ers me, I confess," said the pendulum.

"Then I hope," resumed the dial-plate, "we shall all immediately return
to our duty; for the maids will lie in bed till noon if we stand idling
thus."

Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of _light_ conduct,
used all their influence in urging him to proceed; when, as with one
consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum
began to wag, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever; while a beam
of the rising sun that streamed through a hole in the kitchen shutter,
shining full upon the dial-plate, it brightened up as if nothing had
been the matter.

When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning, upon looking at the
clock he declared that his watch had gained half an hour in the night.

254

Count Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) was a Russian
novelist, poet, and social reformer; author,
among other important works, of _War and Peace_
and _Anna Karenina_. He wrote many short
stories and sketches, a number of which are
markedly symbolic in character. The one that
follows is a good illustration of a type of
such tales pleasing to modern minds. We no
longer produce the formal fable or allegory. In
Tolstoy's story are two historical characters
of so pronounced individuality that their names
always suggest definite ideas--Croesus, riches
and worldly greatness; Solon, wisdom and
worldly poverty and lowliness. These ideas are
brought into conflict, and the outcome allows
us to see which is the basic one in Tolstoy's
theory of life. Who is the happy warrior? One
would merely have to quote some words from the
story to have an answer. And if the reader
feels the force of the answer, as Tolstoy
evidently hoped he would, it means a new or at
least a more distinctly held ideal of living.

CROESUS AND SOLON

LEO TOLSTOY

In olden times--long, long before the coming of Christ--there reigned
over a certain country a great king called Croesus. He had much gold and
silver, and many precious stones, as well as numberless soldiers and
slaves. Indeed, he thought that in all the world there could be no
happier man than himself.

But one day there chanced to visit the country which Croesus ruled a
Greek philosopher named Solon. Far and wide was Solon famed as a wise
man and