The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-01-25
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-oo The .Merchdnt.s Choice. -

Matthias, the evantine merchant, had spent
hiss whole life from his bey-time upward, In
travelling, for the sake of gain, to the east and
10 the west, and to the islands Of the South
Seas. He had returned to his native place,
Tarsus, in the full vigor of manhood, and was
reported to have amassed great wealth. His
first step was to make a prudent call upon the
governor, and to present him with a purse, and
a string of pearls, in order to bespeak his good
will. He then built himself a spacious palace
in the midst of a garden on the borders of a
stream, and began to lead a quiet life, resting
after the fatigues of his many voyages. Most
persons considered him to be the happiest of
merchants ; but these who were introduced to
his intimacy, knew that his constant compan-
ions were thought and sadness When he had
departed in his youth, he had left his father
and his mother, and his brothers and his sis
tiers in health, although poor but when he re-
turned, In hopes to gid the remainder of their
days, he found that the hand of death had fall
len upon them every one, and that there was
no one to share his prosperity and a blight
came over his heart, zss<s rI1s zrr "a
The gossips>in the bazaars soon began to talk
of his case, and it was then that Hanna, the
Christian tailor, one day said, in a loud voice,
to his opposite ~neigAbor, the Jewish money
changer. "I viii lay the value of my stock,
that the merchant Matthias will find eonsola-
ton in marriage that he will choose the most
beautiful of onr maidens ; and that he will
found a family which shall be celebrated in
this city as long as its prosperity endures."-
To this the Jew replied: "What is the value
of thy stock? Three jackats returned upon
thy hands, a rusty pair of scissors, an old stool,
and some bundles of thread? Verify the risk
isnot great" TIE Christian said a prayer or two
to himself, that he might not eurse his neigh
Dor, and then answered ~ viii throw in Ear
itch, the ebony-black girl, whom l bought last
spring, to follow my wife when she goes out
with the little Georges to the gardens. What
sayest thou now 7"
FheJew pondered awhile, leaning his gray
beard on the breast of his caftan. He remem-
bered that, forty years before, he, too, had re-
terRed fromItrAvel with his money bags, and
had found his house desolate and that he had
devoted himself ever since to moody reflection,
and to the caping of mahbotl6 upon 'dh6om6
The thought had, therefore, become fixed in
his mind, that when the middle time of life
comes, there can remain no affection in the
heart, ieithr of Christian, of jew, or of Mo-
hammedan, but for gold So he said: "Let
the odds be equal I will venture five hundred
pieces against thy five hundred pieces that
within Eve years the merchant Matthias does
not take to his bosom o wife: -.
HAgreedl", cried the Christian. The neigh
borsFwere called in as witnesses, and every one
laughed at the aBsurdity of the dispute. $50 q
Matthias was not long learning that a wager
had been laid upon his future life and, in
passing through the bazaar, he stopped one Lay
and said sternly to the Christian tailor: "Son.
of rash ness, why hast thou risked more than
the whole of thy havings upon amatter which
is eaIy known to Heaven? I have looked
upon all the. Eaidens of my people, and no
emotion has stirred within me- Verify thou
wilt become a prey of this Jew" a q
any lord" replied the tailor, smiling, ut is
impossible for a good man to remain all his
life alone If thou wilt come to my house,
and see my wife, and nay little Gorges dancing
ia the arms of the black girl, Zarefeh,
thon wilt surely relent, and seek at once to be
as LAM Perhaps thou hast not. well looked
around thee. There is Miriam, the daughter
of our baker, who is of majestic presence. be-
ing as big as myself! She will suit thee to a
hair. and if thou desirest my wife shall make
proposals for thee this afternoon" Matthias
aanqbed and frowned, and went on, and the
.JeW.chuckling in his beard, said 80 Hanna,
for how much wilt thou free myself from thy
wager viii thou pay a hundred pieces; and
5et I'll be said % But the Christian replied !;
T Eve vearsSaiat Philotea WOKE away stone
~ bic = ah;s stool With her kisses and her