Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-11-01
TEIH WER.uANT,S HEART.

Matthias, the Levantine merchant. had
spent i,s whole life, from his bovtime up
ward, in travelling for the sake of gain, 10
the East and to the West, and to the is
lands Of the South Seas. He had return
ed to his native place, Tarsus, in the full
yigor of manhood, ana was reported to
have amassed great wealth. His first step
was to make prudent call upon the GOV
ernor, and to present him with purse
and string of pearls, in order to bespeak
his good viii He then built himself a
spacious palace in the midst of a garden
on the borders Of 4 stream, and began to
lead quiet life, resting after the fatigues
Of his many voyages. Most persons cousid
cred him to be the happiest cf merchants !;
but those who were introduced to his in
timacy 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 bro-
theirs, and his sisters. in health. although
poor. but when he returned in hopes to
gid the remainder Of their days, he found
that the hand of death had fallen upon
tham every one, and there Tras no one to
share his prosperity: and blight came
over his heart.
The eossips in the bazaars soon began
to IA K Of his ease, and it was then that
Hanna, the Christian tailor, one day said
i'm a load voice to his opposite neighbor
the jewish money-changcr, II Will lay the
value of my stock that tire merchant Mat
thias viii find consolation in marriage
that ne viii choose the most beautiful of
our maidens; and that he viii fouud q
family which shall be celebrated 10 this
city as long as It's prosperity enduras
To this the Jew replied "What Is the
value Of the stock? Three jackets re-
turned upon thy hands. a rusty pair Of
scissors, an old stool, and some bundles Of
thread Verify tie risk is not great"
The Christian said a prayer or two to
himself, that he might not curse his
ncighbor, and then answered viii
throw in Zarifeh. the ebony-black girl
whom | bought last spring to follow my
wife when she goes out with the little
Gorges to the garden. What sayest thou
now p
The jew pondered awhile, leaning his
gray bread on the breast of his caftan.-
lie remembered that forty years before
he. too, had returned from travel with his
moneybags, and had found his house
desolate and that he had devoted him
self ever since to moody reelection, and to
the heapin- of mahboub upon mahJoub.
The Thought had therefore become fixed
in his mind chat when the middle time Of
lie comes, there can remain no affection
in the heart either Of Christian, or Of
Jew, or Of Mahommedan, but for gold. =
20 ne said Let the odds lie equal /
viii enture fye hundred pieces against
thy five hundred pieces. that Within i've
years the merchant Matthias does not take
e his bosom a wife" agreed :" cried
the Christian. The nci-hbors were called
in rs witnesses. and every one laughed at
ghs ahsurdity Of the dispute:
Matthias was not long in learning that
a wager had been laid upon his future
life AMI, in passing through the Bazaar
he stse-ped one day and SAID sternly to
the listiuu tailor "~on Of rashuess
why mast thou risked more than the whole
of thy hayin-s upon a matter which is
only known to heayen2 ! have looked
upon all the maidens Of 1ay people, and
no emotion has stirred within me
Verify ;hoa wilt become a prey to this
Jew
NY lord, replied the tailor smiling
1T is impossible for a good man to remain
all his life alone. If thou wilt come to
my house, and see my wife ard my little
Gorgcs dancing in the arms of the ebony
black Eirl. Iarifeh. thou wilt surely reIent
and seek at once to he a. am Perhaps
thou hast not wei looked around thee
There Is Miriam. the daughter os our
baker who Is of majestic presence, being
as Biz as thvscf She will suit thee to a
hair and, If thou desirest, my wife shal
make proposals for thee this afternoon
Matthias laughed and frowned, and wen
ON. and the Jew chuckliu- in his bearl
said % Hanna. for how much wilt thor
frse rhvsolf from the wager? Wilt thou
nav q hundred pieces and let all be said ?
But the Christian replied: in five year:
saint PhiIotea wore away stone a biz