The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-08-13

Of my Egyptian stories, illustrative OF
Arab Justice. had heard it from a
story-teller in Cairo in my rambles
last month in the old town. l had
been trudging about with our cavass,
n-Hapan, when Inoted crowd
in front OF an Arab coffee-house, listen.
ing to an Arab story-teller. Hassan
is good in Arabic, and seeing me much
interested, he translated the story
faithfully. 1t interested me the more
as it had some incidents quite familiar
to the readers OF Shakespeare. TWAS
all about poor Arab soldier who
had a young and pretty wife, whom
he loved passing well. An old and
wealthy Jew became unduly enamored
OF her. The soldier, being out of en-
ployment. was in great need and dis.
tress, and his wife almost starving.
She proposed a plan for work. He was
to buy q hatchet and ropes, and re-
pair to the forest, and cut wood
and sell it, while she would take
to needlework. He went to tho
jew for loan to set up in business
The jew saw his opportunity, and,
after the usual haggling, loaned the
money on a bond. The penalty of
the bond was the same old pound of
flesh" 1t was the Shylockstory with
some variations. The soldier risks
the penalty, but failed on pay day.
The parties were summoned before the
jndge. The half was rendered.
Produce all the cash or prepare to
die!" cried the Jew.
A scuffle-not set down in Shakes
peare-ensued. The soldier vanished,
and the Jew and the officers started
in pursuit. Here Shakespeare fails
again, and the Orient comes again to
the fore. In running away the
soldier tumbled over a woman in
the street. She was In an interest
ing situation. Trouble unmention-
able ensued. Her husband Joined in
the pursuit. A little further the SOL
dier ran against 3 horseman and q
the way. 1t was valuable horse,
and the blow put out one OF its eyes.
The horseman then pursued the fugi-
tive. The soldier escaped out of the
city, and, seeing a stone quarry, pre-
pared to leap into it to hide. Bis
millah!' he cried, and tumbled in. He
fell on shed, under which an old man
WAS lying. The rafters gave way.
The old man was killed, and the old
mans son seized the runaway, tied
him, and brought him unto the cadi.
The soldier was of an observing turn
of mind, and as he was dragged along
to court he noticed an old man stag
gering and drunk. Again, he OBJ
served q shrieking man tied
on bier en- route to the
tomb, to be buried alive. These OBJ
servations terrified the.soldier. When
he reached the judicial presence he
trembied and sweat. The witnesses
for the state were called-Jew, hus-
band, horse owner, and the son. The
reporters took down the evidence, and
the lawyers argued; and thus per curl
am.
To the Jew: "Bring outyour scales.
sirrah! Sharpen your knife! Cut off
the pound of flesh! tits Abolish bond,
| but the soldier must pay the forfeit.
But, mind you, no bone, no skin shall
be touched. One cut only. No addi-
tional torture by more than one cut.
Neither'-and here comes in our own
own Shakespeare-"neither exceed
nor come short OF the exact
onepound! If youdo, the Koran hath
retribution in it's law" The Jew
gave up his claim, and was fined five
silver pieces for unreasonable prose
cution.
To the relative of the disabled wo-
the defendant and restored to her
health and her previous condition, and
then to her injured husband. The
relative was shocked ,and especially SO
when the family was fined ten pieces
for taking np the TIME the court.
TO the horseman: "Send for some
sawyers! Divide the horse longitude
nally from the middle part of his
head to the end OF his tail. You, com
plainant, take the sound half.
The other part to the defend.
ant, who must pay 100 pieces
for the loss" As this sum would not
be equal to the loss of the animal, he
was allowed to withdraw on paying
20 pieces.
To the son of the old man who was
killed: "Let the offender be dragged
to the stone quarry, placed on the
spot were the old man lay, and let the
son jump down on him" The young
man thereupon modified his original
statement, and said: "On second
thought tn eaffair was an accident. "
He was fined 40 pieces for bringing
the case before the learned tribunal.
The story teller did not stop
here. With all the marvellous
sequences and limitations of one
of the Thousand and one tales, he held
his audience, eager to know the rest.
One of the excited crowd cried out in
Arabic, while a murmur went through
the crowd: "What OF the drunken
man? What of the burying of the
live man? What has that to do with
it?"
'Well," resumed the story-teller.
"Weli, the prisoner being re-
luctant to leave so good a judge, and
seeming anxious to say something, the
Judge asked him to talk.
"'Ohl learned judge he said, you
are so wise that wonder at seeing in
your bailiwick forbidden liquor and
drunken old sot.'
"'Thank you,' said the Judge. The
law is that forbidden things are
lawful in cases OF necessity. l ap-
pointed that venerable man to
test the spirits brought here for sale.
1t disguised him in his lawful t,uty.
Therefore, now know its poisonous
adulteration. AS to the burial case,
the burial was ordered by the court.
for know that six years ago that mans
wife was married to another man ac-
cording to the statute, two witnesses
having sworn that the husband had
died at Bagdad The husband ap.
peared, claimed that hewa not dead,
and advanced claim for restoration
ofhis wife. / sent for thetwo witness.
Il. l.. 1