Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-04-18
THE THREE CRIMES,
An EASTERN TALE.

Ule PDt rance VI iii> "uLi"ie ""SiAi'-
he coald embrace at one glance, all
the territory originally possessed by
Osman, the founder Of the Ottoman
Empire. and, ss he five times a day
offered mp his prayers to Allan, he
invoked blessings upon the head of
Solymen the Magnificent, the reign
ing Sultan in whose TIME he lived.
Indeed. Abdallah WAS renowned for
his sanctity: and the inhabitants OF
the vicinity treated him with 'ie
most marked respect.
He was not, however, entitled t"
this excessive generation by his age
for he had scarcely attained his f"r-
tietb year when the. Incident of TIN
tale took place His venerable father,
who W S himself dervi Of great
sanctity, and whose years amounted
to o.four-score, resided with him in the.
same grotto; and fortunate was deem
ed the individual who, on his Way
along TELESCOPES Of Olympus. was al
lowed to join the prayers OF the :%o
dervises, kneeling upcn the ground
at the entrance Of the ave, and tarn-
ing tleir c5untenances toward the
holy cities of Mecca md Medina.
Hames Abdallah was one morning
rowing among the groves and woods
which extended up The mountai fr
above his grotto, and pnpdcrins uqon
the passage in the Koran which he
had been pursuing but :: s'ors time
previously, when his foot suddenly
struck against something hard upon
the ground. He looked downward,
and saw an iron ring fastened to a
small brass plate which was let into a
square of stone work, and seemed to
cover hollow place or well. Obey-
ing a sudden impulse of curiosity,
Hamet applied hi; hand to the ring,
and pulled it with all his force. After
many vain exertions, the brass plate
yielded to his efforts, and he fell back
wards with the sudden shock.
Before he had time to arise and
examine the aperture thus laid bare,
dense volume Of smoke issued from
the home, and assembled III the air to
the height of several thousand feet
Hames gazed with astomshmsn'
upon this strange apparition; BIZ.
how much more was his wonder ex-
cited when he saw tho smoke gradu
allv become more ard more pa'pable
and shapely, and at length assume
the form Of an immense giant, with a
long, flowing, white beard, and a tre-
mendous pine in his right hand.
Hames fell upon his knees, and was
about t. put up aprayer to Heaven,
when the ierribleapparition addressed
him in :. voice of thunder.
"Nry; mention not the name Of
the D-ity, or I will cut thee ino ten
thousand pieces y
who art thou?' demanded Hamet,
rising from his suppliant posture.
~ am Kera, an evil Genie, whom
a victorious power shut up in that ac
Cursed hole. where I have languished
for two thousand years. 1t is an evil
day for thee that brought thee hither. =
"An1 wherefore, proud Genie 2
demanded Hanet.
Because I am about 10 kill thee,
in order to aveage myself upon SON.
one for this long captivity"
At these words Hamet tremb'ed
very much, and .besonght the Genie
to spare his life. F"r long time the
Genie was inexorable, and ordered
him to prepare for immediate death
but at length he suffered himself to
be moved by the priyers and en'rea-
ties of the viltuou4 dervisc.
Harlt ye, said lie Genie, I am
wiling to sFa-e your lie upon ore
condition.
Name it, said Ham.t, h.s hear
leaping with JOY.
I will grant your req"es!, | say,
proceeded the Genie "on condition
that you perpetrate some crime winch
may diminish your overwhelming
pride of conscious virtue. Donot IN
tcrrupt me. or 1 viii kill you upon
The spot, but listen. give you your
choice of three Of the Ii 81 heinons
crimes which l can imagine. Yon
shall either violate the Iaw Of the
Prophet and drink yonr fill Of god
wine, or you shall murder your ven
erabie old father, or you shall curse
ths name of that Deity whom You
worship. Choose between these three
crimes.
Then Hamet was very sorrowiul;
and he endeavored to melt the heart
of the evil Genie; but all his prayers
and cntreaties were nnayaillng. He
accordingly went to reason within
himself.
eff" said he, 4 assassiuate my
father no contrition can wipe away
nay crime; and moreover, the law
will overtake me with vengeance. If
1 curse the name of the great Allah,
may sigh in vain for future happi-
ness in the gardens of Paradise. But
if become inebriate with the Juice
of the graae, l can expiate that fault
by severe modification, nemtence,
and renewed prayer
Then turning his countenance up
ward toward the Genie, he said Q,
fountain of all evil, l have made my
choice, since thou art determined
upon this injury
:" Name the object of that choice, >
said the Genie.
al will get drunk with wine, as
the least of the crimes which you
propose" answered the dervise.
"Be it so, cried the Genie; this
evening, after the hour of prayer thou
wilt find a jar Of Cyprus wine upon
thy table; when thy father has re-
tired, fulfill thy promise then; But
woe unto thee if thou deceiveth me.
The Genie gradually became less
palpable, as he spoke these words,
and by the time the concluding men
oca ;aauad from his Inns he had van