The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-09-17
THE iDLEl AND THE Flu

~ the iazY lilila village ~ iillhah
sGIun years heiuTu tho tTrnGh invasion
there liVud ~ hunusl MGnT, Ramed aiIuf
his father, siil l.akiar, but 10 whGln lhs
villagers had given tho nanu Of tho
lhleT The AouTs are known "a ito the
mGst lhduirHt pnoplu Ia the world, tut
Ihuss Ut Tue village Ut iilldah were con
siderpd the --latest Ut thsiT COuntrymsn
IL was PERHAPS 90 be attributed to tho
langunruus perfumes Of oranges aud
LINES which hung over tho town like u
sweet secuted cloud,
Hut among all who lived In this LATEST
Of lazy towns no one could come up TO
Sidi Lakdar Tor downright idleness aud
nOnchalance, The worthy man had ele
waited his VICE 10 the height OF pro
fessiOn. Other people might be EN-
broidereTs, cafe owners, spice merchants
aud soOn-but he was an idler.
When his father died he inherited u
small garden under the ramparts OF the
town, surrounded by low white walls
falling into decay The gate was so en-
tangled by weeds that 1t could not he
closed. There were few fig and bans-
ma trees Here aud there In the grass u
spring dubbed up.
Ii was in his garden that Sidi Lakdar
passed his life, prone on his back in the
grass, silent and motionless. while the
little red ants found q home in his
beard. When he was hungry he stretched
out an arm aud gathered a fig or bana.
ma lying within reach. but he would
have preferred starvation to the alterns-
tive Of rising to gather the fruit of the
tree. So most of the figs decayed where
they fell and the trees suffered from the
general neglect
This extraordinary Incidence made
Lakdar quite u noted person in that part
OF the country; he was looked up TO and
reverenced as a sort of saint When the
ladies of the town visited the cemetery
near by they walked their mules rs they
passed his domicile and spoke in whis-
pers under their white wells, while men
inclined their heads in involuntary hom-
age.
Every day after school hours q crowd
Of boys in gayly striped silk vests and
red caps congregated on one Of the walls
inclosing Lakdar's domain, and tried in
all sorts of ways to disturb that magnifi-
cent Incidence, calling him by name,
laughing, shouting, throwing orange
peel mt him ard otherwise tormenting
him.
But in vain! The Idler did not move.
Every now and then n voice from the
depths of the grass would be heard,
Take care now. take care, IL only get
up to youI" But he never got up
II happened that one OF these boys
coming constantly with the others to
make game of the ldler, found himself
at last overcome by admiration and q
great desire 10 assume himself the hori-
rontal existence lie went TO his father
and boldly declared that he intended
giving mp school and wished to become
an idler.
AN idleri Your said the father, a
worthy turner Of pipe stems, rs busy as
a bee, and seated before his lathe every
morning at cockcrow. You. an idlerl
pretty idea indeedr
"Yes, father. wish to be an idler,
like Sidi Lakdar."
Nothing Of the sort, my boy, you
shall be turner like your father or q
register at the law courts Of the cadi.
like your uncle Ali, but You shall never
become an Idler-never. Be of now &c
school. or may be tempted to use this
fine new piece Of cherry wood on your
back Re off now, you young rascal!
The cherry wood had the desired effect
and the boy. feigning obedience, with
drew: but instead of going TO school he
made his WAY to a Moorish bazaar, and
seizing his opportunity secreted himself
between two piles of Smyrna rugs and
remained there all day, lying on hi.
back staring up at the Moorish lantern:
and richly embroidered bodices glisten
ing in the sun, while he inhaled the de
Hcious perfume from the TASKS Of Alta
of roses scattered about In this manner
he passed all the time that he Should
have been at school
His father soon got an inkling OF how
matters stood: but in vain he shouted
stor,ned, cursed the name OF Allah snc
punished the young urchin with sll th'
cherry wood canes in his shop. All wa
useless. the boy only repeated obstinate
Iy. 81 will be an idler. and he was fount
continually stretched out in some corner
Utterly discouraged at last, the fathe
took decided step after consulting tn
Registrar Ali
"Listen TO me. he said to his son. "a
you are determined to be an idler. 1 vii
take You to Lakdar; he will examin
you, and IL you have any real fitness TO
his profession will beg him to take yol
as an apprentice"
That will suit me, replied the boy.
The very next day, with freshly shaver
heads and lavishly perfumed with yer
Children Cry fol