﻿WISHES. 



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about wishes." " Thank you," " Do so," interrupted the little folks, 

 and Mr. Curtis thus oegan 



An honest old Scotchman and his wife were sitting one evening 

 by their cottage fire, and they chanced to be talking of the good which 

 riches would do them, and how many nice things they would have, 

 if they could afford them, when all at once a bright fairy stood before 

 them. " Wish three wishes," said she, " and they shall be granted 

 you." Visions of splendid happiness, such as they had not 

 thought of till then, rose up before them, and tfiey determined to 

 consider well and wish wisely. But while they were thus silently 

 considering what they would wish, a feeling of hungry uneasiness 

 came over the old man, and he spoke out unconsciously, " I wish I 

 had a yard of black pudding." No sooner had he said it than there 

 was the pudding before him. The old woman, enraged that one of 

 the three golden chances should be thus thrown away, exclaimed, " 1 

 wish it was on the end of your nose." And there it was the yard 

 of black pudding on the end of his nose. Seized with horror the old 

 man cried, " I wish it was off again." It was off in an instant, and 

 the fairy had vanished, leaving the old couple just as well off as 

 they were before the " three wishes." 



" That is a funny story papa but we should not be so foolish ; 

 we should not be like them." 



" You would be like them in one respect, even if you did not for- 

 get your wish. You would be no happier for the fairy visit." 



" Not with so many nice toys, papa ? ' 



" As soon as you had them you would wish for something else 

 just as much." 



"But my wish," said cousin Emma, "would be better. If I had 

 plenty of money, when I was tired of one thing I could buy another, 

 and always have what I wanted." 



" No," replied Mr. Curtis, " your wish, though more comprehen- 

 sive, is no wiser than the others. You would prize nothing you 

 could obtain so easily, and you would find springing up a thousand 

 wants, which money could not satisfy. Believe me, my children, 

 with all your real wants supplied you could not be so situated as to 

 have fewer wishes than you have now, unless you should learn the 

 secret discovered by a wise man of olden time." 

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