The Ontario Readers | Page 3

were always wanting more.
"Here," said he, "is the master of this house--I know him well. He was
always a good business man, and he made himself wondrously rich a
long time ago. Had he been wise he would have stopped then. He
would have turned over his business to some one else, and then he
could have spent the rest of his life in ease. But what did he do instead?
He built ships and sent them to sea to trade with foreign lands. He
thought he would get mountains of gold.
"But there were great storms on the water; his ships were wrecked, and
his riches were swallowed up by the waves. Now all his hopes lie at the
bottom of the sea, and his great wealth has vanished.
"There are many such cases. Men seem to be never satisfied unless they

gain the whole world.
"As for me, if I had only enough to eat and to wear, I would not want
anything more."
Just at that moment Fortune came down the street. She saw the beggar
and stopped. She said to him:
"Listen! I have long wished to help you. Hold your wallet and I will
pour this gold into it, but only on this condition: all that falls into the
wallet shall be pure gold; but every piece that falls upon the ground
shall become dust. Do you understand?"
"Oh, yes, I understand," said the beggar.
"Then have a care," said Fortune. "Your wallet is old, so do not load it
too heavily."
The beggar was so glad that he could hardly wait. He quickly opened
his wallet, and a stream of yellow dollars poured into it. The wallet
grew heavy.
"Is that enough?" asked Fortune.
"Not yet."
"Isn't it cracking?"
"Never fear."
The beggar's hands began to tremble. Ah, if the golden stream would
only pour for ever!
"You are the richest man in the world now!"
"Just a little more, add just a handful or two."
"There, it's full. The wallet will burst."

"But it will hold a little, just a little more!"
Another piece was added, and the wallet split. The treasure fell upon
the ground and was turned to dust. Fortune had vanished. The beggar
had now nothing but his empty wallet, and it was torn from top to
bottom. He was as poor as before.
IVAN KIRLOFF

THE LARK AND THE ROOK
"Good-night, Sir Rook!" said a little lark, "The daylight fades; it will
soon be dark; I've bathed my wings in the sun's last ray; I've sung my
hymn to the parting day; So now I haste to my quiet nook In yon dewy
meadow--good-night, Sir Rook!"
"Good-night, poor Lark," said his titled friend With a haughty toss and
a distant bend; "I also go to my rest profound, But not to sleep on the
cold, damp ground. The fittest place for a bird like me Is the topmost
bough of yon tall pine tree.
"I opened my eyes at peep of day And saw you taking your upward
way, Dreaming your fond romantic dreams, An ugly speck in the sun's
bright beams, Soaring too high to be seen or heard; And I said to
myself: 'What a foolish bird!'
"I trod the park with a princely air; I filled my crop with the richest fare;
I cawed all day 'mid a lordly crew, And I made more noise in the world
than you! The sun shone forth on my ebon wing; I looked and
wondered--good-night, poor thing!"
"Good-night, once more," said the lark's sweet voice, "I see no cause to
repent my choice; You build your nest in the lofty pine, But is your
slumber more sweet than mine? You make more noise in the world
than I, But whose is the sweeter minstrelsy?"
UNKNOWN

What stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted? Thrice is he armed,
that hath his quarrel just; And he but naked, though locked up in steel,
Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.
SHAKESPEARE

THE PICKWICK CLUB ON THE ICE
"You skate, of course, Winkle?" said Wardle.
"Ye-yes; oh, yes," replied Mr. Winkle. "I--I--am rather out of practice."
"Oh, do skate, Mr. Winkle," said Arabella. "I like to see it so much."
"Oh, it is so graceful," said another young lady. A third young lady said
it was elegant, and a fourth expressed her opinion that it was
"swan-like."
"I should be very happy, I'm sure," said Mr. Winkle, reddening; "but I
have no skates."
This objection was at once overruled. Trundle had got a couple of pair,
and the fat boy announced that there were half a dozen more downstairs,
whereat Mr. Winkle expressed exquisite delight, and looked exquisitely
uncomfortable.
Old Wardle led the way to a pretty large sheet of ice; and the fat