The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1871-09-28

A LEGEND.

A LEGEND.
In the land Of Arabia once lived an
old man who had spent his life in search
ing after the "philosopher's stone" by
means Of which one could make gold in
any desired Quantity, also an elixir to
ward OF old age and preserve eternal
youth and vigor.
Abu Taleb, as the old man we speak Of
was named, lived in q capacious room
with large fireplace, and had mortars
of iron and glass, pincers of various sizes,
crucibles, furnaces and bellows. On long
shelves were bottles and jars filled with
liquids of various colors, the poisonous
drugs having skull painted on them,
and in the corner of the kitchen an old
blanket was spread, on which the aIche-
mist rested at night an hour or two, when
he did not look at the stars in the blue
armament above.
His house stood on the borders of q
great desert, and his sister kadiah lived
with him. She was exceedingly avaric-
ious, and therefore said one day to her
self: "My brother has his head always
full of other things and hardly knows
what he Is eating, whether cook delic-
ious meals for him or give him only
pulse to eat and water to drink" She,
therefore, took twice q day, or fourteen
times q week, barley -four, poured hot
water over it, and added occasionally q
little butter, and placed this very frugal
meal on her brothers table. One day,
however, when Abu Taleb thought the
prOpitOus hour arrived, and the lead in
his crucible would soon be transformed
into pure gold, he ate but very little ofhis
porridge, and poured the rest into tub,
to prevent his sister from reprOving him
by untlmely questions.
Thus the remnant was left in the tub,
as the alchemist had poured it out, and
gradually began to spread an odor. The
sensitive nose of Abu Taleb soon per-
ccived the spirit in it, and he did not rest
until he had separated it from the husks
and poured it in bottle. When lie tasted
it he found that it circulated through his
veins like fire, and made him believe that
he had indeed found the water Of life.
No wonder that he concluded to make the
most Of it. He, therefore, ate from that
time but onc-third of his porridge, just
enough to keep him from starving, aud
poured the rest in his tub, in order to OBJ
tain more and more of his precious wa
ter.
Meanwhile great famine came over
the land, and a half.starved little boy,
whose parents had already died, APP
preached the window to beg for food left
on the table, but Abu Taleb poured il
rather into his tub and chased the poor
starving orphan from his threshold, till
he lost his way in the desert and laid
down under shrub to die.
Then the guardian angel of the child
approached, with tears in his eyes, the
throne of God and accused AbG Taleb
of having caused the death of the orphan.
And the Lord said to the ministering an
GEL "Hasten down and curse the bev-
erage which Abu Teleb prepares of bar
ley and water, and all which will be
henceforth prepared. Curse them even
to the ends of the earth"
And then the angel went forth, and
bedded first the body of the little boy
on soft moss, and rolled four heavy stones
over his grave, that he might sleep Sc
curely untouched by the wild beasts Of
desert. Then he entered the labratory
of the alchemist stepped near the bottle
which contained the liquid, and said,
:" Cursed be thou! Those who drink of
thee shall think they are taking healing
medicine, but thou shalt prove poison
unto them. Those who use thee shall
mean to derive strength from thee, but
thou shalt be unto them like water pour
ed into blazing coal fire, which does
not extinguish it, but increases its heat
thou shalt consume their strength as
vinegar destroys steel. Thou shalt |
weaken the body OF man and wrap his
soul into utter darkness. Those who
drink office thou shalt bind with strong
or letters than tyrants do their slaves
and when thy friends curse thee at the |
dawn of day, and cry and sigh over their
misery, they shall not be able to do
without thee and with trembling hands |
reach after thee.
Thou shalt appear as harmless as the
waters which sparkle in the spring and
shalt nevertheless destroy whole nations
and cause them to vanish away, like the
shadow when it declineth. Satan has
many snares, thou shalt be his greatest,
and he shall welcome thee as his ally.
Curse be thou cured henceforth unto
the end of timer
Thus spake the angel ofthe Lord, and
returned whence he had come.
Alter this Abu Taleb died, and being
guilty of the death of the orphant child
and burdened with the great weight Of
his sin, sank down to the lowest part of
the earth, like . milestone which has
been cast into tho sea-
Not one little starving shild, but ma
ny, many have been slain with hunger,
while the sweetest wholesome grain of
the field which should have been fed
them, has been turned into the curse
|fre-water.
WELT N DHRHAM