Text view

Philemon and Baucis

- Flora J. Cooke

One evening, just at dark, two beggars came into the valley. They stopped at every house and asked for food and a place to sleep; but the people were too busy or too tired to attend to their needs. They were thinking only of the coming of Zeus.
Footsore and weary, the two beggars at last climbed the hill to the hut of Philemon and Baucis. These good people had eaten very little, for they were saving their best food for Zeus.
When they saw the beggars, Philemon said, "Surely these men need food more than Zeus. They look almost starved."
"Indeed, they do!" said Baucis, and she ran quickly to prepare supper for the strangers.
She spread her best white cloth upon the table, and brought out bacon, herbs, honey, grapes, bread, and milk. She set these upon the table in all the best dishes she had and called the strangers in.
Then what do you suppose happened? The dishes that the strangers touched turned to gold. The pitcher was never empty, although they drank glass after glass of milk. The loaf of bread stayed always the same size, although the strangers cut slice after slice.

License information: nan
MPAA: G
Go to source: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15170/15170-h/15170-h.htm#philemon

Text difficulty