Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-07-11
5ftistellamepns &eading.
AN ORIENTAL LEGEND.

Emancipated from the body of Syrian,
who had just died of cholera, human soul
flew up to the gates of Heaven. Knocking
gently on the golden portals, which swung
round on their ivory pillars on the instant, it
gently asked for admittance.
"Where do you come from ?" demanded
the angle with the beautiful but impassive
countenance, who guarded with flaming
sword the entrance Of Paradise.
"From Aleppo," answered the Syrian.
"What were you"
"a merchant"
"Tell all, and conceal nothing" continued
the angel, "for all is known up here"
If all its actions were known, thought the
poor soul, it was an extraordinary thing to
ask it to recount them. But it did not dare
express its surprise, or endeavor to dive into
the inscrutable.
With great equanimity and scrupulous ex-
actness, the soul of of the Syrian went through
the history of its career in the flesh.
The merchant, Abdalla, had purchased as
cheaply and sold as dearly as he could, troub-
ling himself very little on the one side or the
other with the follies or necessities of man
kind. The world was vast bazaar, in which
buyers and sellers alike did their best for
their respective interests, which was to get
the better of each other. He had visited most
of the ports Of the Mediterranean in pursuit
of his business he had been up and down the
wondrous Nile; he had wandered among the
stupendous ruins of Thebes, and ascended the
mightiest of the Egyptian pyramids He had
sailed to the Persian gulf, and down the Red
sea, and across the Indian ocean. He had
been to the diamond valleys of India, and to
the far-off regions of North Asia where the
mountains teemed with gold. If his means
and power to do good were not as great, his
thoughts were as generously inclined as Ha-
roun Alraschild's; and if he had not gone
through as many adventures, he had travelled
over as much land and sea as Sinbad, the
sailor.
"And is that full and true account ofy your
doings upon earth ?" inquired the angel.
"A full and true account, to the best of my
belief and recollection, of all that is worth re-
lating."
"But you have not said word about your
domestic deeds and relations Were you ev-
er married?"
"Ah! once passed that Rubicon, certainly" !"
said the soul of the merchant, with sigh.
"Pass in, afflicted SOUL" said the angel,
"and join the noble army Of martyrs and con-
fessors."
And the soul of the Syrian passed in, sing
ing joyful canticle of thanksgiving, not i'm
probably like Tom Moore's lay of the enrap-
tured Peri who had been kept so long waiting
in the same neighborhood:
"Joy, joy forever! My task is done
The gates are passed and heaven is wonW
The gates were about to be closed by the
angel when another soul, having arrived dur
ing the latter part of the foregoing converse
tion, requested to be allowed to pass through b.
The angel subjected the new conner, which
was male soul also, to the usual examina-
ton, concluding with the same question as in
the former case, whether it had been married
or single. The foolish soul thought that if
the one which had just been passed in, and
whose confession it overheard, was deemed
worthy of being admitted into the regions of
bliss for having married one woman, he might
Justly claim admittance for having married
two He said so, therefore, without hesita-
tion, confident of being deemed double mar
tyr, and rewarded accordingly. The angel,
however, on hearing the words "twice mar.
ried" uttered, cried out in voice of mingled
anger and contempt: "Begone, silly soul
Paradise receives the unfortunate, but has no
place for fools!"