The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-10-03

case; and whether the lady, if there
was one. might not be exercised out
OF the body of his mare. The knavish
Corvette, knowing well that this
would ruin his whole plot, was pre-
pared to dissuade him. s.You know
said he, "the vile curiosity of ou1
country people. who would not fail
at such rumor to poster us out OF
cur senses; and, especially, they would
torment my unhappy wife, upon
whom they would omit no experiment;
however cruel, for their satisfaction
Besides, it would certainly kill her
with grief. to have her disgrace SO
published to the world, which she
cannot but feel very bitterly; for it
must be shocking thing for young
lady who has been accustomed to
listen to the lottiest praises of her
womaniy beauty, to know herself thus
dreadfully degraded in the foul body
OF brute. Alas who could think
that her beautiful locks, which used
to shine like golden wires, are now
turned by horrible magic into this
coarse, SlOvenly name, of her delicate
white hands-oh how pure and lily
like they were-into these hard and
lron-shod hoofs - The tender-hearted
Masetto beginning to look very dole
1ul at these explanations, the knave
saw that his performance began to
take effect, and SO begged no more
1or the present. than that Masetto
would treat his mare very kindly, and
rub her teeth daily with sprig of
magical hOrnbeam. which the simple
Wltted rustic promised very readily
to perform. He had, notwithstanding
some buzzing doubts in his head upon
the matter, which Corvette found
means to remove by degrees, taking
care, above all, to caress the uncon.
sclous mare whenever they met land
sometimes going half privately to
converse with her in the stable.
at last. Masetto being very much
distressed by these proceedings, he
addressed Corvette as follows: II am
at my wits end about this matter. I
cannot find in my heart, from respect,
to make my lady do any kind of rude
work, so that my cart stands idle in
the stable, and my wares are thus un.
SOLD, which is a state of things l can
not very well afford. But, above all,
your anguish whenever you meet
with yoNr poor wife is more than l
can bear; 1T seems such shocking
and unchristian like sin in me, for
the sake OF a little money, to keep
you both asunder. Take her, there
fore, freely Of me as gift; or, if you
Will not receive her thus, out of COZ
sideration for my poverty, it shall be
paid me when your lady is restored to
her estates, and by your favor, with
her own lily-white hand. Nay, pray
accept OF her withouta word; YOU
must be longing, l know. to take her
TO the great wizard, MichaeI Scott;
and in the meantime will pray, N.Y.
self, to the blessed saints and mar
tyrs, that his charms may have the
pro per effect" The rogue, at those
words, with undeniable JOY fell about
the mares neck; and. taking her by
the halter, after a formal parting
with MaSettO, began to lead her
gently away. Her old master, with
brimful eyes, continued watching her
departure till her tail was quite out
of sight; whereupon Corvette leapt in.
stantly on her back, and without
stint or mercy began galloping toward
Florence, where he sold her, as GER
tain SaXOns are recorded to have dis
posed of their wives. in the market
place.
Some time afterward, Masetto re-
pairing to Florence on a holiday, to
purchase another horse for his bust
ness, he beheld Il carrier in one of the
streets. who was beating his jade
very cruelty. The kind Masetto in
terfered, in behalf Of the ill.used
brute-which indeed. was his own
mare. though much altered by hard
labor and sorry diet-and now got
into fresh scrape, with redoubled
blows, through capering up to her old
master. MasettO was much shocked,
you may be snre, to discovere the
enchanted lady in such wretched
plight, but not doubling that she had
been stolen from his afflicted husband,
he taxed the carrier very roundly
with the theft, who laughed at him in
his turn, for mailman. and proved
by three witnesses that he had pur.
chased his mare of Corvette. Masetto' s
eyes were thus opened. but by very
painful operation. However. he
purchased his mare again without
bargaining either for golden hair or
liiy-white hands, and with a heavy
heart. rode back to the village. The
inhabitants, when he arrived. had
gathered together on public business:
after which Masetto, like an impru.
dent man as he was, complained bit
terlyj among his neighbors of the
disaster. They made themselves,
therefore, very merry at his expense,
and the 'schoolmaster especially. who
was reckoned the chiefest wit OF the
place. Masetto bore all their raiiler-
les with great patience, defending
himself with many reasonable argu-
ments-aad at last he told them he
would bring them in proof quite as
wonderful case. Accordingly,
stepping back 10 his own house. he
returned with IN old tattered volume.
which Corvette had bestowed OH him,
OF the ssArabian Nights Entertain.