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Show TRUTH OF OLD LEGEND Writer In New York Sun Sheds New Light on Story. A woodsman, says tho Now York Sun, was one day chopping a t'reo overhanging a stream, and pausing In his work to flirt with a passing milkmaid, milk-maid, ho droppod his axe into tho river. Tho woodsman sat down comfortably comfort-ably and proceeded to bemoan his fato. Mercury, hearing his lamentations, lamenta-tions, appeared before htm, and upon being Informed of the loss of tho axo he at onco dived Into tho water and brought up a golden hatchet. "Is that yours?" asked Mercury. "No," replied tho man. Mercury thereupon plunged into tho water for a second timo and brought up a silver hatchet. Again tho man denied that the axe was his. For the third timo Mercury disappeared disap-peared under tho water, and at last brought up tho very axe that the man had lost, which the woodsman eagerly eager-ly claimed as his. The god, being pleased with the man's honesty, presented him with the gold and silver hatchets also. Tho man told hlB friends about this and tho Mercurial Gold and Silver company was organized with a capital of a billion or so. They bought up all the rivers and ponds in tho country coun-try and honest woodsmen were employed em-ployed In double shifts to drop iron axes Into tho water and get gold and silver ones for their honesty. Tho stock paid very well. That Is tho truo derivation of tho term watered stock. As for the milkmaid milk-maid (the causo of it all), the woodsman woods-man very properly married the girl. |