TWILIGHT LAND

man; “nevertheless, I meant you no harm. Lodge with
me here one night, and in the morning I will give you
something better worth while, maybe.”

So that night the rich man had his wife bake two
loaves of bread, in one of which she hid the bag with the
three hundred pieces of gold money.

“Go to the pantry,” said the rich man to the beggar in
the morning, “and there you will find two loaves of bread
—one is for you and one for me; take whichever one you
choose.”

So in went the beggar, and the first loaf of oad he
laid his hand upon was the one in which the money was
hidden, and off he marched with it under his arm, without
so much as saying thank you.

“T wonder,” said he to himself, after he had jogged
along awhile—‘ I wonder whether the rich man is up to
another trick such as he played upon me yesterday?”
He put the loaf of bread to his ear and shook it and shook
it, and what should he hear but the chink of the money
within. ‘Ah ha!” said he, “he has filled it with rusty
nails and bits of iron again, but I will get the better of
him this time.’

By-and-by he met a poor woman coming home from
market. “ Would you like to buy a fine fresh loaf of
bread?” said the beggar.

“Yes, I would,” said the woman.

“Well, here is one you may have for two pennies,”
said the beggar.

That was cheap enough, so the woman paid him his
price and off she went with the loaf of bread under her
arm, and never stopped until she had come to her home.

Now it happened that the day before this very woman
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