
so were the merchants and the young
soldier.
II hope that the king will not find
out what lazy set Of people he has
around him." said Peter.
And then the sound of a horn was
heard, and the king was seen coming
toward them. He rode up to the stone
got down from his horse and said:
MY friends, l. was l who put this
stone here, three weeks ago. 1t has
been seen by everyone Of you; and yet
everyone has left it just where 1t was
and scolded his neighbor for not NOV
ing it out Of the way
Then he stopped down and rolled the
stone over. Underneath the stone was
a round, hollow place, in which was
a small iron box. The king held up
the box so that the people might see
what was written on a piece OF paper
fastened to it. There were the words:
For him who lifts the stone"
He opened the box, turned 1t upside
down, and out of it fell a beautiful
gold ring and twenty bright gold coins
Then everyone wished that he had
only thought of moving the stone in
stead of going around 1t and finding
fault with his neighbor.
There are many people still who lose
prizes because they think 1t easier to
find fault than to do the work which
lies before them. Such people do not
usually blame themselves, but think
it is all on account Of bad luck and
hard times.-Southern Presbyterian