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THE ROBBERS AND THE PEASANT; Or, How he Found Them Out. OKDS spoken at ran dom have often proved of more utility than the best concerted plans; hence it happens that often prosper when men of talent fail. Here is an illustra- A poor simple peasant, of the name of Benhassen, being tired of his daily fare of brown bread and water, re solved, whatever might be the conse quence, to procure for himself, by hook or by crook, even at the expense of a broken head, three sumptuous meals. Having taken this courageous and noble resolution, the next thing was to devise a plan to put it into execution ; and here his good fortune befriended him. The wife of a rich ivory merchant, in the neighborhood of his cottage, had, during the absence of her husband, lost a valu able diamond ring. She offered great re wards to any person who would recover it, or give any tidings of the jewel; but no one was likely to do either, for three eunuchs, of whose fidelity she had not the smallest doubt, had stolen it. The loss soon reached our glutton's ears. “ I’ll go,” cries he ; “ I’ll say I am a conjuror, and that I will discover where the gem is hidden on condition of first receiving three splendid meals. I shall fail, ’tis true. What then? I shall be treated as an imposter; my back and sides may say ‘ How d’ye do ?’ to the bas tinado, but my hungry stomach will be filled.” To concoct his scheme and put it in practice was but the work of a moment. The merchant was still absent. The lady, anxious for the recovery of her ring, ac cepted the offered terms. A sumptuous dinner was prepared ; expensive plates of every sort were placed upon the side board. How he ate ! An attentive foot man, one of the secret thieves, filled him sherbet; our conjurer, gorged, exclaimed : “ 7 Tis well! I have the first!” The servant trembled at the ambigu ous words, and ran to his companions. “ He has found us out, dear friends,” he cried. “He is a cunning man. He said he had the first. What could lie mean but me ?” “It looks like it,” replied the second thief. “ I’ll<wait on him to-night; as yet you may have mistaken his meaning. Should he speak in the same strain, wo must decamp.” At night a supper fit for the caliph was set before the greedy Benhassen, who BURKE’S WEEKLY. filled until he could eat no more. The second footman watched him all the while. When satisfied, he rose, exclaim ing: “The second’s in my sack, and cannot escape me.” Away flew the affrighted robber. “We are lost!” he cried. “ Our heels alone can save us !” “Hot so,” answered the third ; “If we fly and are caught we lose our heads. I’ll tend him at to-morrow’s meal; and should he then speak as before, I’ll own the theft to him and offer some great re ward to screen us from punishment, and that he may deliver the jewel to the lady without betraying us.” They all agreed. On the morrow Ben hassen’s appetite was still the same. At last, quite full, he exclaimed : “My task is done; the third, thank Fortune, is here !” “Oh,” said the culprit, “behold the ring; but hide our shame, and you shall never want good fare again.” “Be silent!” exclaimed the astonished Benhassen, who little thought that what he had spoken of his meals could have made the plunderers betray themselves. “Be silent! I have it.” Some geese were feeding before the window ; he went out, and having seized the largest, forced the ring down its gul let, then declared that the largest goose had swallowed the jewel. The goose was killed, the diamond found. In the mean time, the ivory merchant returned, and was incredulous. “ Some crafty knave, O wife,” said he, “ either the thief himself, or his abettor, has, with a well-concerted scheme, im posed upon your easy faith. But 111 soon provide him with a meal likewise.” Ho sooner said than done ; between two dishes the mysterious fare was hidden. The false conjurer was told to declare what was the concealed cheer on pain of being well beaten should he fail. “ Alas !” he muttered out, “ Benhassen, thou art a pig; thou art dead, ’ referring to himself, and calling himself names. “He’s right,” the merchant cried “Give him a purse of gold. I honor tal ents such as his.” It was pork in the dish. Thus our glutton, by four random speeches gain ed three hearty meals, a heavy purse, comfort for life, and a most brilliant re putation as a cunning man. The three most difficult things are —to keep a secret, to forget an injury, and to make good use of leisure. &3T He who scoffs at the crooked must needs go very straight himself. What the Wind Says. “Ho you knoAv what December wind sa y s ) grandpa ?” asked a little child at an old merchant’s knee. “ Ho, puss, what does it say ?” he an swered, stroking her fair hair. “ ‘Remember the poor!’ grandpa ; when it comes down the chimney it roars, “Re member the poor!” when it puts its great mouth to the key hole, it whistles, “Re member the poor!” when it strides through a crack in the door, it whispers it; and, grandpa, when it blows your beautiful silver hair in the street, and you shiver and button up your coat, does it not get at your ear, and say so too, in a still small voice, grandpa ?” “Why, what does the child mean?” cried grandpa, who, I am afraid, had been used to shut his ears and heart against such works; “you want anew muff and tippet, I reckon; a pretty way to get them out of your poor old grandfather.” “Ho, grandpa,” said the child earnest ly, shaking her head; “no, it’s no muff and tippet; it’s the poor children I am thinking of; my mother always remem bers them, and so do I try.” After the next storm, the old merchant sent fifty dollars to the Treasurer of a Relief Society, and said, call for more when you want it. The Treasurer start ed with surprise, for it was the first time he had ever collected more than a dollar from him, and that, he thought, came grudgingly. “ Why,” said the rich old merchant, af terwards, “ I could never get rid of that child’s words : they stuck to me like glue.” “And a little child shall lead them,” says the Scripture. How many a cold heart has melted, and a close heart opened by the simple earnestness and suggestive words of a child. A Salutary Thought. When I was a young man there lived in our neighborhood a farmer who was usually reported to be a very liberal man and uncommonly upright in his dealings. When he had any of the produce of his farm to dispose of, he made it an invari able rule to give good measure —rather more than -would be required of him. One of his friends observing him fre quently doing so, questioned him as to why he did it; he told him he gave too much, and said it ■would bo to his disad vantage. How mark the answer of this excellent man : u God has permitted me but one jour ney through the world, and when I am gone I cannot return to rectify mistakes.” Think of tins. There is out one jour ney through life. 39