TWILIGHT LAND

There the king stopped for a bite of bread and a drink of
fresh milk.

‘‘T would like to ask you a question,” said the king to
the rich man; “and the question is this: Why are some
folk rich and some folk poor ?”

‘That I cannot tell you,” said the good man; “ only I
remember my father used to say that much shall have
more and little shall have less.”

“Very well,” said the king; ‘the saying has a good
sound, but let us find whether or not it is really true.
See; here is a purse with three hundred pieces of golden
money init. Take it and give it to the poorest man you
know; in a week’s time I will come again, and then you
shall tell me whether it has made you or him the richer.”

Now in the town there lived two beggars who were as
poor as poverty itself, and the poorer of the twain was
one who used to sit in rags and tatters on the church step
to beg charity of the good folk who came and went. To
him went the rich man, and, without so much as a good-
morning, quoth he: ‘‘ Here is something for you,” and so
saying dropped the purse of gold into the beggar’s hat.
Then away he went without waiting for a word of thanks.

As for the beggar, he just sat there for a while goggling
and staring like one moon-struck. But at last his wits
came back to him, and then away he scampered home as
fast as his legs could carry him. Then he spread his
money out on the table and counted it—three hundred
pieces of gold money! He had never seen such great
riches in his life before. There he sat feasting his eyes
upon the treasure as though they would never get their
fill. And now what was he to do with all of it? Should
he share his fortune with his brother? Not a bit of it.

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