Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-07-25
SELECTED STORIES.
A PAIR OF SLIPPERS.

A PAIR OF SLIPPERS.
There was at Baadad q merchant very
notorious for his avarioe. and bis name was
Abou Cassem Tambouh. Although he was
enormously rich, his clothes were constant
ly in rags and tatters, and his turban, made
of coarse stuff, was 30 dirty that its color
could no longer be distinguished OF all
his garments, however, his slippers were
the most remarkable The coles were kept
together by large. clumsy nails, and the
apper feathers were pierced In every direc-
tion.
One day, having made fine bargain, I'm
stead Of giving great feast, according to
the custom Of eastern merchants when
they have made an excellent bargain, he
thought It better to take a bath, luxury
which he had not enjoyed for long time.
While he was taking of his clothes one
of his friends, or at least one who pretended
to be friend-for IL is rare thing for q
miser to have one-remarked to him that
his slippers made him the laughing stock
of the whole city, and that he certainly
ought to purchase new pair.
piled Cassem, "but my old ones are not SO
very bad and will last me for some time
even yet" While talking he stripped of
his clothes and entered the bath.
At this juncture the cadi of Bagdad came
also to take one. Cassem, having finished
his bath before the judge, went into the
first apartment, where he found his clothes,
but not his slippers, which had disappear
ed, and In their place was a new pair,
which our miser was convinced were q
present from the man who had made him
such friendly remonstrance about them.
With that he made no more ado, but put
the new pair on his own feet, thus sparing
himself the pain Of buying new ones, and
left the bath overjoyed with his prize.
When the cadi had finished his bath, his
slaves looked about In vain for their mas
ter's slippers, and finding only wretched
pair, which were Immediately recognized as
Cassem's, the police ran after the supposed
sharper and brought him back with the
stolen goods upon his feet. The cadi, after
having exchanged the slippers, sent Cas-
sem to prison, and as he was we'll known
to be rich as well as avaricious he was not
allowed to come out Of prison until he had
paid handsome fine
On returning home the afflicted Cassem
threw his slippers In q rage into the tt
girls, which flowed beneath his windows.
A few days after some fishermen, drawing
up a net heavier than usual, found in IL
Cassem's slippers The nails with which
they had been patched had broken the
meshes of the net The fishermen, out of
spite to Cassem and his slippers, threw
them into his room by the open window,
and In their passage they struck the bot
ties containing the rose water, and knock
ing them down the bottles were broken
and the water totally lost.
Tie grief and wrath of Cassem on seeing
this may easily be conceived. He cursed
his slippers, and tearing out the hair from
his head vowed that they should cause him
no more mischief, and 10 saying he took a
spade, and digging q hole in his garden
buried them there
One of his neighbors, however, who had
borne him a grudge for long time per
ceived him turning up the earth and ran
and told the governor that Cassem had dug
up a treasure In his garden. This was
enough to excite the cupidity of the officer,
and he sent forthwith for Cassem. In vain
our miser declared that he had not found
money; that he was only employed in bury
ing his slippers. The governor had calcu-
lated on his bribe. and the afflicted Cassem
could only regain his liberty by paying
down a second large sum.
Our friend In an extremity of despair
consigned his slippers TO Shytan (tbe deviD
and went and threw them into an aqueduct
at some distance from the city, thinking
that this time he should hear no moro Of
them. But, as though the evil spirit he
had invoked was determined to play him q
trick, the slippers somehow found their
way just to the very pipe Of the aqueduct,
by this means preventing the flowing Of
the water. The persons who had the care
of the aqueduct, having gone to ascertain
the cause Of the stoppage and to remove It,
carried Cassem's slippers to the governor
of the city, declaring them to be the cause
of all the injury. Their unfortunate own
or was thrown again into prison and con-
demned to pay larger fine than before.
The governor. who had punished the Of
fense and who pretended to be indebted to
no one for anything, returned Cassem's
precious slippers to him again most faith
fully, and Cassem, In order to free himself
upon him, resolved to burn them. AS they
were saturated with water, he first of all
put them out to dry In the sun on the ter
race of his house. But Cassem's evil genius
had not yet quite done with his tricks, and
the last which he played him was the worst
Of all.
A neighbor's dog prowling along the
terrace on the housetops spied out the
clippers, and darling at them carried of
one of them. As, however, the dog was
playing with IL and tossing 1t about. he
contrived to let IL fall of the terrace onto
the head of woman who happened to be
passing below. The fright and the vio-
lence of the blow together made the poor
woman quite i'll. and her husband having
carried his complaint before the cadi Cas-
sem was condemned to pay q fine proper
tionate to the misfortune of which he had
been the cause.
Going home, he took up his slippers and
returned to the cadi with them in his hands.
"My lord" he exclaimed, with avehemence
which excited the judges laughter, ''my
lord, look at the fatal cause Of all my
troublesl These abominable slippers have
at length reduced me to poverty. Be
pleased now to issue decree In order that
the msfortunes which they will no doubt
still continue to occasion may not be I'm
puted to me-"
The cadi could not refuse to comply with
this request, and Cassem learned at great
expense the danger there is In not changing
ones slippers often enough.-Translated