The Columbus journal., 1878-12-18
FAVORED WTE FORTUNE.

three different points OF the compass
three travellers slowly approached
one another. Nearer and nearer
they came, until presently they join
ed company. At first there was a
moment of suspicion, and all were
on their guard; one laid his hand
on an old razor, concealed in his
girdle; another fumbled in his tur-
ban for a shoemaker's awl; and the
third and last, shook his sleeve until
the pair of shears hidden there was
IN his hand. All drew back the
mantles that had protected their
heads from the glsring sun and
drifting sand, but had no sooner
recognized one another than they
set up a great shout of joy, and
throwing themselves into each 9TH
er's arms, (as well as their inhrmi-
ties would allow them,) embraced.
Ali, the barber, had but one eye ;
Bali, the tailor, had but one hand ;
Kali. the cobbler, wanted foot.
"Happy is the day when we meet
again !" cried the one-eyed; spray
do you come this side of me that |
may better see you; why, Bali, you
are less a hand (; and yo1, Kali, less
o foot. l myself want an eye, and
pray LET me tell you how ] lost it.
So let us be seated, and rest awhile,
and L will relate to you all concern
ing my misfortune"
The three then seated themselves,
and Ali, the one-eyed barber, COM
menced.
"You know that / was ored q
barber, and no one worked more
diligently or shaved better in Bag
dad than / did. One unlucky day a
great lord came to ME and wanted
his head shaved. soaped his pate
nicely, sbarpened my best razor, and
went 10 work. One-half was done /:
i caught hold of his nose. as our art
dictates, to get at the other side,
when, as ill-luck would have il, the
brush full Of lather went into his
eye; he roared with pain, and get
ting into q rage, gave me such a
drubbing that, when it was over,
one eye was gone. My customers
ali lett me; no one thought a one
eyed man could shave, and l was
ruined. Now, beggar, / am going
to Mecca TO try if by prayer | can
not assuage Mahommed, and beg for
good luck once again in my life"
81 think your case bad one" said
Bali, the one-handed tailor, snow
listen TO mine. One day there came
into my shop one-eyed man, and
ordered a vest. He must have been
a great parsonage, for the garment
/ was to make was of the most cost
ly kind, such as are worn at the
palace. | worked diligently, and
when it was flushed I took it TO his
house. He wanted to try it on: he
put one arm nicely in, and had got
into the other sleeve as far as the
elbow, when he yelled with pain.
Rascal he cried, villain of a tailor,
you have left needle in the sleeve,
and il has pierced my arm; take
this, you dog and he began TO beat
me with big stick, and when il
was over my hand was gone. |
could nc longer sew; my trade all
left me; and now, a poor wretch, |
am travelling 10 the holy CITY, to
implore the great prophet TO take
away his curse from me-"
at is my turn-and though your
cases are hard, just listen TO minc,"
said Kali, the shoemaker. "This is
the way in which | lost nv foot: In
bae"@ @o~, soy -nppers or yellow kur-
dish leather were i'm great repute.
One day there came to me a great
lord and ordered a pair of my vel
low slippers. made them myself,
and carried them to his house. He
put one ONT fitted perfectly; he
tried on the other, but it would not
go on. Perceiving for the first time
that he had but one eye and one arm
and imagining that their loss had
made him rather awkward, I told
him to give his foot stamp: he did
so, and howled with pain. Dog of
a cobbler.' he cried, you have left a
nail i'm your slipper!" and without
more ado he caught me up in his
arm and threw me out of the win
dow. Some passers-by picked me
up, and when / got well one foot
was gone. My business went to the
dogs; my creditors seized all had
and now, without q copper, | am
hobbling over the desert to the tomb
of the great lawgiver, TO beseech
him TO grant me fortune"
When Kali had finished all three
were silent, and for full half an hour
held down their heads. AT last
simultaneously, they all burst out
with "Oh, where can three such
unlucky fellows be found 2" and in
such loud tone of voice that a
fourth traveller, who had silently
drawn near, heard il, and exclaimed: /:
"Wbo says they are unlucky fell
lows? For if so, look at me-"
The three jumped up surprised,
for they bad been so absorbed as not
to have heard him approach. Ali,
Bali, and Kali looked up and saw a
man in rags, with but one eye, one
arm and one leg.
"You unluckyw exclaimed the
hcN NVuCi. DO NOu COiiilldTt your
situation with mine? |, who am
wanting in so many things! What
do you say TO me, the perfect addi-
tion of all your woes? Aud with it
all, 1 consider myself the luckiest
fellow in the world!'
And here, with the aid of long
crutch, he tripped about merrily on
the sand.
sand how do YOU manage to be
50 happy 2" they asked.
81 will tell you" said the traveller.
Il owe all my good luck to three
excellent meG-a barber, a tailor.
and shoemaker. The first took
my eye, the second my arm, and the
last my leg. Could / bat find them,
1 would shower my blessings oil
them"
81 had the pleasure of spelling
your eye," said Ali, with a wink.
"Allow me to recommend myself
to you as the person who deprived
you of an arm"