The Wealthy Suitor

O NCE upon a time a young man found a pea, and rejoiced beyond all bounds.

"What a lucky fellow you are!" he said to himself. "After this you will suffer no want, for if you sow the pea, in one year you gain from it a quart, in two years tenfold, in three years a hundredfold, in four years a thousandfold, and so on!" Then it recurred to him that he would have nothing in which to store such a harvest.

"You must go to the king," said he to himself, "and borrow a thousand sacks from him."

When he went to the palace and made known his desire the king asked:

"Why do you want so many sacks?"

"For my peas," said the youth.

"Well, I haven't as many as that," said the king; "but remain here until morning."

Now the king had a beautiful daughter, whom he was desirous of wedding to some rich young fellow.

"This youth would suit me very well," thought the king; "for if he has so many peas, how great his other possessions must be!" Therefore he commanded his servants to give the young man a bed of straw, in order to test if he were very rich or no. If he tossed the straw around, and could not sleep, it would be a sure sign that he was not poor. A maid-servant was appointed to listen at the keyhole. Scarcely had the youth lain down when he lost his pea in the straw. He began to seek it anxiously, and tossed the straw about so that it rustled loudly. The maid hurried with the news to the king, who was rejoiced to hear it. Early the next morning he visited the young man, and told him he would like to give him his daughter for a wife, for it could easily be seen that he was very rich.

"I have no objections at all," said the youth; for he thought to himself: "A princess, and a beautiful princess at that, does not go a-begging every day." So he was married to the king's daughter that very day, and lived a contented and happy life forever after.

The moral is that he who finds a pea should not think lightly of it, for it may be the means of gaining him a beautiful princess.