Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-04-01
lconeluded from second page.l

ttOncluueu HOin heconu paRe.l
uncomplainingly, and lsbors diligently" re-
/ piled Northumberland.
MAY one speak with hint" asked the
guest. 81 would inquire Of him about his
life"
"Ask him, if thou be so minded, /" said the
host Then he called out loudly:
"Babail (which in Bashlrian means lit
tie father come in here and drink koumiss
with us, and call thou the woman, also"
Ilyas came with his wife, saluted master
and guests, said a prayer, and sat down
upon a stone near the door. But Sham
Shemaghi went behind the curtain and
seated herself by the hostess
They handed Ilyas a bowl Of koumiss; he
bowed himself before the guests and host,
drank little of the koumiss and set the
bowl aside.
Snow, Babai, tell us, pray (the guest ad-
dressed him), in thy heart thou must be sad
to see US here thus, and TO think on thy
former life--how thou then vast happy but
livest now in poverty"
--Ilyas smiled and said:
"Were l to tell thee my thoughts concern.
ing prosperity and adversely, thou
would'st not believe me. Ask therefore,
rather my old wife; she is a woman; what
she has in her heart the same has she also
on her lips. She win answer thee truly
and according to her best knowledge"
Then the guest said as he turned toward
the curtain:
"Now then, little grandmother, tell me
what thou thinkest concerning thine earlier
fortune and thy present misfortune"
And Sham-Shemaghl behind the curtain
began:
Hear what think respecting the same
l lived with the old man fifty years; we
sought for happiness and found 1t not. But
now, within year, and since nothinRi is
left to us at ALL and as we have to serve
strangers-now we have found true happi-
ness and want no other"
Then were all the guests astonished, and
also the host with them. The latter arose
and withdrew the curtain that they might
see the old woman. But Sham-Shemaghi
stood there with folded hands and looked at
her old man and the latter smiled. And she
proceeded:
81 speak seriously, and not lightly. For
half hundred years we sought for happi-
ness, but found it nowhere as long as we
were rich. Nothing is now left to US, we
live with the servants, and have found so
much joy that we need no other at all"
"And wherein may be found your pres
ent happinessW
"1'hat | will tell thee. When we were
rich we had not an hour Of rest could not
speak with each other, could not think OF
our souls nor pray to God, we had so many
cares. When guests came to visit us we
took much pains TO entertain them sump-
tuously, and to give them goodly presents,
that after they were gone they should not
speak i'll of us. After the guests had de-
parted we had the servants to see after
who lived too slothfully and neglected their
work; we had TO keep our eyes ever open
that our property be not wasted and de-
stroyed-we had to scold and sin. Then we
were in dread lest the wolves should devour
the calves, and lest thieves should get
among the flocks and herds and drive them
away. If we laid down TO sleep, we feared
that the sheep might crush the young lambs,
and so arose and went to the barns to care for
them. Scarce was the tending of the young
finished when the new care began-how we
were to provide hay for the winter And
withal there were disputes between me and
the old man. He said 1T must be So. l
said So and harsh words were there, and
no peace-but always sins. And so we
lived from care to care, from sin to sin, and
never saw quiet and happiness"
NV ell, and nowlp
'Now we stand clear with the Old One
God, live together in harmony and love,
have nothing to dispute about, and no care
only to serve the host we'll We labor as
our strength will allow work with ov-
that the master may suffer no loss, but re-
ceive gain. When we come IN dinner IS
ready supper is ready ,and koumiss is there,
too If we are cold, we gather dry chips
and twigs and make fire and skin (robe
or cloak is at hand We have time to speak
together, time to think of our souls, and
time TO pray. Fifty long years we sought
for happiness, and have only found it now.
The guests began to laugh, and Iyas
said
"Laugh not, my brothers, for this is no
Jest, but the life of man. ] was once so
foolish as to weep with the Old One over
the lost riches, but now God has revealed
the truth to us-and not for our own pleas
ure do we proclaim 1t to you, but for your
profit"
''That Is very we'll spoken" said the
mollah. "Ilyas has spoken words of truth
and in the word it is written So"
Then the guests ceased laughing, and be-