Year: 1867

THE LARGEST STORY ON =,


RECORD.


The following will amuse almost any
one who will take the trouble and spare
the the time to read it through:


There was once certain King, Who
like many Eastern Kings, was very
fond of hearing stories told. TO this
amusement he gave up all his time, but
yet he was never satisfied. The exer-
tions Of his courtiers were all in vain.
He at last made proclamation that if
any man should tell him q story that
should last forever, he would certainly
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 is, if
the story should come to an end-he
was to have his head cut off.


For such price as a beautiful prin-
cess 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 fellows, they all
spun them out as long as they possibly
could, but all in vain.


Sooner Or later, they alLcame to an
end, and, one after another, the un-
lucky story tellers had their heads
chopped off. -
AT last man came who said that he
had story that would last forever, if
his majesty would be pleased to give
him trial. He warned him of his
danger; they told him how many 9th
ers had tried and lost their heads, but
he said he was not fraid; and so he
was brought before the king. He was
man of very composed and deliberate
way of speaking, and, after making all
necessary stipulations for his eating,
drinking and sleeping, he thus began ::


Oh, King! there was once King
who was great tyrant; and desiring
to increase his riches, he seized upon
the corn in his kingdom and put it into
an immense granary, which was built
on purpose, as high as a lnountain.-
This he did for several years till the
granary was quite full to the top. He
then stopped the doors and windows
on all sides. But the bricklayers had,
by accident, left very small hole near
the top of the granary, and there came
flight of locusts and tried to get at
the corn, but the hole was so small that
only one locust could pass through 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 anoth
er locust went in and carried off anoth-
er grain of corn, and then another 10
Gust went in and carried off another
grain of corn. '@ taf


He had gone on thus from morning
till night Except when he was engaged
at his meals for about a month, when
the king began to be rather tired with
his locust, and interrupted his story
with: .~e{ ,s..e-


"Well, well, we have heard anough
of the locust, we will suppose they
helped themselves to all the corn they
wanted. Tell us what happened after
wards"


To which the story teller answered
deliberately: eff it please your majes-
ty, it is impossible to tell what hap
pened afterward before I tell what
happened first" ''"~


And then he went on: sEAnd then
another locust went in and carried of
another grain Of corn, and then an
other locust went in and carried offan.
other 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" .in


The king listened with unconquera'
BILE patience for six months more, when
he again interrupted him with: ":s'


ooh, friend, am weary with youl
locusts. How soon do You think they
will have done ?" ~


To which the story teller made an
swer: -l.".


ooh king, who can tell! At the
time to which my story has come the
locusts have cleared a small space, il
may be a cubit each way round the
hole, and the air is still dark with 10
Gusts on all sides. But let 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 full year, the story-tel
ler going on still as before.


''And another locust went in and
carried off another grain of corn, and
another locus went in and carried of
another grain of corn, and another To-
Gust went in and carried off another
grain of corn, and another locust went
in and carried off another grain OF corn
and another locust went IN and carried
off another grain of corn. ~


At last the poor king could stand il
no longer, and cried out:


"Oh, man, that is enough, take my
daughter! take my kingdom take any
thing, everything, only let me hear nc
more of the abomable locusts.' ..-


And so the story-teller was married
to the kings daughter, and was declar
ed heir to the throne, and nobody ever
expressed wish to hear the rest o
the story, for he said it was impossible
to come to the other part of it till hi
had done with the locusts. ~ $3.50.
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