Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-02-15
WRITING ON THE SAND.
Legend of selim aud the Advice of a Dumt
Deryish.

Legend of selim aud the Advice of Dumb
Deryish.
In certain country where bees
make honey and men eat it they have
the saying: written in sand was not
written to stand" If you ask its
origin they tell you this story;
There formerly lived in that country
a young man named Selim who was
hopelessly given to procrastination
He had received from his ia ther a
small property, but, being too easy
going and indolent TO make any move
toward increasing it, he had gradually
sunk into poverty. One morning, as
he was sitting in his hut eating his
frugal meal of sour curd and dates, a
hungry dcrvish called at his door and,
without speaking, begged by signs for
a mouthful of food. Selim at once
bade him enter and help himself. The
dervish did so, and quickly devoured
all that was left upon the table.
When he rose to go he seemed
to wish to repay in some sort
his hosts kindness. and asked in panto-
mime that writing materials might be
fetched. When Selim told him that
there were neither pen, ink nor paper
in the house he showed by gesture that
as he passed ont he would write some
thing with his stick in the sand before
the door.
"Goodt' said the young man; II win
come later and read what thou hast
written
Thereupon the dervish departed, but
Selim sat in his hut too lazy to stir
from his chair. THE sun is hot now"
he said to himself; when it is cooler /
will go out" The day waned and night
fell. Il could not read the writing
now for the darkness. . reflected Selim
81 viii wait until morning But dur
ing the night caravan passed by the
house and every trace of the writing
was obliterated.
year later the dumb dervish called
again at Selim's door to ask for enter
tainment, and seemed surprised to find
him as poor as ever. After they had
eaten he made sign for the young
man TO accompany him. Selim went
short distance and then lazily fell be-
hind The dervish came to the border
of the desert, and pausing, wrote some
words in the sand with his staff. Then.
pointing to them significantly, he went
his way Selim understood but the
sun was hot and he was loath TO exert
himself further. II win go this after
noon and see what he has written, he
thought, and lying down under a tree,
he fell asleep. BY and by, just before
sunset, he got up and went to read the
writing. but while he slept the wind
had come and blown about the sand
until not SO much as single letter re-
manned.
The next year the dervish once more
presented himself at Selim's hut and
seemed more than ever surprised at
finding him still miserably poor. This
time when he went away he took the
young man by the arm and led him
down toward the seashore, where the
sand lay white and fiat and hard.
Presently. however, Selim made an ex-
cuse to stop and tie his sandal, then,
being too sluggish to go on,he sat down
in the shade of a great rock. The der
wish meanwhile wrote a sentence in
the sand, and after calling attention
to it went away. 1t was a little too
far from him to be read easily. so the
young man said: There is no hurry; |
win go and look at it presently" But |
before he knew it he was sound asleep, |
and by and by the tide came up and |
washed the writing wholly away.
Yet another year passed. and for the |
fourth time the dervish knocked at the |
door of Seliln's wretched hut. When |
he entered and saw the young man in
his rags he held up his hands with as.
constituent.
Truly, Allah is great" he ex-
claimed. Here am /, dumb from
birth, permitted at last to speak and
declare my wonder that there doth
exist in this world person so lazy and
shiftless as thou. Three times have |
offered thee good counsel which, if
needed. might have raised thee from
thy poverty. and thrice hast thou
proved too indoleRt to take il"
but. returned Selim. trying to ex-
cuse himself. lin the first instance thy
good counsel was taken by the camel's
hoofs. in the second it was taken by the
wind, and in the third it was taken by
the waves. Tell it me now by word of
mouth that l may take it myself"
"Abr said the dervish gravely, 81
fear it is too late-much | fear it al
ways has been and ever will be too late
for such as thou to profit by advice of
any kind. 1t is this thatI wrote thrice
IN the sand:
ae who does not while he may what he should
May not after do il when he would.
''ohl' said Selim, yawning. SIS that
"-Worthington's Magazine.
IN UNCLE SANS SERVICE.