Year: 1867

The Longest story on Record.
| The following will amuse almost any one
who will take the trouble and spare the time to
read it through


There was once q certain ssking, whosS 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 excrtions of his courtiers were all in vain.
| lie at last made proclamation that If any man
should tell him story that should last forever,
| lie would probaiy make him his heir aud give
him the princess his daughter, in marriage but
| if any one pretended that he had such a story
and should fail--that is, IL the story did como
10 an end-hc was 10 have his head cut
Off -...


For such price as a neutrality-suspicious. 9
kingdom, many candidates appeared, and dread
ful long stories some Of them told. Some lasted
week, some a month, and some six months.
Poor felsws, they all spun them out as long
Us they possibly couli, but all in vain. Sooner
or later they all came to end one after another,
and the urlucky stoEy-telers had their heads
chopped of. At last came man who said he
had story that would last forever, If his majesty
would be pleased to give him trial. He wss
warned of hi s danger they told him how
many others had tried and lost their heads, but
he said he was not afraid and so he was brought
before the king. He was man of very composed
and deliberate way of speaking, and after making
cY necessary stipulations for his eating, drinking
4. sleeping, he thus began: 'ea


"oh, king there was once king who wrs
great tyrant; and desiring to increase his
riches, he seized upon the corn in his kingdom,
and put it in an immense granary, which was
built on purpose, as high as mountain.--This
quite full to the top. lie then stopped doors
and windows on all sides. But the hricklayers
had, by accident, lett very small hole near the
top of the grarary, and there came flight OF
ocusts, and tried to get at the corn, but the
hole was so small that only one locust coald
paSs-thro' at a time. So one leust 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 vert in
and carried off another grain of coru,- and
another locust went in and carried off another
grain OF. CON, ..-....- ,


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 locusts, and interrupted him
with: f.. .tsUe9


IsWell well, we have heard enough Of the
locusts we will suppose they helped themselves
to all the corn they wanted. Teilus what hap
pened afterwards" -- r'7'i 81


To which the story-teller answered deliberately
IF please your majesty it impossible to tell
what happened afterwards before I tell you what
happened first." ' .H'


And then he wento on again: HAnd then another
locust went in and carried off another grain Of
corn, and then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then another
locust went in and carried of another grain os
corn. and then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then another
locust went in and carried of another grain Of
corn.' l p 8,


The King listened with unconquerable patience
for six months more, when he again interrupted
him with -..- s'fl-'.'


"Oh, friend am weary of your loeusts.
How soon do you think they will have done?'


To which the stoty-te'ler made answer: "0h,
King who can tell AT the time to which my
story has come the locusts have cleared a small
place; 1t may be a cubit each way around 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 Of them in
! time.''
Thus encouraged, the King listened on for
another full year, the story teller going on as
before: ,. uri
uAnd then another locust went in and carried
OF another grain Of corn, and then another
locust went in and carried off another grain<of
corn, and then another locust went in and car
ricd OF another grain of corn, and then another
locust went in and carried off another grain OF
corn, and then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain Of corn"


Az last the poor King conld stand it no longer,
| and cried out:


"oh, man that is enough to take my daugh-
teri take my kingdoml take anything, every
thing, only let me hear no more Of the abomina-
BILE locusts."


| And so the story-teller was married to tho
King daughter, and was declared heir to tho
throne, aud nobody ever expressed wish to hear
the rest Of the story, for he said 1t was impos-
sible to come to the other part Of it till he had
done with the locusts.


| $-s~>-
| Henry A. Wise. Of Virginia. in carly