Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-11-27
FAVORED BY FORTUNE.

On the great Arabian desert, from
three different points of the compass.
three travellers approached one another.
Nearer and nearer they came, until
presently they joined company. At
first there was 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 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
protected their heads from the glaring
sun and drifting sand, but had no sooner
recognized one another than they set up
q great shout of Joy, and throwing
themselves into each others arms, las
we'll as their infrmities wonld allow
theml, embraced.
Ali, the barber, had but one eye;
Bali, the tailor, had but one hand: Kali,
the cobbler, wanted loot.
Happy is the day when we
meet againw cried the one-eyed; pray
do you come this side of me, that |
may better see you; why, Bali, you are
less hand; and you, Kali, less foot.
[ 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 ali concerning my misfortune"
The three then seated themselves,
and Ali, the one-eyed barber. COM
menced.
you know that | was bred barber,
and no one worked more diligently or
shaved better in Bagdad, than [ did.
One unlucky day great lord came to
me and wanted his head shaved. l
soaped his pate nicely, sharpened my
best razor, and went to work. One-halt
was done; [ caught hold of his nose, as
our art dictates, to get at the other side,
when, as ill-luck would have 1t, the
brush full Of lather went into his eye:
he roared with pain, and getting into a
rage, gave me such a drubblng that,
when it was over, one eye was gone.
Ny customers all left me; no one
thought a one-eyed man could shave,
and [ was ruined. Now, beggar, L
am going to Mecca to try if by prayer
[ cannot assuage Mahommed, and beg
for good luck once again in my life"
II think your case bad one," said
Bali, the one-handed tailor, nov listen
to mine. One day there came into my
shop One-eyed man, and ordered a
vest. He must have been a great per-
sonage, for the garment Twas to make
was Of the most costly kind, such as
are worn at the palace. [ worked dill
gently, and when it was finished L took
it to his house. He wanted to try 1t
on; he put one arm nicely in, and had
got into the other sleeve as far as the
elbow, when he yelled with pain. Ras-
cal ? he cIied, villain of tailor, you
have left a needle in the sleeve, and it
has pierced my arm; take this, you
dog and he began to beat me with
big stick, and when it was over my
hand was gone. Ieould no longer sew;
my trade all left me; and now, a poor
wretch, / am travelling to 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 mine, said
Kali, the shoemaker. "This is the way
in which l lost my foot: In Bagdad my
slippers of yellow kurdish leather were
IN great repute. One day there came
to me great lord and ordered pair
Of my yellow 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, told him to give his
foot stamp; he did so, and howled
with pain. Dog of cobbler, he cried,
you have left a nail in your slipper ?
and without more ado he caught me
up in his arms and threw me out of the
window. 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 copper, am hobbling over
the desert to the tomb of the great law
glver to beseech him to grant me for
tune"
When Kali had finished all three were
silent, and for full an hour held down
their heads. At last simultaneously,
they all burst out with: "Oh, where can
three such unlucky fellows be found ?"
and IN such a loud tone of voice that
fourth traveller, who had silently drawn
near, heard it, and exclaimed:
Who says they are unlucky fellows?
For if SO, look at me-"
The three jumped up surprised, for
they had been SO absorbed as not to