THE PASTOR AND THE SEXTON The sexton
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and came to the castle dressed in the pastor's gown and ruff. The king received him out in the entrance with crown and scepter, and was so splendidly dressed that he fairly gleamed and shone. ''Well, are you here?" Yes, indeed, there he was. "First tell me," said the king, "the distance from East to West." "It is one day's journey," said set
forth,
the sexton.
"And how is that?" asked the king. "Well, the sun rises in the East and goes down in the West, and manages to do so nicely in the course of a single ' '
day, * *
I
said the sexton.
am
' '
' '
said the king, but worth, just as I stand."
Good,
now tell me how much
our Lord Christ himself was valued at thirty pieces of silver, then I can hardly value you at more than twenty-nine," said the sexton.
"Well,
if
"Well and good," said the king, "but since you are so wondrous wise, tell me what I am thinking now.'
my lord king, you
are probably thinking that standing before you, but there you are greatly mistaken, for I am the sexton."
"Ah,
this is the pastor
who
is
"Then drive straight home, and be the pastor, and the pastor shall be the sexton," said the king, and that is what happened, too.
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