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Show THE GOLDEN BALL. BY HlMON T. BTKHN When the sons of King Uenefleent were very young they went to school, the Wlzairt Wiseman nitlng as their teacher Ono spring1 day he called the three young I'llntes to his cell and rpoke to Ihem ns follows "Primes, I glvo sou greeting 1 want each of sou tn write a poem To the one who writes the best original origi-nal poem by tomoirow I shall give this golden ball,' and he held out a splendid splen-did golden hill that sparkled In tho sunlight, Tho sounpest Urlnie, Itlchird, went at onto to his loom and started In tn wilte, for he was veiy unxlous to win tho splendid trophs. ills brothera saw, and flouted him. "Work away, ou grind," said they deiUlvoly "Writing poetry Is a talent, not druds-crs druds-crs We shall not woik half as hnrd and I ddre say our poems shall be twice ns good Hut Hlihard uld nothing and continued his woik John and James weie quite us eager as he to gain the golden bill, this time they weie nut only rivals ti Itlihard, but to each nlher. Jnhn went at nmo n his rnom and James to his Kich pf them had nlready inmoited i plan, and they were Impatient tn start A soon ns Juntos reached the loom he bolted the dooi on the Inside Then he opened a reciet door that led from his mom tn his father llbnn He walked H-iflly along the passageway until he leached the llbrarj Once Iheie he look down from the topmost shelf the oldest volume of poetry ho could flpd ' Noholy will ever know " sild he to himself, "and I must win that golden ball He topic 1 a poem nd teplaied the book Then he went ha k to hln mom That night the other Trlnce, John, 1 went Into the llhrars He ton, took 1 $oJiiBVJ down u book He, loo, copied a poem. .ff iMMflSI Then, exulting In his own hrevvdness. 'M jjyLpMH he went back tn his rnom gf . I'll tpHssi The next das they all hinded In g HMW !! theli work and awaited the Wlrard 3 irr M t, aH decision S IlliU HWjl It was fnui das before he pent for i flu ! B H them IfV ' 1.il P Ossssl "Itlchard ' eald he to the soungon V It M li 4n(H l'rlnce our poem Is not nearly ns P VM In iflsH Rood as the nthir two" m Ji I 1 ralH ' I did my best," sild Itlchard. "More 9 MY hi UQH thin tint son tun ask of no man ' 111 jlfj mU MkH Quite so " eald the Wizard Wise. Jj.');. - jjH man "As ror sour brothers' poems. a '"l,!. 4J': SH they nro Kormv and sn evenly halinced II, "AR l , luH tn inorlt thut I i.tnnnt ihooie between i '"X ,, MH them lloth me very very line' 5 tTCKvii; ISsbbbbI "Do not trouble sourtelf further," tl W fljT ifH said John and James overjoyed, "we ttJjfpol W "Jbbbbbi do not care 'iou na bestow on us the S uspMitt ,uH prlzo In lommnn" K "iljllriill, ' Jbbbbbi I suhl nothing nbout the prize," re- JV (jtCrMl' lH Jollied the Wlzaid 'I merely said JLinrVljei1 iIbbbbi thut both of our iwems vveie very, K KKtf wajlS 4bbbbb1 very line They ought to be they J. fJtiirj .IbH vieio written by one or our most Rfc ij2r IhI JbbbbI Illustrious poets You copied yours, "jf ifTtyiP. Skbbbbi John, su copied )oura, James ant ' Su flm nnH tho funnltut purt of It Is that sou ii J(j rft'i ;iH both copied the same poem There Sv'TISluil' IbbbbI they nre vvnul ror word alike " KhnVlVvmi'' IbbbbI bo Itlchard got the prke utter all. rt ilSi ml') JH ilojs said the Wlzacd. us he givn o SS'Jil HbbbbI the golr'cn bill tn the youngest l'rlnce, S Jin ilRJ ' It Is a line thins to he clever, hut the J '.',) IflMJH man who Is too clever nlten over. ill , &ifl jLJi H teaches himself" $F Wl JBbbbI And John and James ruefully I 8 iIbE jSM AibbbI up the word 'overreach" In their me- 1 1 ' B iffiW BbbB tlonurles, and said they guessed to 4 li 1 SlEa MbH waa right. S 1J t;,1i!n2l3B |