One day, two travelers arrived at Stan's house, and were joyfully
received and entertained with the best food he had. They were angels
in disguise; and, perceiving that Stan and his wife were good people,
one of them, while throwing his knapsack over his shoulder to continue
his journey, asked his host what he most desired, and said that any
three of his wishes should be fulfilled.

"Give me children," replied Stan.

"What else shall I give you?"

"Children, sir, give me children!"

"Take care," said the angel, "or there will be too many of them. Have
you enough to support them?"

"Never mind that, sir,--only give them to me!"

The travelers departed; but Stan accompanied them as far as the
high-road, that they might not lose their way among the fields and
woods.

When Stan reached home again, he found the house, yard, and garden
filled with children, in all not less than a hundred. Not one was
larger than the other; but each was more quarrelsome, bolder, more
mischievous and noisier than the rest. And, in some way, God made Stan
feel and know that they all belonged to him and were his.

"Good gracious! What a lot of them!" he cried, standing in the midst
of the throng.

"But not too many, husband," replied his wife, bringing a little flock
with her.

Then followed days which can only be experienced by a man who has a
hundred children. The house and village echoed with shouts of "father"
and "mother," and the world was full of happiness.

But taking care of children isn't so simple a matter. Many pleasures
come with many troubles, and many troubles with many joys. When, after
a few days, the children began to shout, "Father, I'm hungry!" Stan
began to scratch his head. There did not seem to him to be too many
children, for God's gift is good, however large it may be; but his
barns were too small, the cow was growing thin, and the fields did
not produce enough.

"I'll tell you what, wife," said Stan one day, "it seems to me that
there isn't much harmony in our affairs. As God was good enough to
give us so many children, He ought to have filled the measure of His
goodness, and sent us food for them, too."

"Search for it, husband," the wife answered. "Who knows where it may
be concealed? The Lord never does a thing by halves."

Stan went out into the wide world to find God's gift. He was firmly
resolved to return home laden with food.

Aha! The road of the hungry is always a long one. A man doesn't ea