Year: 1861

| There was once poor woman, and she had
| no dearer wish, than once, by accident or a
miracle, TO obtain great deal OF money, be-
cause she believed that If she only had n oney
all sorrow and suffering would 5s as good as
| gone.


| The accident and the miracle did mol hap
pen for long time, however, till The woman
one day teard that on the slope of hill there
grew among other grass, weed-and it any
one were so fortunate as to pluck IL, thu modu-
tain would open, the plucker would walk into
large cave, al which sal seven men round
table; who would allow her to take away as
much OF their treasure as she could car
ry.


From thIs moment the poor woman had moth.
ing more pressing to do, than to fetch hill grass
daily during the summer for her COW, because
she hoped TO pluck the miraculous weed among
It. And so she did one day the woman 1ai
again collected grass, carried the heavy basket
on her head, and led her little daughter by the
hand, ..len large rock opened noisel-ssly be-
fore her Ike a well oiled door, and allowed
her 10 see into the cave, where seven old mra
with long boards were sitting round table,
and piles of gold aud silver were heaped a.
round them.


The woman naturally took advantage OF the





ground and filled II with gold. When this was
done, and she was going out, one OF the old
men kindly said, GWoman, forget not tse best
thing" but she did not listen, and went
of.


But she had scarcely reached The end of the
cave, when the rock closed again, aad shut /
IN the oman's little daughter who had re-
NAMED behind playing with the gold. Then !
the mothers grief and agony were great she
ran lameniing 10 the.clersy man, and told him
what bad occurred. The latter said she must 1
wait another seven years, till she could fnd
her daughter again after that period, she
must go again 10 the mountain at the same
hour in which she lost her child, and wait for
what might happen, but she made a grand mis-
lake 10 quite emotying her basket for the sake
OF gold, because The miracle weed was among
the grass she threw away. Now she remem- /
bered the old mans w5fds, ard learned 10 her
sorrow that she had done wrong 10 consider
wealth as the highest blessing. How slightly |
she now valued the gold she brought shome,
when she had TO pay for it by iha loss of her |
child She tlougtf further, alY found thar /
there are many blessings IN the world, which
IT lost reduce the value OF gold to nothing
This and many othe. things the poor rich wom-
an had time TO reflect on during the seven
years, and, to her honor be ii said, that till the
expiration 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 the neigffbor-
hood OF the rock where her child was shut up
and SEE there from distance she perceived
the treasure OF her heart, her child, sleeping in
front of the rock it was Dung and blooming
as when she lost it. She lifted ii tenderly,
and kissed II thousand times with tears, on
the road home, thinking, 'Hlf all the gold were
out ofmy room, I should be as happy as if
had found all the treasure in the world !" /


Bot the gold was not gone and SO she was
grateful for that, and enjoyed the advantage ct |
wealth, aud spent much on the good education
OF her da lighter, and thus the well trained mai
den became great and invaluable Il Ieasure.