The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-16

waters from the land on the other. The
clouds covered the mountains with snow;
the snow melted aud formed rivers; the
rivers with mist fed the clouds, aud the
clouds turned into snow and again covered
the mountains. The dew crept into the
heart of the flowers and the flowers breathed
their fragrance to the falling dew Innu.
mcable were the examples Of nature that
it is necessary to give as we'll as to receive,
Yes, and even to give when there is no
hope Of receiving in return. "The desert,
for instance" thought Abdnllah, what
can the sun hope to gain by shining on its
rocks aud pillows of sandY For leagues
there is no living thing, save now and then
a scorpion or a struggling blade of grass,
Yet the sun shines on generously there as
in the gardens of Cashmere, and the stars
and the queenly moon brighten the soli-
tude with their luminous smiles And
the great God of the heavens, the infinite
and everlasting Allah, who made and over.
looks the worlds-of what avail to him
are the prayers and the lives Of even the
hottest? Yet the hands of the great
Father are always stretched forth with
blessings and bounties, and his ears are
always open to the cries Of his children.
"I have not performed my part, said Alb.
dallah, sadly, "as God aud nature perform
theirs, but from this hour | will amend
my life. | have not fallen in vain, since
| have learned to fulfil my duty. God is
great !"
He rose from his seat beneath the palm
and walked to the edge of the valley, where
he saw a stunted colocynth growing alone
in the sand. Curiosity impelled him TO
view it closer and he hastened to it al =
though it grew in the midst of the hyena
tracks. STOPPING on his hands and knees
he brushed the sand from it aud found
that it was dying for want Of moisture.
Its leaves were shriyeled with heat, and
the poor melon which it strove to shelter
was fairly wilted on the stem. 1t was a
worthless plant at best, so bitter that no
animal could eat it, but its forlorn condi-
tion touched the heart of Abdallah, and
retraeing his steps to the well he proceed
ed to water it, using for that purpose a
fragment of the broken cruise which he
picked up in the desert That done, he
bowed his head to the holy City and said
the prayers of the faithful, and creeping
among the camels he was soon fast asleep.
The caravan rose at dawn aud resumed
their march. The first good deed of Alb
dallah repaid him well, for the colocynth
was green and fresh. 1t waved its leaves
to him at parting, aud the shine Of its yell
low melon was brighter than gold. The
sky above and the sand below; desert Of
blue and desert of yellow. In the upper
desert marched the sun, showering abroad
his spears Of fire; in the under desert the
sheik and his tribe, yainly endeavoring
to ward them off. Sun and sand and hot
wind. Fragments Of bleaching bones. 4
winding string of men aud camels and a
solitary swooping kite About noon they
were startled by mirage 1t was the
first that Abdallah had ever seen, and he
marveled greatly thercat 1t grew up
from the sand suddenly and assumed the
shape of band of rowing Bedouins, tribe
Of desert robbers, mounted on flying stall
lions and armed with long spears which
they brandished furiously, Then it be-
came the house of Abdallah, perfect pic
ture of his lost mansion at Cairo. Like
that, its walls were striped with red its
balconies shaded the street; the fountain
played in its kiosk, and a mock Zouleika
walked in the shade of its unreal trees |!
Its third change was into the Beggars
Quarter, which seemed more wretched, if
that were possible, than when Abdallah
saw it last. Some of the houses had fairly
tumbled down, nearly all the windows and
doors were gone, and the squalid wretches
had multiplied in every room Parents
had strangled their children and were
weeping for them; children had grown up,
and the girl with sequins in her hair-she
lay stone dead in the street Then the
mirage surrounded Abdalah, and become
the very square in which he was stopped
by the beggar. He started down the long
streets and saw the white walls of the city
and the fringe of palms overlooking it.
Gardens and grain fields barred the north;
on the south and west ran the Nile, alive
with glancing sails. The Mokattan hills
were flooded with light, and the mosques
and minarets blazed with rosy flames. 1t
was too like Cairo not to be Cairo Alb
dallah rubbed his eyes, like man awaken.
ing from dream, and found to his great
joy that he had not stirred from the square.
The beggar still stood before him, holding
out his hand for aims, and in the distance
he saw the Captain of the Sultans Guard
Hardly a moment had elapsed, and yet
Abdallah had passed through so many
changes of fortune. 1t was like the Proph.
cts living in the seventh heaven 10000
years, while drop Of water was falling
from his pitcher to the ground. 81 have
not dreamed In vain, said the thankful
merchant, "for l have learned to perform
my duty. Here, my brother, is aims for
thee" and he gave the beggar a piece of
gold, depart in peacea and be happy.
For n,e-l will so and pray. God is great
God is great u The muezzins took up
the cry aud passed it from minaret 70
minaret till the morning wind was vocal
with the sound. The faithful heard it in
their houses, and came pouring into the
streets and sought the nearest mosque
Every man drew the slippers from his
feet, and, crossing the sacred threshold,
worshipped God and the Prophet. There
were many solemn prayers said that day
and many grateful men in Cairo, but none
that were more devout than Abdallah, the
merchant, "For by the grace of Cod"
he said, 81 am still Abdallah the merchant
and not Abdallah the slave r.
WHY THEY OFTEN FAIL.-Young men
often fail to get on in the world because
they neglect small opportunities. Not be-
Al. q u