Year: 1874

There was an old couple who earn
ed poor living, working hard all
day in the fields.


''See how bard we work all day, F"
said the wife, land it all comes of
the foolish curiosity of Adam and
Eve. If it had not been for that, we
should have been living how in a
a beautiful garden, with nothing to
do all day long"


"Yes,r said the husband; "If you
and / had been there, instead of
Adam and Eve, ali the human family
had been in paradise still"


The Count, their master, overheard
them talking in this way, and he came
to them and said;


"How would you like it if | took
you into my palace there, to live, and
give you servants to wait on you,
and plenty to eat and drink"


"Ob, that would be delightful
indeedl That would be- as good as
paradise itselfln answered husband
and wife together.


"Well, you may come up there, if
you think so. Only remember, in
paradise there was one tree that was
not to be touched; so at my table
there will be one dish not to be
touched. You mustn't mind that, I"
said the Count


"Oh, of course not" replied the
old peasant; that's just what | say
when Eve had all the fruits in the
garden, what did she want with just
that o1e that was forbidden? And if
we, VIII are used to the scantiest
victuals, are supplied with enough to
live well, what does it matter to us
whether there is an extra dish or not
on the table?"


Every well reasoned said the
Count eve quite understand each
other, then?"


Perfectly" replied husband and
wife.


You come to live at my palace,
and have everything you can want
there, so long as you don't open one
dish, which there will be in the CEN
tire Of the table. If yon open that,
you go back to your former way of
life.n


@We quite understand" answered
the peasants.


The Count went in and called his
servant, and told him to give the
peasants an apartment to themselves,
with everything they could want,
sumptuous dinner; in the middle of
the table was to be an earthen dish,
into which he was to put little bird
alive, so that if one lifted the cover
the bird would 6y out. He was to
stay in the room and wait on them,
and report to him what happen
ed.


The old people sat down to dinner,
and praised everything they saw, so
delightful it all seemed.


"Lookl that's the dish we're not to
touch" said the wife.


"No; better moi look at it" said the
husband.


"Pshawl There's no danger Of
wanting to open it when we have
such lot of dishes to eat our fill out
of, " returned the wife


So they set to and made such
repast as they had never dreamed of
before. By degrees, however, as the
novelty of the thing wore off, they
grew more and more desirous for
something newer and newer still.
Though when they at first sat down
it seemed that two dishes would be
ample to satisfy them, they bad now
seven or eight, and they were wish
ing there might be others coming.
There is an end to all things human,
and no others came There only re-
NAMED the earthen dish in the mid
die of the table.


awe will just lift the lid up little
wee bit,n said the wife.


"No; don't talk about it." said the
husband


The wife sat still for five minutes,
and then said:


"If one just lifted up one corner of
the lid, it would scarcely be called
opening it, you know"


Better leave it alone, altogether,
and not think about it at ALL"


The wife sat still another FIVE min
utes, and then she said: eff one peep
ed in just the least in the world, 1t
would not be any harm, surely, and
should SO like to know what
can the Count have put in that
dish?"


"I'm sure / can't guess in the
least" I" said the husband, "and Imust
say / can't see what it can signify to
him if we did look at it."


mo that's what | think, and be-
sides, how would he know if we
peeped? 1t would not hurt him, y
said the wife.


"No, as you say. one could just
take look,n said the husband.


The wife did not want more cour-
age than that. But when she lifted
one side of the lid the least mite, she
could see nothing She opened il
the least mite more, and the bird flew
out. The servant ran and told hi:
master, and the Count came dowr
and drove them out, bidding them
never complain of Adam and Eve
any more.-Rondn Foik Lore.