Year: 1867

There was once certain king, who. like
many Eastern kings was very fond Of
hearing stories told TO this amusement
he gave up his time but yet he was never
satisfied. He at last made proclama-
ton that if any man should tell him sto-'
Try that should last forever he would GER
tainly make him his heir, and give him
the princess, his daughter In marriage,
but if any one should pretend he had such
story and should fail-that il; if the stoe
ry should come to an end-he was to have
his head cut off.


For such price as beautiful princess
and kingdom many candidates appeared
and dreadful long stories some of them


told. Some of them lasted week, some
month and some six months. Poor fel-


lows, they spun them out as long as they
possibly could, but all in vain. Sooner
or later they all came to an end, one after
another, and the unlucky story-tellers had
their heads chopped off At last came a


man who said that he had story that
would last forever, If his Majesty would
be pleased to give him trial. He was
warned Of his danger; they told him how
many others had tried and lost their heads
but he said he was not afraid; and 90 he
was brought before the King. He was a
man Of very composed and deliberate
way Of speaking, and after making all
necessary stipulations for his eating,


drinking and sleeping. he began: !
Oh, king, there was once king who
was great tyrant, and desiring to in
crease his riches he seized upon all the corn
in his kingdom, and put it in an immense
granary, which was built On purpose, as
high as a mountain. This he did for sew
eral years, until the granary was quite full
to the top. He then stopped the doors
aud windows on all sides But the brick
layers had by accident left very small
hole near the top Of the granary, and there
came a fight Of locusts and tried to get at
the corn, but the hole was SO small that
only one locust could pass at time. So
one locust went in and carried off one grain.
Of corn, and then another locust went in
and carried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went and carried off
another grain of corn, and then another
locust went and carried off another grain
of corn. !
He had gone on thus from morning till
night Except when he was engaged at his
meals) for about month, when the King
began TO be rather tired with his locusts,
and interrupted his story with: :


"Well, well, We have heard enough of
the locusts We will suppose they helped
themselves to all the corn they wanted
Tell US what happened afterwards


To which the story-teller answered de-
liberately: "If it please your Majesty, ID
is impossible to tell what happened afteri
ward before | tell what happened frst.1


And then he went on again: "And
then another locust went in and carried
off another grain of corn, and then anoth-
er grain of corn, and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain of
corn" I.


The King listened with unconquerable


patience for six months more, when he
again interrupted him with:
"Oh, friend! / am weary of your To-
Gusts. How long do you think they will


have done?" j;
i To which the story-tellcr replied: "Oh,
King! who can tell? At the time to
which my story has come the locusts have
, cleared small space it may be- q cubit
! each way round the hole, and the air is
still dark with locusts on all sides. But
) let the King have patience, and no doubt
we shall have come to the end in time. :
, Thus encouraged the King listened on
for another full year, the stOry-teller go.
ing on still as before:


And another locust went in and carried
off another grain of corn, and another To-
Gust went in and carried off another grain
, of corn and then another locust went in
and carried off another grain of corn, and


then another locust went in and carried
off another grain of corn"


} At last the king could stand it no long


er, and cried out: :
"Oh man that is enough to take my
, daughterl take my kingdom! take any
! thing, everything, only let me hear no
more of the abominable locusts p


And so the story teller was married to
e the Kings daughter and was declared
heir to the throne, and nobody ever express
! ed wish to hear the rest of thestory for he
! said it was impossible to come to other


part of it until he had done with the To-
: Gusts >