Year: 1874

Adam and Eve Over Again.
THERE was an old couple who earned
poor living, working hard all day in
the fields.


"See how hard we work all day."
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 now in a beautiful garden,
with nothing to do all day long"
eyes," 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 paIazzo there to live, and gave
you servants to wait on you, and plenty
| to eat and drink"
"Oh, that would be delightful indeed!
That would be as good as paradise it.
selfr' answered husband and wife to-
gether


| "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 l say when
Eve had all the fruits in the garden, what
did she want with just that one that was
forbidden? 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,"


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


"Perfectly," replied both husband and
wife.


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


ave quite understand" answered the
peasants.


The Count went in and called his ser.
want and told him to give the peasants
an apartment to themselves, with every.
thing they could want and sumptuous
dinner; in the middle of the table was
to be an earthen dish, into which ht
was to put a little bird alive, SO that il
one lifted the cover the bird would fly
out. He was to stay in the room anc
wait ON them and report to him wha'
happened.


The old people sat down to dinner ant
praised everything they saw, SO delight
full it all seemed.


Look that's the dish we're not t.
touch" said the wife.


mo; better not look at it," said thu
husband.


"Pshaw! There's no danger of want
ing to open it when we have such lot O
dishes to eat our fill out Of" returned
the wife.


SO they set to and made such a repas
as they had never dreamed Of before
By degrees, however, as the novelty o
the thing wore Oft, they grew more ant
more dcsirous for something newer ant
newer still Though when they at frs
sat down it seemed that two dishes woult
be ample to satisfy them, they had nov
seven or eight, and they were wishin!
there might be others coming There i
an end to all things human, and no othe
came. There only remained the earthel
dish in the middle of the table.
I "We will just lift the lid up a littl
wee bit" said the wife.


"No, don't talk about it," said the hus
band.


The wife sat still for FIVE minutes, an
then she said:
"If one just lifted up one corner of tn
lid, it could scarcely be called opening il
you know"
Better leave it alone altogether, an
not think about it at all"
, The wife sat still another five minutes
and then she said: If one peeped j





Just the least in the world, it would NO
| be any harm, surely, and ! should so lik
, to know; what can the Count have put i
, that dish?"
"I'm sure can't guess in the least,
said the husband, land ! must say
r can't see what it can signify to him if W
, did look at it."



No; that's what think, and, besides
how would he know if we peeped?
, would not hurt him." said the wife.
mo, as you say, one could just take
t look" said the husband.
The wife did not want more encoul
). agement than that. But when she lifte
, one side of the lid the least mite sll
could see nothing She opened it tn
) least mite more, and the bird flew ou
4 The servant ran and told his master, an
E the Count came down and drove ther


out, bidding them never complain
7 Adam and Eve any more.-Roman Fo
{ Lore.


-MacarOni.-Break il into pieces abOl