The Magic Jar

Onoe upon a time thore was a youog fellow whom fortune had blessed with a good mother, a olever hoad, and a stroug body. But beyond tbis she had not uauoh favored him ; and though able and willing to work, be had oí(en little to do and les to eat. But his mother had taugbt him to be contentad with Lin own lot, aDd to feel for others. Moreover, trom her he inherited a great love for flowera. Now one day, when hts pockete were emptiest, a fair waa held in the neighboring town and he must neede go ns well as others, though he had notbing to Bpend. But ho stuok a daodelion in his button hole, for whioh he had nothing to pay, and strode aloug as merrily us the rest. Toward evening some of the merrymakers becamo riutous; and a party of them feil upon an old Jew who was keeping a stall of glass and ohin, and would smash bis stock. Now as the Jew siood before bis booth beseeohing thera to spare bis property, up oame the Btrong young man, with the dandolion still unwithered in big button-hole, and he took the Jew's part and defended him. For froin ohildbood bis inother had taught him to feel for otherg. So those who would have ill-treated tbe Jew now moved off, and the young man 8tayed with him till he bad paoked up bis wares. Then the Jew turned toward him and said, "My son, be who delivers the oppreeued, and has respeot unto the aged, has necd of no rewurd, for tho blessing of Him that bleseeth is ahout him. Neverthelesg, that I may not eeero ungrateful, choose, I pray, one of these ohina jars, and take it to thee for thioe own. If thou ohooses well, it may be of more use to thee than thou wouldst 8uppose." Then the young man examined the jars, wbioh were highly ornamented witb many figures and devioes ; but he chose one that was oomparatively plain ; only it had a bunoh of flowess painted on the front, around which was a pretty devioe iu spots or circleí of gold. ïhen said tbo Jew, "My son, why have you ohosen this jar, when there are ethers so much finer ?" And the youcg man aid, "Because the flowers pleaee me and I have a love for flowerg." ïhen, said ihe Jew, "Happy is ho whoge tastos aro simple 1 Moreover, herein is rara wisdom, and thou hastgained tbat whioh is the most valuable of my posseasioos. This jur has properties whioh I will further explain to thee. It was giyen to me by a wiae man, subjeot to this oondilion, that I raust exposé it for sale from sunrise to sunset at the vearly fair. When I understood this I took counsel with my?elf how I should preserve it ; and I bought other china jars of more apparout valuó, and I oil thcui all with tbe name prioe. For I ittid within myself, 'There is no man who does not desire to get as muoh bb he oan for his money, therefore from its ooDtrost with those othere, my jar is safe.' And it was even so ; for, truly, many have desired to boy the jar be cáese of the delioate beauty of the flowerg, f I would have aold it for loss thaa othora whioh seemed so rauoh more valuable. Many times it has been almost goDe, but when I have shown the others at the same price my oustomers have reviled me, sayiog, 'Dog of a Jew, dost thou ask as muoh for this as for these others whioh are manifostly wortli doublé ?' and they have either departed, cursing me, and taking nothing, or they havo bougbt one of the more elabórate jars at the eame price. For verily in most men the spirit of covetousneas is stronger than the love of beauty, and they rather desire to get muoh for their money than to obtain that whioh is suitable and couveuiüot. But in thee, O young man, I have beheld a rare wisdom. To cliooao that whioh is good in thioe eyes, and suitable to thy needs, rather than that which eatisfieth the lust of overreaching ; and lol what I have so long kept frotn tbousauds bas beoome thine." Then the young man wished to restore to the Jew the jar he valued so highly, and ohoose imother ; but the Jew refused, saying, "A gift can not be recalled. Moroover. I will now explain to thee its uses. Within the jar lies a toad, whose spit is poison. But it will nover spit at its uiaster. Evcry evening thou must feed it broad and milk, when it will fall asleap ; and at sunrise in the morning it will awake and breathe heavily agaiost the sido of the jar, whioh will thus become warm. Aa it warms, the flowers will blossom out and beoome real and full of perfume, and thou wilt be able to pluok them without diminishing their nuinher. Moreover, these twelve round spots of gold will drop off and become twalve gold pieoes, whiuh will be thine. And thus it will be every day. Only thou must thyself rise with the tun, and gather the flowors and the gold with thine own hands. Furlhermore, when the jar cools, the flowers and the gilding will be as before. Fare thee well." And even while he tfpoke the Jew lil'ted the huge crate of china on bis bank and disappeared among the crowd. All camo about aa tbe Jew had promied. As he had twelve gold piecea a day, the joung man now wanted for uothing, beside vrhich he had fresh tlowers od liis table all the year round Now it ia well said, "Tliy buüuess ia uiy husiDess, aud tbe business of all baidea ;" for ever y man'a affairs are hi neighbor'g property. Thus it oame about that those wlio lived near tbe youug man were perplexed that he had mich beuutiful flowers in alltoaeons; and estcemed it as an iiijury to thcmselvcg that he shonld have thora and give do explanatioDg as to whonco they oame. And it oamo to the ears of the king and he algo wag disturbed. For he was curiouf, and fond of prying into smalt inaRcrs ; a taste vrhich ill-beoame thoae of high position. But the king had no oliild to sucoeed him ; and he was ajwaya euspeeting those about him of plotting to obtain the crown, and thu he oame to be forever prying into the affairs of bis subjeeta. Now when ho heard of the young mau who had flowers on his table all the year round, he desired ooe of higofficers togo and question him aa to how he obtainej them. But the young man oontrived to evade his que?tions, and tbe matter wag at rest for a while. Then the king sentanother messengor wiui uruers io press ttie young man more olosely ; and becauee the young man disdained to teil a lie, he said, "I get the flowers from yon jar." Then the measengnr returned, and said to the king, "The young man says he gets the flowers from a oertain ohina jar which stands in Lis room." Then said the king, "Briog the contents of tho jar hitber to me." And themessenger returned and broughtthe toad. But when the king laid hold upon the toad it spit in his fiice; and he was poisoned and died Then the toad sat upon the king'g mouth, and would not be enticed away. And every one feared to touch it because it spit poison. And they oalled the wise men of the oouncil ; and they performed certaio rites to oharm away the toad, and yet it would not come. But after throe days the master of the toad oame to the palaoo, and with out saying who he was, he deeired to be permitted to try and get the toad from tbe oorpse of the kiog. And wheu he was takon into tbe king's ohamber he stood and beckoned to the toad, saying, "The person of the king, and the bodies of the dead are sacred, wherefore oome away." And the toad crawled from the king's faoa and oame to him, and did not spit at him; acd he put it baak iuto tho jar. Then said the wiuo meD, "There is no one so fit to sucoeod to the kingdom as this man is ; both for wisdom of epeeoh aod for the power of oommand." And what they said pieased the people ; and the y oung man was made king. And. in duo time he marriéd an amiable and talented prinoess, and bad ohildren. And he ruled the kingdom well and wiiely, and was beloved till his death. Now when, after the lapse of many years, he died, there was great grief among the peoplo, and his boly wai laid out in his owü room, and the peoplo were permitted to oome and look upon his faoe for tho last time. And among the orowd appeared an aged Jew, and did not weep as did the others ; but he came and stood by the bier, and gazed upon the dead king in silenoe. And after a wbilo he exolaimsd, and said : "Oh, wonderfal speotacle I A man, and not oovetoui. A ruler, and not oppressive. Conten ted in poverty, and moderated in wealth. Eleot of the people, and beloved to the end I" And when he had eaid this, he becaino silent, and stood as one astoniphed. And no one knew when he oama in, nor perceived when he departed. But wben they oame to searoh for the jar, it was gone, and oould never afterward bo found.