Part 26 (1/2)

The rew frantic when he heard it He drove his heels into the snail's sides, to make him hurry Instantly, the snail drew in his head, curled up in his shell, and left the lazy round!

The clock struck twice If the man had run for it, he could still have reached the castle, but, instead, he sat still and shouted for a horse

”A beast, a beast!” he wailed, ”any kind of a beast that will take me to the castle!”

The clock struck three ti and rattling out of the darkness, so that sounded like a horse with harness The lazy man jumped on its back, a very queer, low back As he mounted, he saw the doors of the castle open, and saw his friend standing on the threshold, waving his cap and beckoning to hian to stir; as it struck five, he moved a pace forward; as it struck six, he stopped; as it struck seven, he turned hian to move backward, away from the castle!

The lazy man shouted, and beat him, but the beast went slowly backward

And the clock struck nine The e ani up and held hiht that broke the dark clouds, he saw that he was hts went out, in the castle s The clock struck ten Backent the crab Eleven! Still the crab went backward The clock struck twelve! Then the great doors shut with a clang, and the castle of fortune was closed forever to the lazy man

What became of him and his crab no one knows to this day, and no one cares But the industrious man was received by the Fairy of Fortune, andas he wanted to stay And ever afterward she was his friend, helping hi him how to help others, wherever he went

DAVID AND GOLIATH[1]

[1] Fro Jaht interpolations, changes of order, and oo, there was a boy naood to look upon, for he had fair hair and a ruddy skin; and he was very strong and brave and modest He was shepherd-boy for his father, and all day--often all night--he was out in the fields, far frouard theht pastures, and care for them

By and by, war broke out between the people of David's country and a people that lived near at hand; these men were called Philistines, and the people of David's country were naDavid's three older brothers went, but he was only a boy, so he was left behind to care for the sheep

After the brothers had been gone soed very much to hear from them, and to know if they were safe; so he sent for David, from the fields, and said to him, ”Take now for thy brothers an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp, where thy brothers are; and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how thy brothers fare, and bring ain” (An ephah is about three pecks)

David rose early in the , and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the corn and the loaves and the cheeses, as his father had commanded him, and went to the camp of Israel

The camp was on a mountain; Israel stood on a mountain on the one side, and the Philistines stood on a mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between them David came to the place where the Israelites were, just as the host was going forth to the fight, shouting for the battle So he left his gifts in the hands of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the arst the soldiers, to find his brothers When he found thean to talk with the thereat shouting and tu back fro became confusion David looked to see what the trouble was, and he saw a strange sight: on the hillside of the Philistines, a warrior was striding forward, calling out soest David had ever seen, and he was all dressed in armor, that shone in the sun: he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was arreaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders; his spear was so tremendous that the staff of it was like a weaver's beareat that a man went before him, to carry it

”Who is that?” asked David

”It is Goliath, of Gath, champion of the Philistines,” said the soldiers about ”Every day, for forty days, he has coainst hiainst hiht” (That was one of the laws of warfare in those tiainst hiiant stood still, on the hillside opposite the Israelitish host, and shouted his challenge, scornfully He said, ”Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and ye servants of Saul? Choose you a ht with me, and to kill ainst him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us I defy the arether!”

When King Saul heard these words, he was dismayed, and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled fro a

They were saying, ”Have ye seen this man that is co e, and make his family free in Israel!”

David heard this, and he asked the men if it were so It was surely so, they said

”But,” said David, ”who is this Philistine, that he should defy the arer

Very soon, so about the youth as asking so many questions, and who said that a mere Philistine should not be let defy the ar God Immediately Saul sent for hi, ”Let no ht with this Philistine”