San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-02-05

eyes. dc was, as he stated, wandering
Ulema; his weary feet had Travelled all coun-
tries; he had seen most things, yet he was but
middle aged man, and at the same time he
announced his name to be Mahalech the
Wanderer. Every one Of the congregation
offered the learned and eloquent Mahalech
hospitality, but he chose to select the good
Ulema Zadic for his host. That night none
of the learned congregation who heard the
stranger speak in the grove before the mosque
could close his eyes, owing to the strange,
almost divine, strains of Mahalech, which
kept them in a blissful state Of wakefulneSs
The stranger was prevailed upon to give a
public discourse before the whole congrega-
ton in the mosque, and it was then that the
power of the learned man was really felt. He
had been told rapacious and wealthy man
had just died who oppressed his fellow man.
The preacher took the occasion to depict to
his hearers the deathbed of the righteous and
pious, and the death agony and despair Of the
wicked in language never before so power
fully expressed. The whole community felt
electrified, and the heads of the congregation,
by unanimous voice, shouted that this holy
man must never leave them.
Mahalech promised to extend his stay for
one month. For" said he, 81 do not know
where Allah will send me to after that" And
the people rejoiced even at this short sojourn.
The pious man acquainted those who enjoyed
his company that he had no incumbrance,
either wife or children. "In short" said he,
~ am perfectly alone in the world"
Among his greatest admirers was Ell Rain,
the rich, who argued the question whether he
could not induce Mahalech to take a wife be-
longing to the community and thus secure
him for life Ell Rain had a niece, very
handsome and rich, widow no more than %
years Of age, whose history rs really remark.
sble being at this early age a widow, aftei'
having lost her third husband.
Her name was Myrrha, being the only
child of a rich owner Of two caravans trad
ing to the gulf Of Persia. When Myrrha was
but a child she lost her mother. The child
being very handsome and very forward for
her age, the father as well as the whole house
hold WED with each other in spelling her,
especially as Myrrha unfortunately inherited
from her mother, who was the daughter OF a
Moorish chief, an uncomfortable, fiery tenn
per, which her fond father blindly called
"higb spirit" and in proof Of which, at the
age Of ~, not only the slaves and servants Of
the household found her to be the mistress,
but even her father resigned himself to be
marshaled and controlled by his young, fiery
and handsome daughter. When Myrrha was
10 years old she told her fond parent that she
had made choice of a husband, a dashing
young captain Of the Saracens, and, although
her father was grieved at the selection,
he was too much under her control even
to try only to thwart her will The nup
tials wero celebrated, and the usual honey
moon was in this instance Of but a short
weeks duration. Myrrha assumed command
and the captain demurred, but Myrrha few
into passion, disdaining to go into tears or
Mysteries, making an onslaught on the cap
tain's choicest ornaments, those manly ap-
pendages Of a Saracen his mustache The
captain, furiously blind with Indignation,
administered on his lovely bride Of a weeks
standing such personal chastisement that
the fair Myrrha was compelled to ask for
quarter. Myrrha was left widow at Is,
and in the meantime her father died, leaving
her absolute mistress of a large fortune She
then welded, a second time, a young doctor
Of medicine, and soon began to make the
doctors life wretched one, but doctors are
dangerous husbands, and now and then she
got such furious attacks of collie that she
plainly saw the doctor was trying scientific
experiments on her person She would thus
soon have been cured forever tormenting
men in this world further had she not by ac-
cident hit on plan to rid herself of the sub
tie doctor in this manner: In noticing that
her husband was very fond of her young
slave, Hawa, she proposed a divorce, offering
him her slave and a round sum of money as
inducement The doctor agreed, and Myrrha
was once more free
After a year of loneliness she married
merchant who possessed fine face and figure,
but was inclined to asthma. This poor man
stood but little chance against Myrrha's VIC
lent temper. He literally coughed his life
out within twelve months, leaving her
widow again and richer than ever. Myrrha,
who had heard Mahalech preach, was, like
the rest of the congregation, electrified by
his eloquence, and she would often express to
her uncle, Ell Rain, and his household, the
admiration she felt for this strange and holy
man. FL Rain began to believe that Myrrha
might after all become a good and loving
wife if she were to get such a husband as
Mahalech. Consulting, then, the chiefs of
the congregation and taking the advice of
the learned multi, who was Mahalechs host,
proposal was made to Mahalech to marry
the young, handsome, rich Myrrha. The
pious stranger made no objection; in fact,
from what he had heard of Myrrha he felt
satisfied that he could hardly expect greater
scold, so where he might. To the joy of the
whole congregation of the mosque of Ayesha
they were married, and soon became very IN
happy.
1t would be useless to attempt setting down
the precise way in which quarrelsome wife
can make her husbands life more bitter than
the pangs of death The continual murmur,
the sneering detractions where others would
applaud, the ceaseless torment of pretending