Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-02-21
ZADIG
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH FOR
THE EVENING LEDGER.

In the time Of King Moabdar there
lived in Babylon a young nan named
Zadig, happily married to ? beautiful
wife, Azora, to whom he had been
united only a month. On a certain
day, Azora. entered from a walk, angry,
excited and talking loudly. my
dear wife" cried Zadig, what is the
matter, and what has disturbed you
so much2" Alas" said she, you
would be as angry as l had you seen
the spectacle OF which | have just
been a witness. | have just been to
condole with the youngwidow Casrou,
who, two days ago, erected a tomb to
the memory Of her young husband
heal the brook which bounds a mead
ow. She had vowed to the gods, in
her grief, to dwell at his tomb as long
as the water of the brook flows past
it." Well said Zadig, she is an
estimable woman, who truly loved her
husband" "Ah," replied Azora, IF
you only knew what she was doing
during my visit Tell me-" re-
piled her husband. "She was busy
causing the curse of the
brook to be turned in another direc-
ton Azora so spread herself in
long invectiyes, and broke out in such
violent %reproaches against the young
widow, that this excess of virtue dis
pleased Zadig nightly. He had a
friend named CadOr. He took him
into his confidence and assured him
self of mis- fidelity by making him a
considerable present. Azora, having
passed two days at the country house
Of one of her friends, retained home
on the third, where the servants in
tears announced TO her that her hus.
bond had suddenly died the night be-
fore, and had been buried in the tomb
of his fathers, at the foot of the gar
den; on hearing which news, she wept,
tore her hair, and swore she would
die.
The same evening, Oador desired
permission to speak to her, and both
wept at their common loss. The next
day they wept less, and diRed together.
Azora praised the departed highly,
but owned that he had faults from
which Cador was exempt. In the
middle of the dinner Cador com
planned ola violent pain in the side.
The lady, distressed and anxious, or
dered essences and remedies 10 be
brought, to try if some one Of them
might afford relief to his suffer-
ing. AR you subject to
this cruel illness?" said she, with much
feeling. 1T sometimes brings me to
the brink ofthe grave" replied Cador,
"and there is only one remedy which
can assuage my aDguish-it is to apply
to my side the nose of a man who had
died the evening before" THAT is a
strange remedy" said Azora. Not
withstanding the extraordinary merit
of the young man decided her at last.
After all" said she, when my hus-
band passed from the world of yester-
day 70 that of tomorrow over the
bridge Tchinadar, will the angel
Azrail oppose his passage because his
nose is a little shorter in the second
life than in the frst2' She, therefore,
took a razor, went to the tomb of her
spouse, believed it with her tears and
drew near to cut off the nose Of Zadig,
whom she saw extended at full length
in his coffin. Zadig raised h~imselfup
holding his nose in one hand and
pushing away the razor with the other.
Madame" said he, Make no more
%reproaches against the young Cosrou
the project of cutting off my nose i.
quite as bad as that of turning aside
the brook" b. w. i.
February 16, 1880.