Fables
By Robert Louis Stevenson

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Public Domain Books

III - The Two Matches.

ONE day there was a traveller in the woods in California, in the dry season, when the Trades were blowing strong. He had ridden a long way, and he was tired and hungry, and dismounted from his horse to smoke a pipe. But when he felt in his pocket he found but two matches. He struck the first, and it would not light.

“Here is a pretty state of things!” said the traveller. “Dying for a smoke; only one match left; and that certain to miss fire! Was there ever a creature so unfortunate? And yet,” thought the traveller, “suppose I light this match, and smoke my pipe, and shake out the dottle here in the grass - the grass might catch on fire, for it is dry like tinder; and while I snatch out the flames in front, they might evade and run behind me, and seize upon yon bush of poison oak; before I could reach it, that would have blazed up; over the bush I see a pine tree hung with moss; that too would fly in fire upon the instant to its topmost bough; and the flame of that long torch - how would the trade wind take and brandish that through the inflammable forest! I hear this dell roar in a moment with the joint voice of wind and fire, I see myself gallop for my soul, and the flying conflagration chase and outflank me through the hills; I see this pleasant forest burn for days, and the cattle roasted, and the springs dried up, and the farmer ruined, and his children cast upon the world. What a world hangs upon this moment!”

With that he struck the match, and it missed fire.

“Thank God!” said the traveller, and put his pipe in his pocket.

Continue...

I. - The Persons of the Tale,  •  II. - The Sinking Ship.  •  III - The Two Matches.  •  IV. - The Sick Man and the Fireman.  •  V. - The Devil and the Innkeeper.  •  VI. - The Penitent.  •  VII. - The Yellow Paint.  •  VIII. - The House of Eld.  •  IX - The Four Reformers.  •  XI. - The Reader.  •  XII. - The Citizen and the Traveller.  •  XIII. - The Distinguished Stranger.  •  XIV. - The Cart-Horses and the Saddle-Horse.  •  XV. - The Tadpole and the Frog.  •  XVI. - Something In It.  •  XVII. - Faith, Half Faith and No Faith At All.  •  XVIII. - The Touchstone.  •  XIX. - The Poor Thing.  •  XX. - The Song of the Morrow.

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