ed dock-leaf.' 'Maybe, then,' says he, 'it will be
different now,' and he struck the eye next him with a switch. Friends,
she never saw a glimmer after with that one till the day of her death.

'Legendary Fictions of the Irish Celts,' by Patrick Kennedy.

A Lost Paradise

In the middle of a great forest there lived a long time ago a
charcoal-burner and his wife. They were both young and handsome and
strong, and when they got married, they thought work would never fail
them. But bad times came, and they grew poorer and poorer, and the
nights in which they went hungry to bed became more and more frequent.

Now one evening the king of that country was hunting near the
charcoal-burner's hut. As he passed the door, he heard a sound of
sobbing, and being a good-natured man he stopped to listen, thinking
that perhaps he might be able to give some help.

'Were there ever two people so unhappy!' said a woman's voice. 'Here we
are, ready to work like slaves the whole day long, and no work can we
get. And it is all because of the curiosity of old mother Eve! If she
had only been like me, who never want to know anything, we should all
have been as happy as kings to-day, with plenty to eat, and warm
clothes to wear. Why--' but at this point a loud knock interrupted her
lamentations.

'Who is there?' asked she.

'I!' replied somebody.

'And who is "I"?'

'The king. Let me in.'

Full of surprise the woman jumped up and pulled the bar away from the
door. As the king entered, he noticed that there was no furniture in
the room at all, not even a chair, so he pretended to be in too great
a hurry to see anything around him, and only said 'You must not let me
disturb you. I have no time to stay, but you seemed to be in trouble.
Tell me; are you very unhappy?'

'Oh, my lord, we can find no work and have eaten nothing for two days!'
answered she. 'Nothing remains for us but to die of hunger.'

'No, no, you shan't do that,' cried the king, 'or if you do, it will be
your own fault. You shall come with me into my palace, and you will feel
as if you were in Paradise, I promise you. In return, I only ask one
thing of you, that you shall obey my orders exactly.'

The charcoal-burner and his wife both stared at him for a moment, as
if they could hardly believe their ears; and, indeed, it was not to be
wondered at! Then they found their tongues, and exclaimed together:

'Oh, yes, yes, my lord! we will do everything you tell u