There was once a German duke who disguised himself, and during the night placed a great stone in the middle of the road, near his palace. Next morning a sturdy peasant, named Hans, came that way with his lumbering ox-cart. “O these lazy people!” said he, “there is this big stone right in the middle of the road, and no one will take the trouble to put it out of the way.” And so Hans went on his way, scolding about the laziness of the people. Next a gay soldier came along. He had a bright plume waving from his helmet, and a sword dangling by his side, and went singing merrily on his way. His head was held so far back that he didn’t notice the stone, so he stumbled over it. This stopped his song, and he began to storm at the country people, and call them “boors and blockheads, for leaving a huge rock in the road for a gentleman to fall over.” Then he went on. Next came a company of merchants, with pack-horses and goods, on their way to the fair that was to be held in the village near the duke’s palace. When they came to the stone, the road was so narrow that they had to go off in single file on each side. One of them, named Berthold, cried out, “Did anybody ever see the like of that big stone lying here all the morning, and no one stopping to take it away?” It lay there for three weeks; and nobody tried to remove it. Then the duke sent round word to all the people in his lands, to meet at a deep cut in the road, called Dornthou, near where this stone lay, as he had something to tell them. The day came, and a great crowd gathered at the Dornthou. Each side of the cut was thronged with people overlooking the road. Old Hans, the farmer, was there, and so was Berthold, the merchant. And now a horn was heard, and the people all strained their necks and eyes toward the castle as a splendid cavalcade came galloping up to the Dornthou. The duke rode into the cut, got down from his horse, and with a pleasant smile began to speak to the people thus:—“My friends, it was I who put this stone here three weeks ago. Every passer-by has left it just where it was,13and has scolded his neighbor for not taking it out of the way.” When he had spoken these words, he stooped down, and lifted up the stone. Directly underneath it was a round hollow lined with white pebbles, and in the hollow lay a small leathern bag. The duke held it up that all the people might see what was written on it. On a piece of paper, fastened to the bag, were these words: “For him who lifts up the stone.” He untied the bag, and turned it upside down, and out fell a beautiful gold ring and twenty large, bright, golden coins. Then everybody wished that he had moved the stone, instead of going around it and only blaming his neighbors. They all lost the prize because they had not learned the lesson or formed the habit of helpfulness. And we shall lose many a prize, as we go on in life, if we do not form this habit. That bag of money was the duke’s promise of a reward for helpfulness. But that promise was hidden away under the stone, so that no one could see it. God’s promises are not hidden in this way. They are written plainly in the Bible, so that we may all see them and understand them.—Christian Intelligencer.