Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-04-25
Favored by Fortune.

On the great Arabian desert, from
three different points of the compass |
three travellers slowly approached one
another. Nearer and nearer they came,
until presently Joined company. At first
there was moment of suspicion, and
all were on their guard one lsid his
hand on an old razor, concealed in his
girdle; another fumbled in his turban
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 protect.
ed their heads from the glazing sun and
drifting sand, but had no sooner recog'
nized one another than they set up a
great shout of joy, and throwing them
their infirmities would allow them) en-
braced.
Ali, the barber, had but one eye; Bali,
the tailor, had but one hand Kali, the
cobbler, wanted a foot.
''Happy is the day when we meet
again ? cried the one eyed pray do you
come this side of me, that I may better
see you; why, Bali, you are less hand;
and you, Kali, less foot. l myself
want an eye, and pray let nae tell you
how lost it. So let us be seated, and
rest awhile, and will relate to you all
concerning my misfortune.'
The three then seated themselves, and
Ali, the one eyed barber, commenced.
You know that was bred barber.
and no one worked more diligently or
shaved better in Bagdad than I did
One unlucky day a great lord came to
me and wanted his head shaved. soap
ed his pate nicely, sharpened my best
razor and went to 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 1t, the
brush full of lather went into his eye, he
roared with pain, and getting into
rage, gave me such q drubbing that,
when it was over, one eye was gone
My customers all left me; no one
thought one-eyed man could shave,
and was ruined. Now, beggar, am
going to Mecca to try if by prayer cam
not assuage Mahommed, and beg for
good luck once again in my life.'
| I think your case bad one, said
Bali the one handed tailor, now listen
shop one.eyed man, and ordered vest
He must have a great patronage, for the
garment was to make was of the most
costly kind, such as are worn at the pal
ace. I worked diligently, and when it
was finished 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 yell
ed with pain. Rascal y he cried, viii
lain of . tailor, you have left needle in
the sleeve, and 1t has pierced my arm
take this, you dog;J and he began to beat
me with big stick, and when it was
over my hand was gone. I could no
longer sew my trade all left me; and
now, poor wretch, am travelling to
the Holy City, to implore the great pro-
i phet to take away his curse from me-
1T is my turn-and though your cases
are hard, just listen to NINE said Kali
the shoemaker. This is the way in
which I 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 a 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. Per.
ceiving for the first time that he had
but one eye and one arm, and imagin-
ing that their loss had made him rather
awkward, told him to give his foot a
stamp he did so, and howled with pain,
Dog of a cobbler,' he cried, you have
left a nail in your slipper y and without
more ado he caught me up in his arm
and threw me out of the window. Some
passers. by picked me up, and when I
got well one foot was gone. My bust
ness went to the dogs; my creditors
seized all had, and now, without a
copper, I am hobbling over the desert to
the tomb of the great lawgiver, to be-
seech 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 simultane.
ously, they all burst out with oh, where
can three such unlucky fellows be
found ? and in such 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 have
heard him approach. Ali. Bali, and
Kali looked up and saw q man in rags,
with but one eye, one arm and one leg.
You unlucky!' exclaimed the new-
conner
DO you compare your situation with
mine? I, who am wanting in so many
things! What do you say to me, the
perfect addition of all your woes ? And
with it all, consider myself the luck
est fellow in the world y
And here, with the aid of long
crutch, he tripped about merrily on the
, sand.
And how do you manage to be so hap
, py?' they asked.
L will tell you,' said the traveller. i
owe all my good luck to three excellent
men-a barber, tailor, and a shoemak-
er. The first took my eye, the second
my arm, and the last my leg. Could !
but find them, would shower my bless
ings on Them
I had the pleasure of spelling your
eye,' said Ali, with wink.
ALLOW me to recommend myself to
: you as the person who deprived you OF
an ARM said Bali, with wave of his
arm.
If have made you happy by causing
the loss of your leg, am Kali, the shoe
maker, at your SERVICE said Kali, and
he made scrape.
And have the good fortune to meet
you all p said the traveller. Then al
low me to embrace you
And with this, as well as his infirmi-
ties would allow, he Rugged them all
three, and then addressed them as fol-
lows:
Now, listen. My name is Ben. Rou-
zaum. I was about to be married. The
day before the nuptual ceremony. /
went to you, Ali, to be shaved. You
put your brush in my eye, and lost it,
When presented myself afterward to
the lady, she would have nothing to do
with me, and married some one else. She
turned out to be such wicked creature,
80 unfaithful, that her husband covered
with shame, killed himself. It would
certainly have been my fate, if not for
the good fortune that had in going to
you to get shaved.
Some time afterward the sultan sent
for me. In order to make myself pleas
ant to the eyes of the commander of the
faithful, bethought me must have a
new vest. You, Bali, made it a fortu-
nate needle went into my arm-I lost it
and could not go. The sultan had plan
ned secret expedition to carry on war
with neighboring country, and was
to have been init. They were all taken
prisoners by the enemy, and are now
toiling as slaves, under harsh masters,
Bali, had il not been for you, what
| Would have been my fauIt?'