Humil Stories Simon Travels the King’s Highway Based on the Legend of the King’s Highway by Beth Southwick

Once upon a time, in a splendid castle, a good and wise king sat pondering in his bedchamber. He was getting old and began to worry about the future of his kingdom. His queen had died many years before and he had no children to pass the crown to. What was he to do? He considered all of his options and wondered, of everybody he knew, who would be fit to rule his people with fairness and grace. After careful consideration, the wise, old king had an idea. He would devise a test to see who, of all his subjects, could prove his worthiness. Well before dawn of the very next morning, the king set his plan into action. In the middle of a well-traveled road, the king dug a hole in the dirt, wherein he placed a heavy bag of gold. Then, with the help of his strong horse, he rolled a large, heavy stone over it to cover the treasure. Winded and fatigued, the king then returned to his castle and waited. When the first rays of sun began to peek over the mountains, the people of the prosperous kingdom began their day. All of them saw the large stone in the middle of the road, but no one worried about it. They were all too busy to get to where they needed to be. Each of them thought nearly the same thing: ‘Perhaps someone will tell the king about this obstacle and he will have it moved.’ With this small reassurance, each person skirted the boulder and went on his or her way, without another thought. As the morning sun began to warm the earth, a learned professor traveled toward the castle to have audience with the king. Filled with all the knowledge his great books had to offer, he was musing on what boundless wisdom he could boast to the king when, suddenly, his carriage stopped. Poking his head out of the carriage, he beheld the boulder in the road. Ranting, he urged the driver to do what he could to get around the rock. So, the driver led the horses and carriage off the road, into weeds and ruts; and shook the professor up as he did so. “Someone should move this rock!” growled the learned professor. “It is a menace to society!” Not long afterward, a brave knight, clad in armor and riding a majestic horse, came upon the rock in the road. “I will inform the king right away of this great obstacle so he can have it removed,” vowed the knight. And he rode with haste to the castle. As the sun neared high noon, a nobleman of wealth and society came upon the rock with his train of wealthy friends and attendants. They all looked smugly at the rock in the road and

Island of Humility 1 Humil

wondered why the king would allow such an unattractive sight to obstruct the path to his gloriously rich castle. In great degradation, they allowed themselves to be taken off the road into the ruts, as they each groaned with the inconvenience and discomfort of it all. “The king shall hear of this!” swore the nobleman to his outraged party. When the sun began its descent in the west, the people all headed home from their labors, passing the rock once again, and noting that the king had not removed it yet. “How very vexing,” they all thought. Finally, when the sun had nearly set for the night, a young man named Simon crossed the road rather near to the boulder. He was tired and hungry and looking forward to putting his feet up after a long day in the fields. The great obstacle surprised him and he instantly thought, “Oh my. This rock could prove to be dangerous to a traveler unaware. I must find some way to move it out of the way.” Simon set out at once to procure a large branch from a fallen tree in order to levy it under the rock and move it to the side of the road. Wearied as he was, he put forth all of his brawn and heaved the heavy rock from off of the hole. Then, with the rest of his strength, he rolled it safely out of the way from the passage. As he sat to rest on the side of the road, Simon noticed something sticking out of the hole in the road. Pulling himself to his feet, he went to investigate and was astounded at what he discovered. “This bag of gold must belong to someone great,” he thought to himself. “Perhaps someone at the castle will know what to do with it.” So, instead of going home to feed his belly and rest his tired body, Simon filled the hole up with dirt, and headed up the road to the castle, towing the heavy bag of gold. Meanwhile, the king sat in audience with the learned professor, the brave knight, and the wealthy nobleman. As each complained of the large rock in the road, the king sighed inwardly, wondering what would become of his kingdom after all. Suddenly, a page brought the news that a poor peasant man was without the walls and wished to return a bag of gold that he had found under a rock in the road. The king commanded, “Let him enter.” The great doors of the king’s throne room were opened to the dirty man, who, upon removing his cap, bowed in reverence. “Your majesty,” Simon replied humbly, “I beg your pardon. I found a great rock in the road and when I moved it out of the way, this bag of gold was under it. I know not whom it belongs to, but I knew you could find its rightful owner. So, I thought to bring it to you.” The professor, the knight, and the wealthy nobleman all stared in disgust at the dirty peasant and murmured how unworthy he was to come in such a state to the king of the castle.

Island of Humility 2 Humil

The king stood and hushed his guests. Then, descending the steps of his throne, he approached young Simon with a warm smile. “Stand, young man. What is your name?” “Simon, your Majesty.” “Simon. To whom do you suppose this gold belongs?” “To someone great, your Majesty.” “Indeed, it does. It belongs to you, noble Simon.” “Oh, no, your Majesty. It does not. I only found it when I moved the rock.” “And why did you move the rock, Simon? I can see that you are tired, and surely hungry. Were you not in a hurry to get home so you can rest?” “Most assuredly, your Majesty, I was. But there was a rock in the road that needed to be moved. Who better to do it than me?” “Ah, yes. Who better? My dear, dear Simon, I put the gold under that rock, intended for the person who would, of his own volition, choose to move the rock. The gold is yours; as is my kingdom when I die. Come sit down to eat with me. We have much to discuss.” And that is how Simon, the humble pauper, became a prince.

Island of Humility 3 Humil

How to Make Up a Quarrel by Ellen E. Kenyon-Warner

“It is my belief,” said William Ladd, when President of the American Peace Society, “that the principles of peace, if carried into practice, will maintain good-will among neighbors as well as among nations. “But there was a time when I had not thought much about this subject. At that period, I believed that if a man struck me a blow, it was fair and best to strike back again, without considering whether there was not some better way of overcoming the offender. Or, if a man did me an injury, why, as people commonly say, I would give him as good as he sent. “I had then a farm. A poor man, who lived on adjoining land, neglected to repair a fence which it was his business to keep in order. In consequence of his neglect his sheep got into my wheat field and did much mischief. So, I ordered my man Sam to go to the neighbor and tell him that he must mend the fence and keep the sheep out. “But the sheep came in again, and being a very orderly man myself, I was much provoked. ‘Sam,’ said I, ‘go to that fellow and tell him that, if he does not keep his sheep out of my wheat field, I will have them shot.’ Even this threat did not succeed: the sheep were in again. “‘Sam,’ said I, ‘take my gun and shoot those sheep.’ “‘I would rather not,’ replied he. “‘Rather not, Sam! Why, there are but three. It is no great job.’ “‘No, sir; but the poor fellow has only these three sheep in the world, and I do not like to shoot a poor man’s sheep.’ “‘Then the poor man should take proper care of them. I gave him warning; why did he not mend his fence?’ “‘Well, sir, I guess it was because you sent him a rough kind of message. It made him angry, and so he would not do it.’ “I reflected a few minutes, and then I told Sam to put the horse in the buggy. “‘Shall I put in the gun?’ he asked. “’No!’ was my reply. “A slight smile appeared on his lips, but he said nothing. I got into my buggy and drove up to my neighbor’s. He lived a mile off, and I had ample time to think the matter over. “When I drove up to the house, the man was chopping wood; there were but few sticks of wood, the house was poor, and my heart was softened.

Island of Humility 4 Humil

“‘Neighbor,’ I called out; the man looked sulky and did not lift up his head. ‘Come, come, neighbor,’ said I. ‘I have come with friendly feelings to you, and you must meet me halfway.’ “He perceived that I was in earnest, laid down his ax, and came to the wagon. “’Neighbor,’ said I, ‘we have both been in the wrong: you neglected your fence, and I got angry and sent you a provoking message. Now let us both face about, and both do right, and feel right. I will forgive, and you shall forgive. Let us shake hands.’ “He did not feel quite willing to give me his hand, but he let me take it. “’Now,’ said I, ‘neighbor, drive your sheep down to my south pasture; they shall share with my sheep till next spring; you shall have all the increase, and next summer we will start fair.’ “His hand was no longer dead in mine. He gave me a good, friendly grasp. The tears came into his eyes, and he said, ‘I think you are a Christian, William Ladd, after all.’ “And that little fracas with my neighbor about the sheep was the first step toward my devoting myself to the American Peace Society.”

Taken from The Character Building Readers by Ellen E. Kenyon-Warner (1910), Seventh Reader, Aspiration and Self-Reliance, p. 26-28. librariesofhope.com.

Additional Books/Stories

• The Pen and the Inkwell by Hans Christian Andersen (Ages 6-12). The Pen and the Inkwell believe they are better than each other, but come to realize that they are merely tools in the hands of the master writer.

• King Canute on the Seashore adapted by James Baldwin (Ages 6-12). A king teaches his men that he is not the most mighty in all the world, by a parable involving the seashore.

• “The Pebble and the Acorn: A Fable” by Ellen Kenyon-Warner (Ages 6-12). A proud pebble encounters a humble acorn and, after the acorn grows into a great tree, the pebble learns he is not as grand as he thought he was. This story can be found in The Character Building Readers, Seventh Reader, Aspiration and Self-Reliance, p. 103-105, librariesofhope.com.

Island of Humility 5 Humil