The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-08-29

gazing at him with interest.
: LADY" said he, assuming an hum
bic attitude, "this is not wise no
we'll. l am a merchant travelling
with my goods, that require care ant
watchfulness, and beg to bereleased.
She seemed annoyed, tnat he,
beauty, which was great did not
amaze him, and replied:
"Fear nothing. There is no dan
ger. This is my fathers kiosque
He has given it to me, and l live
here with my maidens unmolested
There is a guard Of slaves at the
gate. but they only appear at a sig
nal of danger-When 1 sound this
she'll"
She raised a conch shell to he1
lips, and shrill sound filed the air
The slave-girls, scarcely understand
ing her motive, again cast the man
tie over Hamed, and bade him be
silent and motionless. Several men
came hurriedly, but were dismissed
with jeers and mockeries. In a few
moments the merchant, more dead
than alive, was uncovered again, and
told to be of good cheer, for he had
permission to depart.
By this time, however, beauty had
begun to exert its influence; and
Hal Hamed, instead of rising, re-
mained gazing in admiration at the
lady of the place. She met his
glance, at first with disdainful ex
preston; but, according to the Ori-
entail idea, two such souls have Sc
cret sympathies, from the influence
of which neither can escape. No
sooner did their eyes meet in full
gaze, than both felt faint at heart.
The lady turned very pale, and
leaned her head upon the cushion;
the maidens, raising the trembling
Hamed, and led him to her side; they
talked for hours; not of themselves,
but of love; and expatiated elo-
quently on the happiness of meeting
while the attendants played on their
lutes, or sang songs illustrative of
their situation. The shadows of
night were coming on, when a pc
culiar sound at the outer gate an
nounced that the father of the maid
en-, whose name was Leilab. had
come to visit her. So Hal Hamed
was thrust uncermoniously forth
and was awakened from his dream of
happiness amid the deepening gloom
of the forest. He returned bowed
down and heavy-hearted to the en-
campment.
Many thoughts kept him awake
for many hours; it was not until the
sky that stretched between the
mountain tops overhead had begun
to whiten, that at length, overcome
by fatigue, he fell asleep. Pleasant
visions spake beneath his eye-lids.
When he awoke the tents were struck,
the camels laden, and the people
were filing off. "Why this hurry?'
he cried. "Was not this a pleasant
place to tarry in? Time is eternal.
There is no need TO hasten from the
present, which is joyful, to the fu-
ture which is full of DANGER Sever
al merchants thought he was ieering
them for their philosophy of the pre-
vious day, and hastened to complete
their arrangements, and follow the
caravan. Hamed's camels had been
laden by his servants, and we're ready
to proceed. He hesitated moment,
but remembering his debt to Koda
dad, cried, "March !" and went away
with his heart full of new recol-
lections.
The journey was prosperous but
tedious. When. the caravan reached
Damascus, the market was found to
be incumbered with merchandise,
and sales were with difficulty effect |
ed. Month after month passed
away; most of Hamed's bales still |
remained on his hands. The fifth
month from the time of his depar-
ture had arrived, and he was begin
ing to despair of being able to per
form his engagement. At length,
however, a merchant about to pro-
ceed to Bagdad made him an offer
All was wild and seem.
ingly uninhabited. He called aloud,
"Leilah" !" but the echoes only an
swered "la! law-no, no; and when
night came, he knew not which way
to turn. So he sat down beneath
huge sycamore tree to wait patiently
until the morning.
When light came, he remembered
his promise to Kodaday. He de-
termined to hasten to Tarus on foot
over the mountains, for he knew the
general direction in which it lay.
Many hours of travel were before
him; but he waslight of foot, and at
length beheld in the distance the
minarets of the city, and the wind
ing course of the river. Suddenly
the landscape darkened. Clouds
seemed to come out of every valley,
and to inundate the plain. The rain
fell; the winds blew. He fastened
onward, clutching his leather purse
in which he carried his wealth, and
invoking the assistance of the
Prophet. When he reached the
banks of the river, he heard, through
the mist, muezzin proclaiming the
hour of noon from the distant
mosque, The waters were turbu-