Show MANS MAN YS threescore AND TEN YEARS by regena je jensen ansen A story is told by a grandmother to her grandson ol of how man received from nature his threescore and ten years when nature had finished her task ot of creating the earth and all living things she summoned her creatures before her throne to assign to each his period of life upon the earth the donkey was the first to appear before nature well my good friend said nature will twenty years be long enough tor for you to live upon this earth 0 mother be kind brayed the don key dont make me livi live twenty years for when I 1 am old men will use me for hard work please dont make me live that long nature moved by the donkeys plea allotted him but ten years to live my kind friend said nature as the dog appeared before her will you too be dissatisfied with twenty y years of life how can I 1 live so long howled bowled the dog in tears mk M toothless mouth w will III no longer be able to grant me the I 1 enjoyment afforded bv tempting lemp ting morsels of meat r nature again felt sarry sorry tor for the dog this time and so subtracted ten years from his life and the dog went away grumbling because she taken more next in turn came the ape surely you will want twenty five years said nature for not have to work but to her surprise the ape began to cry have you no pity he wailed you have made me a figure for men to laugh at must I 1 sit in a cage all those years and have men pass and jeer and mock me again nature yielded and took oft off fifteen years from the apes life last of all came man nature wanted to have at least one long lived creature so she offered him thirty five years again her otter offer was met with tears but tor for a different reason alas sighed man in thirty years I 1 will just have made something to keep me comfortable I 1 shall have a home wife and children I 1 shall then be my happiest and then want me to die nature at once offered him the ten years rejected by the donkey but still man was not satisfied she then offered him the ten years scorned by the dog man took them but still he grumbled then nature bestowed upon him the fifteen years left by the ape no more would she give him man went away but he was grumbling because he be live longer that Is why man lives thirty five years happily and successfully then follow the years of the donkey when man Is driven by all till he is esless these years are followed by those of the dog wherein man must sit toothless friendless with nothing to do but sit in fit a corner and complain comp jain and growl finally comes the fifteen years of the ape when man les loses es respect tor for all his former associates no one will listen to him and he is mocked by everyone and then he actually complains because death and the grave are so soon to put an end to his misery greediness and fear ot of death have earned for man his own just reward |