Year: 1879

The following ~il amu.e almos,
anyone who will take the trouble and
spare th, time % read il through;


There was once certain king. who


like many Eastern kings, vas very
fond Of hearing stories To this
amusement be gave up al his time,
bu. &c, he was never satisfied. The
e1ertions Of his cour.iers we're ell in


vain. He at las. made = proclamation
that if any m.n should tell him . story
tha. should last forever. he would


make him his heir and give him the
prince,s. his daughter, IN marriage. but
if anyone should pretend be had such 9
story and should fai.-tbat Is, 1t the
story should come 10 On end-he was
10 have his hesd cut of.


For such Price as beautiful prin-
ces. aud kingdom, many candidates
appeared. and dreadful long stories
some Of them told Some lasted .
week, some q mouth. and some SIX
mon,hs. Poor fellows. they oil spun
them ont - long as they possibly could,
but s!l came TO an snd. one af.er an
other. and the unlucky story -tellers had
their heads chopped off. At last came
q man who said he had Q story thai
would last for ever, if bis MAZE would
be pleased 10 give him tria.. He was
warned Of hi, danger; they told him
how many others had tried and lost
their heads. but he said hs was not
afraid; and 40 he was brought before
the king He WAS 9 man of very COM
posed AMI deliberate way OF speaking,
and after making ell necessary stipu-
lAtions for his eating. drinking and
sleeping. he thus began:


"Oh. king there was once . king
who WAS . great tvrant; 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 o mountain.
This he did for several years. until the
RraBary was quite full to the top he
then stopped doors and windows on all
sides. But the bricklsyers had. by
accident, left a very small hole neer the
top Of the gransry. and there came a
flight Of locusts. and tried TO get st
the corn, but the hole was So small that
only one locust could pass through st a
time 81 one locust went IN and car
reid II one grain Of corn. aud then an
Other locust went 10 and carried otf an
other grain o. corn. ard then another
locust went in and carried OF another
grain OF corn, and then another locust
went in aud carried off Another grain
Of corn, and then another locust went
in and carried of another grain u
corn"


He had gone on thus from morning
t.ll night Except when be Was engaged
a. his meals for about q month. when
the king began to DO rather tired with
his iocusts, and interrupted his story
with:


"Wsll. we'll, We haYe heard enough
of the locust. We will suppose they
helped themselves to all the corn they
wantei Tell US what happsne after
wards"


TO which the story -telle: answered
"lf it please your majesty
il is impossible to tell what happened
afterwards before tell what happened
first"


And then lie went on again; AID
off another grain of corn, ard then
another locust went in and carried of
another grain Of corn. and then an
other locust went 10 and carried of
another grain Of corn. and then another
locust went in and carried Of another
grain Of corn"


"Ohi friend am weary Of your To-
Gusts. How soon do you think they
will have done


To which tho story Heller m.do An
swer: "Oh. king. who can tell At
the time to which my story has come
the locusts have cleared small place;
it may be cubit each way round the
hole. and the air is still dark with To-
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. tho king listened on
for another year. the story-teller going
on still Is before:


And another locust went in and car
ried of another grain OF corn. and then
another locust went in and carried of
another grain Of corn. and then another
locust went in and carried of another
grain Of corn. and then another locust
went in and carried OF another grain Of
corn"


At last the poor king could stand it
no longer. and cried out;


"Oh. man, that Is enough Take my
take my kingdom! take any
thing. everything. only let me hear no
moro OF the sbominable locusts."


And 90 the story teller vas married
10 the kings daughter. and WAS de-
clAred heir to the throne. and nobody
ever expressed . wish 70 boar the rest
Of the story. for be said j, was impossi-
bic 10 come to the other part Of 1t till
T. L. Sho i<,en.t.