A Pretty Story.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 148, 25 June 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

A Pretty Story.

Theke -was once a tailor who had a beautiful daughter. All the young men from far and near came to visit her because of her beauty. Two rivals sought her one day, and said :—

" It is on your account that we have come hither."

" What do you want of me ?' she replied, smiling.

" We love you," returned the two young men, " and each of us "wishes to marry you."

The maiden, being well brought up, called her father, who listened to the two lovers, and then said :—

" It is late ; go home now, but come again to-morrow, and you shall then know which of you may have my daughter." At daybreak the next morning the two young-men returned. "Here we are," they cried to the tailor ; " remember what you promised yesterday."

" Wait a little," he replied; "I am going to town to buy a piece of cloth ; when 1 return home with it you Khali learn what I expect from you."

When the tailor returned from town, he called his daughter, and on her appearance he said to tho young men : —

" My children, there ate two of yon, and I have but one daughter. To whom shall I give her ? Whom must I refuse ? Behold this piece of cloth ; I will cut from it two suits of clothes exactly alike ; each one of you must sew one of them ; he who finishes bis task first shall have my daughter." Each of the rivals took his task and prepared to set about it. The father called hi 3 daughter and said to her : " Here is the thread j make it ready for the'two workers."

The maiden obeyed her father, and, taking the bundle of thread, seated herself near the young men. Bub she was as clever as she was beautiful. , Though her father did not know which of the two she loved, nor the young men themselves, :she knew well enough. The tailor went away, the maiden prepared the thread, the young men took their needles and began to sew. To the one she loved the beauty gave short needlefuls, but to the other she did not love she gave long needlefuls. They sewed and sewed in eager haste. At eleven o'clock the work was not half done ; but at three the young man who had short needlefuls had completed his task, while the other had yet much to do. When the tailor returned the conqueror brought the completed suit, while hia rival still sat sewing. ' ■•-

"My children," said the father, "I did not wish to favour one more than another, that was why I divided the cloth into two equal parts and told you, ' He who finished his task first shall ■ have my daughter.' Did you understand me ?"

"Father," replied the two young men, "we understood you, and accepted the test; what must be, must." ■-..■;■

The tailor had reasoned thus :— "He who finishes first will be tho most skilful workman, and consequently better able to support a wife," but he never imagined that his daughter would give long needlefuls to a man she did not wish to marry. Cleverness carried the day, and the maiden really chose her own husband. • • ■ l