Year: 1867

THE LONGEST STORY ON RECORD.


The following will amuse almost anyone
who will take the trouble and spare the
time 10 read it through:


There was once certain king, who, ike
many Eastern kings, was very fond Of hear
ing stories told. TO this amusement he
gave up all his time, but yet he was never
satisfied The exer,ions Of his courtiers
were all in vain. lie at last made a proc
Iama,on that If any man should tell him
story that should last forever, lie would Ger
lanIy make him his heir and give him the
princess, his daughter, in marriage, but if
anyone should pretend he had such story
and should faiI-that is, if the story did
come TO an end-he was 10 have bis bead
cut off.


For such price as a beautiful princess
and a kingdom, many candidates appeared,
Some lasted week, some month, and
some six months Poor fellows, they all
spun them out as long as they possibly could,
but all come TO an end, one after another,
and the unlucky story'telers had their heads
chopped off At last came man who said
be had story that would last forever, if bis
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 so
be was brought before the king. He was
man of very composed and deliberate way
of speaking, and after making all necessary
stipulatons for his eating, drinking and
sleeping, he thus bcgau:


'Oh, king there was once a king who
was great tyrant and desiring to increase
bis riches, he seized upon the corn in his
Kingdom, and put it in an immense granary
mountain. This he did for several years,
until the granary was quite full to the top.
He then stopped doors aud windows on all
sides. But the bricklayers had, by accident,
left very small hole near the top Of the
grauary, and there came fight of locusts,
and tried to get at the corn but the hole
was SO small that only one locust could pass
through at a lime. So one locust went in
aud carried off one grain Of corn and then
another locust went in and carried off at
other grain of corn, and then another 10.
Gust wen in and carried off another grain of
corn.'


He had gone on thus from morning till
night Except when be was engaged at his
meals) for about month, when the king
began to be rather tired with bis locusts, aud
interrupted bis story with:


We'll, WELL we have heared enough of
the locust, we will suppose they helped them
selves TO all the corn they wanted. Tell US
what happened afterwards
10 which the story.telIer answered delib-
erately If it please your majesty it is i'm,
possible to tell what happened afterwards
before | tell what happened first
AN then he went on again And then
another locust went in and carried off AMI
other grain Of corn and then another locust
went in and carried off another grain of
corn, and then another locust went and car.
ried off another grain of corn and then an
other locust went and carried off another
grain Of corn and then another locust went
and carried off another grain of corn
oh friend ! | am weary Of your locusts.
How soon do you think they will have done!


10 which the story.teller made answer:
'Oh! king, who can tell? At the time to
which my story has come the locus,s have
cleared a small place it may be cubit each
way round the hole, and the air is still dark
with locusls on all sides. But lei the king
have patience, and no doubt we shall have
come to the end of them in time.


Thus encouraged the king listened on for
another year, the story-telIer going on still
as before


And another locust 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, and then
another locust went in and carried off an
other grain Of corn.


At last the poor king could stand it no
longer, and cried out:
Or, man, that is enough 10 take my
daughter! take my kingdom take anything,
everything, only let me hear no more of the
abominable locust
| And so the story teller was married to
the king daughter, and was declared heir
to the throne, and nobody ever expressed "a
wish to hear the rest OF the story, for he
said it was impossible TO come to the other
part Of it till he had done with the locus.s.


GETTING DRUNK BY THE MoNTH.-A GER.
tain individual in this city, says the Virginia
Enterprise John Doe-who has, from
an inveterate habit Of getting too much beer
on board, been frequent inmate OF the Sta
ton House, was released from durance vile
in that delectable institution the other day
where be had been spending couple Of
weeks or so by way of expiration for recent
indulgence in this besettpg sin. A friend
meeting him, congratulated him on bis re-


lease, and expressed the hope that be would
not get in there again very soon. "Ob,"
said be, "tbat's all right hereafter. doa't
60 there again. Judge Meagher and me have
arranged the thing all right. lie has exam
iued the police records from the first sotle-
ment Of the city down and finding baye
been in the Station House oftener, and paid
moro penalties than any body else has in this