THE ENDLESS TALE
In the Far East there was a great king who had no work to do. Every
day, and all day long, he sat on soft cush-ions and lis-tened to
stories. And no matter what the story was about, he never grew tired
of hearing it, even though it was very long.
"There is only one fault that I find with your story," he often said:
"it is too short."
All the story-tellers in the world were in-vit-ed to his p
some of them told tales that were very long indeed. But the king was
always sad when a story was ended.
At last he sent word into every city and town and country place,
offering a prize to any one who should tell him an endless tale. He
said,--
"To the man that will tell me a story which shall last forever, I will
give my fairest daugh-ter for his wife; and I will make him my heir,
and he shall be king after me."
But this was not all. He added a very hard con-di-tion. "If any man
shall try to tell such a story and then fail, he shall have his head
cut off."
The king's daughter was very pretty, and there were many young men in
that country who were willing to do anything to win her. But none of
them wanted to lose their heads, and so only a few tried for the
prize.
One young man invented a story that lasted three months; but at the
end of that time, he could think of nothing more. His fate was a
warning to others, and it was a long time before another story-teller
was so rash as to try the king's patience.
But one day a stran-ger from the South came into the palace.
"Great king," he said, "is it true that you offer a prize to the man
who can tell a story that has no end?"
"It is true," said the king.
"And shall this man have your fairest daughter for his wife, and shall
he be your heir?"
"Yes, if he suc-ceeds," said the king. "But if he fails, he shall lose
his head."
"Very well, then," said the stran-ger. "I have a pleasant story about
locusts which I would like to relate."
"Tell it," said the king. "I will listen to you."
The story-teller began his tale.
"Once upon a time a certain king seized upon all the corn in his
country, and stored it away in a strong gran-a-ry. But a swarm of
locusts came over the land and saw where the grain had been put. After
search-ing for many days they found on the east side of the gran-a-ry
a crev-ice that was just large enough for one locust to pass through
at a time. So one locust went in and carried away a grain of corn;
then another locust went in and carried away a grain of corn; then
another locust went in and carried away a grain of corn."
Day after day, week after week, the man kept on saying, "Then another
locust went in and carried away a grain of corn."
A month passed; a year passed. At the end of two years, the king
said,--
"How much longer will the locusts be going in and carrying away corn?"
"O king!" said the story-teller, "they have as yet cleared only one
cubit; and there are many thousand cubits in the granary."
"Man, man!" cried the king, "you will drive me mad. I can listen to it
no longer. Take my daughter; be my heir; rule my kingdom. But do not
let me hear another word about those horrible locusts!"
And so the strange story-teller married the king's daughter. And he
lived happily in the land for many years. But his father-in-law, the
king, did not care to listen to any more stories.
More
-
A LACONIC ANSWER
Many miles beyond Rome there was a famous country which we call Greece. The people of Greece were not u-nit-ed like the Romans; but instead there were sev-er-al states, each of which had its own rulers. Some of the people in the southern part of... A STORY OF ROBIN HOOD
In the rude days of King Rich-ard and King John there were many great woods in England. The most famous of these was Sher-wood forest, where the king often went to hunt deer. In this forest there lived a band of daring men called out-laws. They... ALEXANDER AND BUCEPHALUS
One day King Philip bought a fine horse called Bu-ceph'a-lus. He was a noble an-i-mal, and the king paid a very high price for him. But he was wild and savage, and no man could mount him, or do anything at all with him. They tried to whip him, ... ANDROCLUS AND THE LION
In Rome there was once a poor slave whose name was An'dro-clus. His master was a cruel man, and so unkind to him that at last An-dro-clus ran away. He hid himself in a wild wood for many days; but there was no food to be found, and he grew so w... ANTONIO CANOVA
A good many years ago there lived in Italy a little boy whose name was An-to'ni-o Ca-no'va. He lived with his grand-fa-ther, for his own father was dead. His grand-fa-ther was a stone-cut-ter, and he was very poor. An-to-ni-o was a puny lad, an... ARNOLD WINKELRIED
A great army was marching into Swit-zer-land. If it should go much farther, there would be no driving it out again. The soldiers would burn the towns, they would rob the farmers of their grain and sheep, they would make slaves of the people. Th... BRUCE AND THE SPIDER
There was once a king of Scot-land whose name was Robert Bruce. He had need to be both brave and wise, for the times in which he lived were wild and rude. The King of England was at war with him, and had led a great army into Scotland to drive him... CASABIANCA
There was a great battle at sea. One could hear nothing but the roar of the big guns. The air was filled with black smoke. The water was strewn with broken masts and pieces of timber which the cannon balls had knocked from the ships. Many men had ... CORNELIA'S JEWELS
It was a bright morning in the old city of Rome many hundred years ago. In a vine-covered summer-house in a beautiful garden, two boys were standing. They were looking at their mother and her friend, who were walking among the flowers and trees. ... DAMON AND PYTHIAS
A young man whose name was Pyth'i-as had done something which the tyrant Dionysius did not like. For this offense he was dragged to prison, and a day was set when he should be put to death. His home was far away, and he wanted very much to see his... DIOGENES THE WISE MAN
At Cor-inth, in Greece, there lived a very wise man whose name was Di-og'e-nes. Men came from all parts of the land to see him and hear him talk. But wise as he was, he had some very queer ways. He did not believe that any man ought to have mor... DOCTOR GOLDSMITH
There was once a kind man whose name was Oliver Gold-smith. He wrote many de-light-ful books, some of which you will read when you are older. He had a gentle heart. He was always ready to help others and to share with them anything that he had.... GEORGE WASHINGTON AND HIS HATCHET
When George Wash-ing-ton was quite a little boy, his father gave him a hatchet. It was bright and new, and George took great delight in going about and chopping things with it. He ran into the garden, and there he saw a tree which seemed to say ... GRACE DARLING
It was a dark Sep-tem-ber morning. There was a storm at sea. A ship had been driven on a low rock off the shores of the Farne Islands. It had been broken in two by the waves, and half of it had been washed away. The other half lay yet on the rock,... HE NEVER SMILED AGAIN
The bark that held the prince went down, The sweeping waves rolled on; And what was England's glorious crown To him that wept a son? He lived, for life may long be borne Ere sorrow breaks its chain: Why comes not... HORATIUS AT THE BRIDGE
Once there was a war between the Roman people and the E-trus'cans who lived in the towns on the other side of the Ti-ber River. Por'se-na, the King of the E-trus-cans, raised a great army, and marched toward Rome. The city had never been in so gre... HOW NAPOLEON CROSSED THE ALPS
About a hundred years ago there lived a great gen-er-al whose name was Na-po'le-on Bo'na-parte. He was the leader of the French army; and France was at war with nearly all the countries around. He wanted very much to take his soldiers into It-a-ly... JULIUS CAESAR
Nearly two thousand years ago there lived in Rome a man whose name was Julius Cae'sar. He was the greatest of all the Romans. Why was he so great? He was a brave warrior, and had con-quered many countries for Rome. He was wise in planning and... KING ALFRED AND THE BEGGAR
At one time the Danes drove King Alfred from his kingdom, and he had to lie hidden for a long time on a little is-land in a river. One day, all who were on the is-land, except the king and queen and one servant, went out to fish. It was a very l... KING ALFRED AND THE CAKES
Many years ago there lived in Eng-land a wise and good king whose name was Al-fred. No other man ever did so much for his country as he; and people now, all over the world, speak of him as Alfred the Great. In those days a king did not have ... KING CANUTE ON THE SEASHORE
A hundred years or more after the time of Alfred the Great there was a king of England named Ca-nute. King Canute was a Dane; but the Danes were not so fierce and cruel then as they had been when they were at war with King Alfred. The great men... KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT
The 3 Questions. There was once a king of England whose name was John. He was a bad king; for he was harsh and cruel to his people, and so long as he could have his own way, he did not care what became of other folks. He was the worst king tha... MAXIMILIAN AND THE GOOSE BOY
One summer day King Max-i-mil'ian of Ba-va'ri-a was walking in the country. The sun shone hot, and he stopped under a tree to rest. It was very pleasant in the cool shade. The king lay down on the soft grass, and looked up at the white clouds sa... MIGNON
Here is the story of Mignon as I remember having read it in a famous old book. A young man named Wil-helm was staying at an inn in the city. One day as he was going up-stairs he met a little girl coming down. He would have taken her for a boy, ... OTHER WISE MEN OF GOTHAM
One day, news was brought to Gotham that the king was coming that way, and that he would pass through the town. This did not please the men of Gotham at all. They hated the king, for they knew that he was a cruel, bad man. If he came to their town... PICCIOLA
Many years ago there was a poor gentleman shut up in one of the great prisons of France. His name was Char-ney, and he was very sad and un-hap-py. He had been put into prison wrong-ful-ly, and it seemed to him as though there was no one in the wor... POCAHONTAS
There was once a very brave man whose name was John Smith. He came to this country many years ago, when there were great woods everywhere, and many wild beasts and Indians. Many tales are told of his ad-ven-tures, some of them true and some of the... SIR HUMPHREY GILBERT
More than three hundred years ago there lived in England a brave man whose name was Sir Humphrey Gil-bert. At that time there were no white people in this country of ours. The land was covered with forests; and where there are now great cities and... SIR PHILIP SIDNEY
A cruel battle was being fought. The ground was covered with dead and dying men. The air was hot and stifling. The sun shone down without pity on the wounded soldiers lying in the blood and dust. One of these soldiers was a no-ble-man, whom ever... SIR WALTER RALEIGH
There once lived in England a brave and noble man whose name was Walter Ra-leigh. He was not only brave and noble, but he was also handsome and polite; and for that reason the queen made him a knight, and called him Sir Walter Ra-leigh. I will ... SOCRATES AND HIS HOUSE
There once lived in Greece a very wise man whose name was Soc'ra-tes. Young men from all parts of the land went to him to learn wisdom from him; and he said so many pleasant things, and said them in so delightful a way, that no one ever grew tired... THE BARMECIDE FEAST
There was once a rich old man who was called the Bar-me-cide. He lived in a beautiful palace in the midst of flowery gardens. He had every-thing that heart could wish. In the same land there was a poor man whose name was Schac-a-bac. His clothi... THE BELL OF ATRI
A-tri is the name of a little town in It-a-ly. It is a very old town, and is built half-way up the side of a steep hill. A long time ago, the King of Atri bought a fine large bell, and had it hung up in a tower in the market place. A long rope t... THE BLACK DOUGLAS
In Scotland, in the time of King Robert Bruce, there lived a brave man whose name was Doug-las. His hair and beard were black and long, and his face was tanned and dark; and for this reason people nicknamed him the Black Douglas. He was a good fri... THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT
There were once six blind men who stood by the road-side every day, and begged from the people who passed. They had often heard of el-e-phants, but they had never seen one; for, being blind, how could they? It so happened one morning that an el... THE BRAVE THREE HUNDRED
All Greece was in danger. A mighty army, led by the great King of Persia, had come from the east. It was marching along the seashore, and in a few days would be in Greece. The great king had sent mes-sen-gers into every city and state, bidding the... THE ENDLESS TALE
In the Far East there was a great king who had no work to do. Every day, and all day long, he sat on soft cush-ions and lis-tened to stories. And no matter what the story was about, he never grew tired of hearing it, even though it was very long. ... THE INCHCAPE ROCK
In the North Sea there is a great rock called the Inch-cape Rock. It is twelve miles from any land, and is covered most of the time with water. Many boats and ships have been wrecked on that rock; for it is so near the top of the water that no ... THE KING AND HIS HAWK
Gen'ghis Khan was a great king and war-rior. He led his army into China and Persia, and he con-quered many lands. In every country, men told about his daring deeds; and they said that since Alexander the Great there had been no king like him. ... THE KINGDOMS
There was once a king of Prussia whose name was Frederick William. On a fine morning in June he went out alone to walk in the green woods. He was tired of the noise of the city, and he was glad to get away from it. So, as he walked among the ... THE MILLER OF THE DEE
Once upon a time there lived on the banks of the River Dee a miller, who was the hap-pi-est man in England. He was always busy from morning till night, and he was always singing as merrily as any lark. He was so cheerful that he made everybody els... THE SONS OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
There was once a great king of England who was called Wil-liam the Con-quer-or, and he had three sons. One day King Wil-liam seemed to be thinking of something that made him feel very sad; and the wise men who were about him asked him what ... THE STORY OF CINCINNATUS
There was a man named Cin-cin-na'tus who lived on a little farm not far from the city of Rome. He had once been rich, and had held the highest office in the land; but in one way or another he had lost all his wealth. He was now so poor that he had... THE STORY OF REGULUS
On the other side of the sea from Rome there was once a great city named Car-thage. The Roman people were never very friendly to the people of Car-thage, and at last a war began between them. For a long time it was hard to tell which would prove t... THE STORY OF WILLIAM TELL
The people of Swit-zer-land were not always free and happy as they are to-day. Many years ago a proud tyrant, whose name was Gessler, ruled over them, and made their lot a bitter one indeed. One day this tyrant set up a tall pole in the public s... THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES
There was once a king whose name was Di-o-nys'i-us. He was so unjust and cruel that he won for himself the name of tyrant. He knew that almost everybody hated him, and so he was always in dread lest some one should take his life. But he was ver... THE UNGRATEFUL GUEST
Among the soldiers of King Philip there was a poor man who had done some brave deeds. He had pleased the king in more ways than one, and so the king put a good deal of trust in him. One day this soldier was on board of a ship at sea when a great... THE UNGRATEFUL SOLDIER
Here is another story of the bat-tle-field, and it is much like the one which I have just told you. Not quite a hundred years after the time of Sir Philip Sidney there was a war between the Swedes and the Danes. One day a great battle was fough... THE WHITE SHIP
King Henry, the Handsome Scholar, had one son, named William, whom he dearly loved. The young man was noble and brave, and every-body hoped that he would some day be the King of England. One summer Prince William went with his father across the ... THREE MEN OF GOTHAM
There is a town in England called Go-tham, and many merry stories are told of the queer people who used to live there. One day two men of Go-tham met on a bridge. Hodge was coming from the market, and Peter was going to the market. "Where are... WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
The City There was once a little boy whose name was Richard Whit'ting-ton; but everybody called him Dick. His father and mother had died when he was only a babe, and the people who had the care of him were very poor. Dick was not old enough to ...