Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 22, 1911.djvu/106

 8o Collectanea.

The man goes on till he reaches the old man, and he says to him, — " As long as you do not cease to call upon God, the gold will not fail."

The old man replies, — "Would a man ever cease to call upon God ? Praise the Lord ! "

He has no sooner spoken than gold begins to gush out from the other side of the rock, more abundantly than before.

The man comes to the robbers' cave, and says, — " If you cease your robbery, there will be room for you in the other world."

The robbers leave their cave, and go and weep for their sins and are saved.

Then the man reaches his own house. He calls to his wife and says, — "Wife, bring me a spade and pickaxe." They take the spade and pickaxe and dig under the mulberry tree. They find a jar full of gold. Night falls, so they leave the jar there till morning.

In the night the neighbours learn of it, and come to steal the jar and carry it off. They think it contains nothing but yellow earth. They roll it back into the man's garden; the jar is broken ; the earth is scattered.

In the morning they rise, and what do they see? Gold is spread all over the vineyard !

The husband calls, — " Wife, bring me the stable-broom. Gold has sprung up all over the vineyard ! "

They sweep up heaps and heaps of gold pieces ; not a thousand in place of one, but countless thousands, and they become very rich.

They give praise to the Lord.

They attained unto their desires ; may you attain unto yours !

J. S. WiNGATE.

{To be continued).