Red Wing sentinel. [volume] (Red Wing, M.T. [i.e. Minn.]) 1855-1861, 1858-12-25
THE FORTUNES OF ABDALLAH
APERSIAN STORY.

A APERs1AN STORY.
Abdallah was prosperous barber
of Shiraz. He married a woman OF
great beauty, but she was excessively
vain, so that his whole substance was
consumed in providing her with dres.
ses, trinkets, and the luxuries Of the
harem.
Above all other women, the wife OF
Hassan, the kings astrologer, was en-
We'd by the wife of Adallah, the un
ostentatious barber; for this lady af
fected great grandeur, and could af
ford it on account of the large salary
and handsome presents bestowed upon
her husband.
One day the discontented beauty an
nounced to Abdallah that she would
no longer continue to live with him un-
less he gave up the miserable business
of barber and adopted tina: of astrolo-
ger: In vain did he represent to her
that trimming boards was his habit,
while of astrological predictions he
knew nothing; she insisted, and the
unfortunate man, infatuated by his af:
fection, resolved to obey.
So, observing the eccentric practices
of the astrologers, he took brass ba.
sin and pestle of steel into the bazaar
and shifting his basin cried aloud that
he would calculate nativities, predic,
the events of the future, detect thieves
and recover lost property. His neigh.
bors were astonished, and>all said,
" Abdallah, the barber, is certainly
gone mad
But it CHANGED that certain lady re.
turning from the bath, walked through
the bazaar with her veil torn; she ap.
|peared in great distress, and upon
hearing the cry Of Abdallah, sent one
OF her slaves to him with this message
"lf You are an impostor my husband
shall cause you to be bastinadoed; Il
you aro really an astrologer, inform me
where shall find necklace of pearl.
l have lost to-day" Poor Abdallah
bewildered gazed upon the lady, and
gaining time to invent an answer, said
''She can find the pearls when they arr
near for the veil is torn!" These
words were reported to her by thu
slave, and she uttered 4 cry of Joy
" Admirable prophet - she exclaimed
"Iplaccd my pearls for safety in REM
in the veil Of the bath.'' And she or
dered Abdallah to be presented with
forty pieces OF gold. Now it should
be known that I'M the Persian bath.
there are screens, the name of which
is the same as the native word fo1
''veil." So Abdallah by d lucky &C
cidcnt Of speech, had not only saved
himself from the bnstinado, but ht
gained forty pieces Of gold.
AT length. another lady, tho wife o.
the kings treasurer, made her appear
ance, and just at that moment mes
sengec from the treasurer came up to
Abdallah, in the bazaar, and spoke tc
him. The lady stood close by and
listened. "Abdallah,' said the slave
"my master has lost the kings grea,
ruby; if thou hast the wisdom Of tn.
stars thou can'st find it; if not tho,
art prctendcr and will surely cause
thee to be bastinadoed. This time
the unfortunate barber was at his wit.
end. 30, woman! he exclaimed
=" thou art the author of all this.'' HI
meant his own wife, but the wife of thu
treasurer thought it referred to her
Guilt is always pale the poet says
She herself had stolen the kings ruby
and believed that the astrologcr wa.
aware of her crime. So when the
messenger had denartad loar;nc tho