Year: 1874

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


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


Yes," said the husband "if you and
| had been there instead of Adam and Eve,
all 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 plazzo there, to live, and gave
you servants to wait on you, and plenty
to eat and drink 2"


"Oh, that would be delightful indeed
That would be as good as paradise itself \"
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" said the Count.


Oh, of course not" replied the old
peasant; "That's just what I say when
Eve had all the fruits in the garden, what
did she want with just that one that was
forbidden p? And if we, who 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 2"


." Very we'll reasoned" said the Count.
We quite understand each other,
then ?"


{" Perfectly" replied both husband and
wife.


g 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 10 the centre Of the table
If you open that you 60 back to your
former way of life"


peasants.


The Count went in and called his SER
want, and told him to give the peasants an
apartment to themselves, with everything
they could want, and sumptuous din
ner: 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 fly out He was to
stay in the room and wait on them and
report to him what happened


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


g Look that's the dish we're not to
touch,' said the wife.


=" No; better not look at it said the
husband


" Pshaw There's no danger of want
ing 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 a 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 had now
seven or eight, and they were wishing
there might be others coming There is
an end to all things human, and no other
came There only remained the earthern
dish in the middle of the table


:" We will just lift the lid up little
wee bit, said the wife.


b" No; don't talk about it, J" said the hus-
band


The wife sat still for five minutes, and
then said


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


4" Better leave it alone altogether, and
not think about it at all.


The wife sat still another five minutes,
and then said +" If one pceped in just
the least in the world, it would not be any
harm, surely, and should SO like to know
what can the Count have put in that
dish 2"


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


" No; that's what think, and b sides,
how would he know if we peeped? 1t
would not hurt him, said the wife


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


The wife did not want more encourage
ment than that But when she lifted one
side of the lid the least mite she could see
nothing She opened it the least mite
more, and the bird flew out. The servant
ran and told his master, and the Count
came down and drove them out, bidding
them never complain of Adam and Eve
any more -Roman F'oih Lore
There is such n thin0 as having ton