Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1860-01-12

now three, Georges, Lisbet, and Hanna"
GAN of then." said Matthias "and al
so the ebony-black girl, Zarifeh."
ooh n said the tailor, II have set he
free, and she is married to the pudding-sel
Ter, round the corner"
1t seems" said Matthias to himself
that it is the law of Heaven that ever,
one should marry"
| The tailor shut up his shop and took til,
merchant home and showed him his domes
tic wealth that is to say, his pretty wife
his three stout children, and coal-blacb
girl called lara, who was kneading dough
in the courtyard. "My FRIEND" said Mat
tbias, "what wouldst thou do if the power
full were to say to thee, thou must be depri
we'd of all this, or else lose thy liberty ant
become slave ?"
Liberty is sweet" replied the tailor
Struggling his shoulders "yet some live
without it but none can live without love-
Upon this the merchant went back to bis
palace and mounted his mule and rode to the
monastery, where he found the courtyard
full of people. II am come" said he to ono
of the fathers whom he met in the gateway
"to give up my liberty and my wealth for
the sake of Carine.'
q 1t is too late" was the reply "Skan.
dar, the porker, has just driven in all his
pigs, and they are putting the chain upon
his neck in the chapel, and all these people
whom thou seest collected, are to be witness.
es Of his marriage with Carine."
Matthias smote his breast with his hands,
and the sides of his mule with his heels, and
galloped through the crowd shouting ont
that nobody should be made slave that day
but he. The chief of the monastery, on
learning what was the matter, smiled and
said, that the porker had previous claim
but the monks, who, perhaps, looked forward
to the ehjoymcnts which the merchants
wealth would afford them, ingenious'y sug-
gested that he had the best claim who had
hesitated least. Carine's opinion was asked F.;
and she, seeing both of her suitors resolved,
heartiessly condemned the enamoured porker
to liberty, and said: Let the chain be
put upon the neck of the merchant" The
ceremony was Immediately performed; and,
whilst the head of the convent was prepar-
ing to begin the more interesting rite of the
marriage brother Boag, the treasurer of the
monastery, set off to take an inventory of
the wealth which had just fallen under his
jurisdiction.
1t is said that Matthias never gave sin
gle thought to his lost property, being too
much absorbed in contemplating the charms
Of the beautiful Carine. The only stipula-
ton he made was, that he should be allowed
to so out to the pasturages with her; aud,
next morning he found himself in sober seri-
BUSINESS helping to drive Naharah and its
companions down to the waters side
Meanwhile the Governor of Tarsus heard
what had happened to Matthias, and was
stricken with rage, and caused his mule to
be saddled and his guards to be mounted,
and set forth to the monastery and summon
ed the chief, saying, "Konw, 0 Monk, that
Matthias is my friend; and it cannot DO thet
he shall be thy slave, and that all his wealth
shall be transferred from my city to thy mon
astery. He is a liberal citizen, and I may
not lose him from amongst u.s." The Gov
crnor spoke thus by reason Of certain loans
without interest and presents lover and above
the purse and the string o: pearls
which the merchant had presented at his
first coming), with which Matthias had freely
obliged the Governor who also hoped .
continuance Of the same. Whereupon the
chief of the monastery hid his hands and was
humbled; and the Governor and he parted
with good understanding and agreement.
1t fell out, therefore, that after month
of servituds Matthias and his bride were
called before an assembly of the whole mon
astery, and informed that the conditions i'm
posed were simply for the sake of trial.
Nearly all the wealth of the merchant was
restored do him, and he was liberated and
led back amidst applauding crowds to his
palace at Tarsus. Of course he made lib
eral donation to the monastery, over and
above round sum which Boag the trcasur-
er had not found it in his heart to return
with the rest Being just and generous
man, he not only relieved the Jew from the
consequences of his wager, but made such
presents to the Christian tailor, that lie had
no longer any need to ply the needle for his
livelihood. Tradition dilates with delight
on the happiness which Carine bestowed on
her husband; who used always to say, ''that
with wealth or without wealth, with liberty
OR without liberty, she was sufficient to bring
content into any house, and to make the
sternest heart happy"