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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
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the garden walk.
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