| OCR Text |
Show r ' THREE LITERARY PARABLES. And at the Ending Thereof Came the Turning Turn-ing of the Worm. "Xow, Barabbas was a publisher." A butcher calls at the door and offers' a fine sweet ham, neatly cased. The mistress agrees to lmy it, saying, however, how-ever, that it is against her rules to pay for any article until the whole of it is eaten. The butcher, knowing that there lire many carts on the road laden with hams just as finely cured as his, ruefully rue-fully accepts the terms, and when a price is settled departs. After keeping the ham for two years in. a dusty, musty cellar the housekeeper returns it to ho butcher soiled and stale, saying that, after all, her family prefers fresh meat, and she has decided not to cook the ham. One epring morning a farmer knocks at the kitchen door of a city house, with a basket of freshly laid eggs for sale. The mistress expresses delight at obtaining them, declaring, however, that it is her invariable custom to pay for articles after aft-er they have appeared on her table and then only such a price as she think fit Expecting an early settlement under those conditions and being in need of cash for the interest on the mortgage on his farm, the man accepts the lady's terms and departs. Week after week and month after month go by, but no payment is made for the eggs. When he calls at the house to inquire, the maid informs him that her mistress bids her say that the great variety of seasonable season-able articles of food has prevented the use of the eggs, but that she hopes very soon to find a place for them on her menu. In the autumn the farmer is surprised sur-prised to have the maid hand him the basket, saying that as the eggs have lost their freshness and are uneatable her mistress returns them, with thanks for the opportunity for purchasing ana hopes that the farmer will call whenever whenev-er he is town and allow an examination of his stock. The third of these true parables tb-lates tb-lates to a green grocer and 6ome crisp blanched lettuce which he is requested request-ed to leave for the housekeeper's examination exam-ination at her leisure. After a time a messenger leaves a package at the green grocer's shop. On opening it he finds his lettuce, wilted and bruised, and these consolatory words, "Owing to no lack of merit, but because lettuce ia not exactly available for my table, I return these heads, with thanks for the opportunity oppor-tunity for examining them. " And here endeth the parables and the turning of the worm. Harriet Cnsh-tnan Cnsh-tnan Wilkie in Writer. |
