, 1888-09-30

tault OF other sentiments, rage and
despair at last had the desired effect.
Two drops of moisture sparkled upon his
e%yelashes. Alas, two drops of moisture
quickly changed to black and nauseous
mudi
eco to, wicked dog, go tor cried the
jeweler, angrily, thrusting the rascal to
the sill of the door. 4 knew thine eyes,
whence have come but looks of hatred,
covetousness and envy, would bring forth
naught but drops of impurity. Go to, l
sayP and Levi Abraham, his tears abun-
ant enough now, yet only tears of regret
and spite, took to his heels and fed away,
pursued by the derisive laughter of the
people.
'CNo one now, in the face of the usurer's
fate, would tempt a similar experience.
kaddour was soon alone upon his mat
and the street as quiet as at the hour of
prayer.
"i'In the whole of Algiers,' he cried
aloud, and lamenting, not a single pure
and honest tear, nothing but water from
the currents of self interest, envy, hatred
and malice, and drawn from hearts torn
by avarice and greed of gainl 1 see well
that l shall have to renounce the making
of the king OF the Genii's collar, for never
shall find tears of requisite purityl
land thou b~elievest it, Kaddour,'
cried a voice beside him-a voice this
llule IldJ was DOln mOCklDR ana SCOrn1ul;
thou believest it? Verify, my friend,
thou grievest thyself for every little
thingl | had thought thee far more cour-
ageous and inventive
Courageous inventivel dismayedl the
Mussulman looked about him-his royal
customer had doubtless forgotten some
thing and returned ahead of time.
Who speaketh?' he cried; is it thou,
my lord? And thou art-where?'
. aAf fhYr foot , -a,I;Nl Al. -. -
pick me up
"kaddour stopped, and there in the dust
of the floor perceived a pearl, a pearl of
the most extraordinary size, purity of
color and luster.
Pick me upl it cried; pick me up at
once!
"kaddour, trembling in every limb, did
as he was told, but to ward off evil infu-
ences and guard himself from occult pow
ers began to recite in a high voice the
profession of faith of his race-'La i all
ha il allah on Mohamed Rassoul Allah
God is God and Mahomet is the messenger
of God.
Fear nothing, Kaddour,' continued
the pearl. 1 have no intention of doing
thee evil; on the contrary, to give thee
counsel that will help thee out of thy
embarrassment. l ask in return only to
be allowed to figure among the pearls
"ASh "hieh bhOu II III COlldT.
Willingly cried the jeweler, his
heart comforted by the words; but first
tell me who thou art, for l am not accus-
toned to have the metals and precious
stones on which l work converse with me-
"'1 am one of the Genii. responded
the other, and for 5000 years and over l
have been imprisoned with this pearl, but
L merited the punishment for my hard
ness of heart and neglect of duty. 1t
came about when Hagar was sent into the
wilderness by Abraham, under the com
mand of Sarah, and when the poor soul
helplessly wandered in the desert, hold
ing by the hand the little Ishmael. Per-
ishing, as you know, with hunger, ia
tigue and thirst, they were at last com
PEELED to stop, and Hagar, to spare her.
self the sight of her dying child, flung
herself upon the ground and buried her
face in the sands. l was near them; I
saw and heard it all; but my heart was
stone; my ears indifferent, and, though l
knew that water was near them, and
could easily nave directed them to it, I
held my peace in my pride of Genii,
which forbade my going to the assistance
of the human race. All, we'll, it was
tLcn that Allah, more merciful than I,
had pity upon them and sent his angel to
succor Hagar and her dying child, and
afterwa-d to punish me-
Thou didst yield to pride, the angel
said to me, to pride instead of duty.
Thy heart was adamant, thy ears as one
deaf to the cries of misery and need.
For thy sin Allah curses thee, and sends
thee for a prison, this, land he showed
me. trembling upon the tip of his finger,
a glittering tear. 'Hagar,' he added, the
first of those tears shed when she be-
lieved Ishmael was dying-tears it was thy
duty to have stopped from flowing. Thou
shalt never come out from it until the
king of the Genii, thy chief, shall inadver.
tently lay his hand upon thee For all
these years, therefore, l lave endured my
punishment, but with thy assistance,
kaddour, this evening l regain my lib
erty. Place me among the pearls in the
collar thou art going to make for my mas
ter, and-the thing is done.
Agreed said Kaddour, but give me
the cousel promised
"1 will give it, replied the other, but
thou shouldst have known, myself, that
pure and honest tears are never bought
nor sold. If thou wouldst find them, run
the quarters of the poor, where they suffer
and despair; listen at the doors, and when
thou nearest sobs, complaints and groans,
enterl Console the unfortunate, mingle
thy tears with theirs, and there will come
to thee more than ample measure of the
gems demanded by my king. Lay me
aside now, and get thee to thy work.
"Kaddour obeyed. slipped his feet into
his babouches, those beautiful red and
yellow foot coverings from the lasts Of
Morocco and Tunis, and went out. AS he
followed the advice of the genie, when he
returned at the going to bed of the sun,
his eyes were nd and swollen from the
tears of compassion shed by him in COM
forting the poor and miserable, but the
cabuchin of his burnous was filed with
pearls OK the greatest size and beauty.
THE collar completed was indeed Q
magnificent affair, three rows deep, the
Tear of Hagar,' the masterpiece of the
collection, forming the heart of a star that
bound the rows together. And scarcely
was it done when the dwelling filed with
light as on the previous night, and the