but the king, who overheard the conversation, laughed heartily, and said the count richly deserved the snub.
THANKS FOR A GRINDSTONE
The poor can often help the rich in time of need. A poor countryman had to deliver several loads of wood at a large manufactory. When he brought his wagon into the courtyard of the factory, he noticed that the workmen had put up a new grindstone and rolled the old one into a corner. On the wagoner’s going to the master to receive payment for the wood, he asked if he might have the old grindstone. The manufacturer replied that he was welcome to take it, if only to get it out of the way. The man thanked him very heartily, and said it might, perhaps, be in his power to show the gentleman a civility. But at this the manufacturer got angry, and said, proudly: “ I want no civilities from you; if I require your services, I shall pay you for them.” The man went his way in silence, and took ' the coveted grindstone away with him. As often as he used it, he thought of what the rich man had said, and prayed God to give him some occasion of repaying him for the benefit he had conferred on him. The wished-for opportunity soon presented itself. One Sunday, when the countryman was on his way to church, he saw a carriage coming along the road at a mad gallop. The horses had taken fright, and the coachman had fallen from his seat. In the carriage the wealthy manufacturer was seated with his family, crying aloud for help. The countryman did
