Year: 1861

] There was once a poor woman. and
sbe had no dcarcr wish thar once, bv AZ.
cidcut or a miracle, 10 obtain rrcat de,l
Ior money, because she believed, that MI
she only had money, all sorrow aud sul.


fcrng would be as good Us gone The


accident and the miracle did not happen
| for a long time, however, I'LL the woman
one day heard that on the slope Of a hill
there grew among other grass weed.
and &c any one were so fortunate az 10
pluck IL, the mountain would open, the
pluckcr would walk into a large cave, al
which seven men sat around table who
would allow her to tako away as much
Of their treasure ~ she could carry. 80
From this moment tho poor woman had
nothing More pressing 70 do than 10 fetch
hill-grass daily during tho summer for her
COW, because she hoped q pluck the mi
raculous weod among H.. And 90 she did;
ono day the woman had again collected
erase, carried the heavy basket on her
head, and led her little daughter by the
hand, when large rock opened noislsss-
" before her like a woll-oiled door, and
allowed her TO see into tho cave, where
seven old men with long boards were sit
ting round d table, and piles Of gold and
silver were heaped around them. The
woman naturally soon took advantage of
tho opportunity ompued her basket upon
the ground and 6lled i with gold. when
this was done, and she was going out, one
Of tho old men certainly said, "Woman,
forget not the best thingH' but she did not
listen, aud went of, But she had scarce
reached tho entrance Of the cave when
the rock closed again, and shut in tho
woman's little daughter, who had remain.
ed behind playing with the gold. Then
the mothers grief aud agony we're great;
she ran lamonting 70 the oleryman, and
told him what had occurred, The latter
said she must wait seven years, ill she
could find her daughter again; AFTER tha,
period she must 60 again TO the noun
tain at the same hour in which abe losl
her child, aud wait for what might happens;
but she had nudo grand mistake in quite


emptying her basket for the sake of the
gold BECAUSE the miracle weed was n
mong the grass she threw away
Now she remembered the old mans
words, and learned to her sorrow that she


had doHe wrong 10 consider wealth as the


highest blessing. How slightly she now
valued the gold she brought home, when


she had TO pay for IL by tho loss Of her
child She thought further, and found
that there arc many blessings in the
world, which, if lost reduce the value Of
gold to nothing. This and many other
things the poor rich woman had time 70
reflect on during tho seven years, and, to
hor honor be il said, that, till the expira-
ton Of that time, she would not look at
or handle the gold. At length the day


came on which she hoped to find her
child again. The woman hurried to the


hill in tho noighborhood Of the rock


where her child was shut up, aud see


there from a distance she perceived the


treasure of her heart, her child, sleeping


in front Of the rock; twas as young and


blooming as when she lost il. Sho lifted


II tonderly, aud kissed it thousand times


with tears on the road home, thinking
"If all tho gold were out of my room |


should bo as happy as il Ihad found all


the treasures in the world I" But the


gold was not gone; and 80 she was crate
iul for that, and enjoyed tho advantage Of
wealth, and spent much on the good cd


ucation Of her daughter, and thus the


well-Irained maiden became great and
invaluable treasure.