Their house, a small, one-storied building, stood upon the side of asteep hill, and the stones lay so thickly about it that scarceanything green could grow from the ground. At the foot of the hill,a quarter of a mile from the house by the winding path, was a smallbrook, and the woman was obliged to go there for water and to carryit up the hill to the house. This was a tedious task, and with theother hard work that fell to her share had made her gaunt and bentand lean.
Yet she never complained, but meekly and faithfully performed herduties, doing the housework, carrying the water and helping herhusband hoe the scanty crop that grew upon the best part of theirland.
One day, as she walked down the path to the brook, her big shoesscattering the pebbles right and left, she noticed a large beetlelying upon its back and struggling hard with its little legs to turnover, that its feet might again touch the ground. But this it couldnot accomplish; so the woman, who had a kind heart, reached down andgently turned the beetle with her finger. At once it scampered fromthe path and she went on to the brook.
The next day, as she came for water, she was surprised to see thebeetle again lying upon its back and struggling helplessly to turn.Once more the woman stopped and set him upon his feet; and then, asshe stooped over the tiny creature, she heard a small voice say:
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!"
Half frightened at hearing a beetle speak in her own language, thewoman started back and exclaimed:
"La sakes! Surely you can't talk like humans!" Then, recovering fromher alarm, she again bent over the beetle, who answered her:
"Why shouldn't I talk, if I have anything to say?
"'Cause you're a bug," replied the woman.
"That is true; and you saved my life--saved me from my enemies, thesparrows. And this is the second time you have come to myassistance, so I owe you a debt of gratitude. Bugs value their livesas much as human beings, and I am a more important creature thanyou, in your ignorance, may suppose. But, tell me, why do you comeeach day to the brook?"
"For water," she answered, staring stupidly down at the talkingbeetle.
"Isn't it hard work?" the creature inquired.
"Yes; but there's no water on the hill," said she.
"Then dig a well and put a pump in it," replied the beetle.
She shook her head.
"My man tried it once; but there was no water," she said, sadly.
"Try it again," commanded the beetle; "and in return for yourkindness to me I will make this promise: if you do not get waterfrom the well you will get that which is more precious to you. Imust go now. Do not forget. Dig a well."
And then, without pausing to say good-by, it ran swiftly away andwas lost among the stones.
The woman returned to the house much perplexed by what the beetlehad said, and when her husband came in from his work she told himthe whole story.
The poor man thought deeply for a time, and then declared:
"Wife, there may be truth in what the bug told you. There must bemagic in the world yet, if a beetle can speak; and if there is sucha thing as magic we may get water from the well. The pump I boughtto use in the well which proved to be dry is now lying in the barn,and the only expense in following the talking bug's advice will bethe labor of digging the hole. Labor I am used to; so I will dig thewell."
Next day he set about it, and dug so far down in the ground that hecould hardly reach the top to climb out again; but not a drop ofwater was found.
"Perhaps you did not dig deep enough," his wife said, when he toldher of his failure.
So the following day he made a long ladder, which he put into thehole; and then he dug, and dug, and dug, until the top of the ladderbarely reached the top of the hole. But still there was no water.
When the woman next went to the brook with her pail she saw thebeetle sitting upon a stone beside her path. So she stopped andsaid:
"My husband has dug the well; but there is no water."
"Did he put the pump in the well?" asked the beetle.
"No," she answered.
"Then do as I commanded; put in the pump, and if you do not getwater I promise you something still more precious."
Saying which, the beetle swiftly slid from the stone anddisappeared. The woman went back to the house and told her husbandwhat the bug had said.
"Well," replied the simple fellow, "there can be no harm in trying."
So he got the pump from the barn and placed it in the well, and thenhe took hold of the handle and began to pump, while his wife stoodby to watch what would happen.
No water came, but after a few moments a gold piece dropped from thespout of the pump, and then another, and another, until severalhandfuls of gold lay in a little heap upon the ground.
The man stopped pumping then and ran to help his wife gather thegold pieces into her apron; but their hands trembled so greatlythrough excitement and joy that they could scarcely pick up thesparkling coins.
At last she gathered them close to her bosom and together they ranto the house, where they emptied the precious gold upon the tableand counted the pieces.
All were stamped with the design of the United States mint and wereworth five dollars each. Some were worn and somewhat discolored fromuse, while others seemed bright and new, as if they had not beenmuch handled. When the value of the pieces was added together theywere found to be worth three hundred dollars.
Suddenly the woman spoke.
"Husband, the beetle said truly when he declared we should getsomething more precious than water from the well. But run at onceand take away the handle from the pump, lest anyone should pass thisway and discover our secret."
So the man ran to the pump and removed the handle, which he carriedto the house and hid underneath the bed.
They hardly slept a wink that night, lying awake to think of theirgood fortune and what they should do with their store of yellowgold. In all their former lives they had never possessed more than afew dollars at a time, and now the cracked teapot was nearly full ofgold coins.
The following day was Sunday, and they arose early and ran to see iftheir treasure was safe. There it lay, heaped snugly within theteapot, and they were so willing to feast their eyes upon it that itwas long before the man could leave it to build the fire or thewoman to cook the breakfast.
While they ate their simple meal the woman said:
"We will go to church to-day and return thanks for the riches thathave come to us so suddenly. And I will give the pastor one of thegold pieces."
"It is well enough to go to church," replied her husband, "and alsoto return thanks. But in the night I decided how we will spend allour money; so there will be none left for the pastor."
"We can pump more," said the woman.
"Perhaps; and perhaps not," he answered, cautiously. "What we havewe can depend upon, but whether or not there be more in the well Icannot say."
"Then go and find out," she returned, "for I am anxious to givesomething to the pastor, who is a poor man and deserving."
So the man got the pump handle from beneath the bed, and, going tothe pump, fitted it in place. Then he set a large wooden bucketunder the spout and began to pump. To their joy the gold pieces soonbegan flowing into the pail, and, seeing it about to run over thebrim, the woman brought another pail. But now the stream suddenlystopped, and the man said, cheerfully:
"That is enough for to-day, good wife! We have added greatly to ourtreasure, and the parson shall have his gold piece. Indeed, I thinkI shall also put a coin into the contribution box."
Then, because the teapot would hold no more gold, the farmer emptiedthe pail into the wood-box, covering the money with dried leaves andtwigs, that no one might suspect what lay underneath.
Afterward they dressed themselves in their best clothing and startedfor the church, each taking a bright gold piece from the teapot as agift to the pastor.
Over the hill and down into the valley beyond they walked, feelingso gay and light-hearted that they did not mind the distance at all.At last they came to the little country church and entered just asthe services began.
Being proud of their wealth and of the gifts they had brought forthe pastor, they could scarcely wait for the moment when the deaconpassed the contribution box. But at last the time came, and thefarmer held his hand high over the box and dropped the gold piece sothat all the congregation could see what he had given. The woman didlikewise, feeling important and happy at being able to give the goodparson so much.
The parson, watching from the pulpit, saw the gold drop into thebox, and could hardly believe that his eyes did not deceive him.However, when the box was laid upon his desk there were the two goldpieces, and he was so surprised that he nearly forgot his sermon.
When the people were leaving the church at the close of the servicesthe good man stopped the farmer and his wife and asked:
"Where did you get so much gold?"
The woman gladly told him how she had rescued the beetle, and how,in return, they had been rewarded with the wonderful pump. Thepastor listened to it all gravely, and when the story was finishedhe said:
"According to tradition strange things happened in this world agesago, and now I find that strange things may also happen to-day. Forby your tale you have found a beetle that can speak and also haspower to bestow upon you great wealth." Then he looked carefully atthe gold pieces and continued: "Either this money is fairy gold orit is genuine metal, stamped at the mint of the United Statesgovernment. If it is fairy gold it will disappear within 24 hours,and will therefore do no one any good. If it is real money, thenyour beetle must have robbed some one of the gold and placed it inyour well. For all money belongs to some one, and if you have notearned it honestly, but have come by it in the mysterious way youmention, it was surely taken from the persons who owned it, withouttheir consent. Where else could real money come from?"
The farmer and his wife were confused by this statement and lookedguiltily at each other, for they were honest people and wished towrong no one.
"Then you think the beetle stole the money?" asked the woman.
"By his magic powers he probably took it from its rightful owners.Even bugs which can speak have no consciences and cannot tell thedifference between right and wrong. With a desire to reward you foryour kindness the beetle took from its lawful possessors the moneyyou pumped from the well."
"Perhaps it really is fairy gold," suggested the man. "If so, wemust go to the town and spend the money before it disappears."
"That would be wrong," answered the pastor; "for then the merchantswould have neither money nor goods. To give them fairy gold would beto rob them."
"What, then, shall we do?" asked the poor woman, wringing her handswith grief and disappointment.
"Go home and wait until to-morrow. If the gold is then in yourpossession it is real money and not fairy gold. But if it is realmoney you must try to restore it to its rightful owners. Take, also,these pieces which you have given me, for I cannot accept gold thatis not honestly come by."
Sadly the poor people returned to their home, being greatlydisturbed by what they had heard. Another sleepless night waspassed, and on Monday morning they arose at daylight and ran to seeif the gold was still visible.
"It is real money, after all!" cried the man; "for not a singlepiece has disappeared."
When the woman went to the brook that day she looked for the beetle,and, sure enough, there he sat upon the flat stone.
"Are you happy now?" asked the beetle, as the woman paused beforehim.
"We are very unhappy," she answered; "for, although you have givenus much gold, our good parson says it surely belongs to some oneelse, and was stolen by you to reward us."
"Your parson may be a good man," returned the beetle, with someindignation, "but he certainly is not overwise. Nevertheless, if youdo not want the gold I can take it from you as easily as I gave it."
"But we do want it!" cried the woman, fearfully. "That is," sheadded, "if it is honestly come by."
"It is not stolen," replied the beetle, sulkily, "and now belongs tono one but yourselves. When you saved my life I thought how I mightreward you; and, knowing you to be poor, I decided gold would makeyou happier than anything else.
"You must know," he continued, "that although I appear so small andinsignificant, I am really king of all the insects, and my peopleobey my slightest wish. Living, as they do, close to the ground, theinsects often come across gold and other pieces of money which havebeen lost by men and have fallen into cracks or crevasses or becomecovered with earth or hidden by grass or weeds. Whenever my peoplefind money in this way they report the fact to me; but I have alwayslet it lie, because it could be of no possible use to an insect.
"However, when I decided to give you gold I knew just where toobtain it without robbing any of your fellow creatures. Thousands ofinsects were at once sent by me in every direction to bring thepieces of lost gold to his hill. It cost my people several days ofhard labor, as you may suppose; but by the time your husband hadfinished the well the gold began to arrive from all parts of thecountry, and during the night my subjects dumped it all into thewell. So you may use it with a clear conscience, knowing that youwrong no one."
This explanation delighted the woman, and when she returned to thehouse and reported to her husband what the beetle had said he alsowas overjoyed.
So they at once took a number of the gold pieces and went to thetown to purchase provisions and clothing and many things of whichthey had long stood in need; but so proud were they of their newlyacquired wealth that they took no pains to conceal it. They wantedeveryone to know they had money, and so it was no wonder that whensome of the wicked men in the village saw the gold they longed topossess it themselves.
"If they spend this money so freely," whispered one to another,"there must be a great store of gold at their home."
"That is true," was the answer. "Let us hasten there before theyreturn and ransack the house."
So they left the village and hurried away to the farm on the hill,where they broke down the door and turned everything topsy turvyuntil they had discovered the gold in the wood-box and the teapot.It did not take them long to make this into bundles, which theyslung upon their backs and carried off, and it was probably becausethey were in a great hurry that they did not stop to put the housein order again.
Presently the good woman and her husband came up the hill from thevillage with their arms full of bundles and followed by a crowd ofsmall boys who had been hired to help carry the purchases. Thenfollowed others, youngsters and country louts, attracted by thewealth and prodigality of the pair, who, from simple curiosity,trailed along behind like the tail of a comet and helped swell theconcourse into a triumphal procession. Last of all came Guggins, theshopkeeper, carrying with much tenderness a new silk dress which wasto be paid for when they reached the house, all the money they hadtaken to the village having been lavishly expended.
The farmer, who had formerly been a modest man, was now so swelledwith pride that he tipped the rim of his hat over his left ear andsmoked a big cigar that was fast making him ill. His wife struttedalong beside him like a peacock, enjoying to the full the homage andrespect her wealth had won from those who formerly deigned not tonotice her, and glancing from time to time at the admiringprocession in the rear.
But, alas for their new-born pride! when they reached the farmhousethey found the door broken in, the furniture strewn in alldirections and their treasure stolen to the very last gold piece.
The crowd grinned and made slighting remarks of a personal nature,and Guggins, the shopkeeper, demanded in a loud voice the money forthe silk dress he had brought.
Then the woman whispered to her husband to run and pump some moregold while she kept the crowd quiet, and he obeyed quickly. Butafter a few moments he returned with a white face to tell her thepump was dry, and not a gold piece could now be coaxed from thespout.
The procession marched back to the village laughing and jeering atthe farmer and his wife, who had pretended to be so rich; and someof the boys were naughty enough to throw stones at the house fromthe top of the hill. Mr. Guggins carried away his dress afterseverely scolding the woman for deceiving him, and when the coupleat last found themselves alone their pride had turned to humiliationand their joy to bitter grief.
Just before sundown the woman dried her eyes and, having resumed herordinary attire, went to the brook for water. When she came to theflat stone she saw the King Beetle sitting upon it.
"The well is dry!" she cried out, angrily.
"Yes," answered the beetle, calmly, "you have pumped from it all thegold my people could find."
"But we are now ruined," said the woman, sitting down in the pathbeginning to weep; "for robbers have stolen from us every penny wepossessed."
"I'm sorry," returned the beetle; "but it is your own fault. Had younot made so great a show of your wealth no one would have suspectedyou possessed a treasure, or thought to rob you. As it is, you havemerely lost the gold which others have lost before you. It willprobably be lost many times more before the world comes to an end."
"But what are we to do now?" she asked.
"What did you do before I gave you the money?"
"We worked from morning 'til night," said she.
"Then work still remains for you," remarked the beetle, composedly;"no one will ever try to rob you of that, you may be sure!" And heslid from the stone and disappeared for the last time.
* * * * *
This story should teach us to accept good fortune with humble heartsand to use it with moderation. For, had the farmer and his wiferesisted the temptation to display their wealth ostentatiously, theymight have retained it to this very day.
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