0 Sim Rjnrni ii i bar b 1ST SYXOPSIS- A poor porter 'carried home many good things for a woman who employed him to go marketing with her, and after he unloads his crate she and her tiro lovely listers ask him to share their feast. Later, three beg gars, all curiously shaven and all Hind in the left eye, ask food and are admitted, and later yet the caliph, with the grand vizier mnd a slave, all disguised, are added to the party, each man, however, promising that Ho matter what happens he will ask no questions. Soon the second sister brings in two Hack dogs, which the elder beats and then weeps over. The caliph can not restrain his curiosity, asks the reason for the strange scene, and immediately the women have their guests seized, and are to have them punished, when they relent, saying that if the three beggars will amuse them by the story of their adventures and tell hoio each lost his eye they may all be pardoned their ques tions. The story of the first beggar follows: (Continued from last Sunday.') i 4 I J J SAID the first beggar, as he began I his story, " was, as you have guessed, J born to better things. I am the son Of a king, and should now be reigning myself had not fate been against it. My father reigned over a large city,- and his brother, my uncle, over another near by. My cousin and I were about the same age, and friends from boyhood, so we spent many months in each other's company. "On the occasion of one of my visits. to him, my cousin asked me if I would do him a favor, and eagerly assenting, he led me to a tomb in a great graveyard near the city, and showed me an opening in its floor. See,' he said, ' I have brought with me plaster and tools. After I descend these steps I wish you to roll back the stones and plaster them up as though they had never been moved, and throw away the tools, and never tell what you have done for me or where I have gone.' " Though the thing seemed to me a wild, strange plan, I had promised. So as soon as my cousin vanished down the steps inside the ground, I rolled back the stones of the tomb, plastered them together carefully, threw the tools away, and went home. "However, that night I thought again and ag:iin of what I had done, till I became con 1 Vl ' I f f i tf i-NERAI oh General where's the General?" shouted the Dunce,' as he rushed up f ; ff I fi -R- " Here I am," answered the General, stepping out onto the Teenie Weenie porch, " B V rtV. i f - J I " H-m-matter enoucdi." stuttered the frifhteneH Dntipc "I I BY . V XV2r- I Iff m ar d - Pq . !jf 3 vinced I had been wrong to obey my cousin, and determined to go next day to find him. But though I hunted many days I could never find that particular tomb. My uncle being away from home, the absence of my cousin was not inquired into, and when I left for my own country he was still away. " I was very sad as I approached my father's city, but my sorrows had only be gun. Just outside the city gates a group'of men surrounded me, bound and beat me, and took me to prison. I; soon discovered the 'awful truth. My father's , grand vizier .had led a revolt against him, my father was dead, and the grand vizier in power. This man hated me, as accidentally I had, when a child, put out his left eye with one of my toy arrows. I knew I had nothing but trouble in store for 'me, and so it proved. Having had my own left eye- put out, the new ruler sentenced me to death. But old friends of my father 'saved me at the last moment, mak ing me promise, however, never to show my face in my own land again, in order that their lives might be safe. '" I promised gladly. Even the loss of my eye did not seem so dreadful now that, hav ing given myself up for dead, I was allowed to live. And on foot I made my way back to the country of my uncle, knowing that there I "would have a home forever. " When my uncle saw me he wept over the loss of my eye before he even heard the tale of my other woes, or knew of the death of his beloved brother. When he had heard all, he cried, 'What sin have I committed to be so punished? My only son is lost to me, my brother is now dead, my nephew half blind and a beggar ! ' "When I heard this about my cousin I asked questions and found that he had never returned and no trace of him had been found, though the country had been hunted over for news of him. Thereupon I could no longer keep my promise of silence. Prostrating my self before my uncle, I told him all I knew. and " ' My uncle,' said I, ' for days after my cousin disappeared there, I, anxious and in despair at what I had helped him do, hunted for that tomb, but could not find a trace of it.' " ' Come, come,' he cried, as though he had not heard me. So, surrounded by his sol diers and slaves,, we went to the graveyard and inspected one tomb after 'another, till at last I myself was certain that I had found the right . one. Sure enough, when one - of the slaves dug in the corner there- appeared the steps down which I had seen my cousin vanish. Trembling with excitement, my uncle and I went down these steps and through a long stone corridor, till at the end we thrust aside a curtain and stood in a large, low room, sumptuously furnished and filled with the most wonderful of perfumes. . On a gorgeous couch in the center of the room reposed my cousin. My uncle called out to him, but he did not answer. Rushing across to the couch, .we put our hands upon him and discovered the cause of his silence. He was dead I - Goodness gracious, where?" cried the WHhTWhy ht Vl?ing by a bucket' over there hy answered the excited Dunce "Captain," cried the General, turning to the Old Red Cross Nurses, and follow us at once." order?65' Slr'" ld Sldier' touchi& his caP "ri1 aend to it right away," and he hobbled rapidly off to carry out the General's In a short time the Teenie Weenie soldiers began to gather in front of the Shoe House. "Fall in, men," cried the Old Soldier, when all the men had arrived. -"Mn '" SaiVKC Gfnera1' as he-stepped in front of the army, " We are about to go on a dangerous expedition The safetv of ,r race is threatened by a bear. This beast must be driven away, and I count on you, my brave men, to protect our hom V may never return, and if blood is shed by any of you, remember, it will be lost in a noble cause?" Protect our homes. Some of us v,,u quicK march !" shouted the A, -A a iw X Y C WlUlm a Shrt d,stance of the sani Pi, a halt was called, while a council of war was held Tt whue Ih'e Col Bedlhe othe'r"" ThC GenCral &nd the ld So,dier lSrfthJLSr! u rt W11 'bay0118. fied e soldiers tremblingly moved toward the bucket behind which the bear sat." Presently "thev saw his rrret brown body and just as the soldiers were about to fire, the General threw up his hand and burst into a loud laugh. 5 Why, it s nothing but a Teddy bear," he cried. s Sure enough, there leaning against the tin sand bucket, was the little girl's Teddy bear! 7?!:-d,0MS a-g,d jke I" DUnCe cHed the Dutchma". falling into line for the march home. I think the oke is on the army," cried the Dunce, and everybody joined him in a hearty laugh. CopjTigrht: 1915: By Wm. Donahey. . ----- juj; vueotue 11 IK. lu tUi Li a group of men surrounded me, bound and beat me, and took me to prison." " My uncle wept greatly at this loss, nor could we find a way to comfort him. There Was nothing to do but to take the body of my cousin away and prepare it for burial, and as we went sadly from the tomb my uncle said to me, 'You are now my heir. J will adopt you, and you shall take the place of my true son, who is dead, and I shall be a father to you and try to be to you what your own father would have been.' And we em braced each other and went out towards his palace. But as we neared it wte heard great General, turning quite pale round his fat little the sand Pile here that little girl was Paying Soldier, "Call out the army at once, Old Soldier, and the little army swung off down tumult and noise, and servants rushed out with the news that my father's wicked vizier, not satisfied with the conquest of my own city, had gathered together a great army and' come to take the city of my uncle, too. . " They were now fighting without the walls and the people of the city, not seeing their king at the head of the troops, were .losing heart and already the fight seemed going against them. Trying to forget our' grief, my uncle and I rushed forward to defend the city against this cruel foe. I donned -armor, so that I would not be recognized, for I knew that if the grand vizier saw me his wrath would be doubly inflamed. My uncle valiantly placed himself at the head of his troops and led many fierce charges against the army of the invader. But it was too late. The courage of the citizens had been broken already, and the soldiers, receiv ing little or no aid from them, fell back. En raged at their cowardice, my uncle threw himself into the fiercest of the battle and soon fell, wounded. He was dying when I fought my way to him, and I could give him no aid. So, w&iting only to receive his last blessing, I hurried away, fearful lest I ba recognized and slain by my foe. " Seeing no other way to effectually dis guise myself, I shaved myself as you now see me, procured the clothes of a beggar, and in the dead of night set out once more on foot from a conquered cit3' over which I had expected some day to rule as king. After many weary miles of travel I have come here, hoping that in some way I can reach the ear of your good caliph, whom I have heard succors the unfortunate, and who may in soma way help me to some better position in life. . " I just arrived in your city tonight and, not knowing which way to turn, asked this man to my right, who said he was a stranger, too, and as we talked this third came up and asked from us his way. So that is how we three came to your hospitable gate. I shall now be delighted to hear the stories of thes two comrades of mine." The first 'beggar sat down and the women, telling him that he had deeply interested them and that they were most sorry for his misfortunes, asked the second beggar to pro ceed with his story. (To be continued next Sunday.) to the Shoe House. What's the matter? " mouth. this morning, and he's awfully biff" Tell the doctor to get ready his hospital supplies A L-J I the garden walk. t