The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-16
AN 4R4BI4S EVENING,

As tho shades of night were falling with moderate speed in the evening of the One Thousand and Second Arabian Night, All Ben Hassan Mustapha Ma homet came out of the north gate of Bagdad dejeetedly riding his patient and weary ass. He had had hard day. He had gone into Baedad carly in the morning with load of dates, and as there had been an over-produotion of dates, he found the date market greatly overstocked. He went from one place 10 another trying to get living price for his dates, but nobody wanted them at anything like what they were worth to Ali Ben Hassan Mustapha Mahomet. So after going from pillar to post all day he was finally forced to sell his dates at an even lower price than he could have got for them in the morning before all the date sellers had come in with their loads. This and his long days work had made him very tired, and as he rode slowly along his thoughts were more than tinged with melancholy. They were deeply md thoroughly dyed by it. He realized that Mrs. Ali Ben Hassan Mus tapha Mahomet aud seven little Ali Ben Ilassnn Mustapha Mahomets would have hard scratching to live with the price of dates so low. And when he thought of the seven little Ali Ben Has san Mustapha Mahomets crying | for food even as do the wide mouthed | little ones in the nest of the bulbul his heart sank within him and he was sore | distressed. But misfortunes never come singly and there was worse yet to befall him. Yusef was lying in wait for him. Yusef was man who did not believe in the unequal distribution of wealth, and when he didn't have any wealth him. self he made 1t his business to find some- body who had some and equalize the distribution of it by transferring it to his own pocket. This evening he had planned to do himself and the world good by equalizing the distribution of the small amount of wealth which Ali Ben Hassan, etc., had. So when Ali Ben Hassan, etc., came slowfully and mournfully along Yusef jumped on him with great and sudden vigor. Ali was overcome by the un- expected attack, but it didn't take him long to realize what Yusef was up to. So, thinking of his dear wife and his seven little palm branches, and saying to himself Allah! Bismillah! Mashallah! trouble, he bestirred himself nightly and soon found himself on top of Yusef in the road with one hand in the hair of Yusef and the other where it would do the most good. When Yusef found that he wasn't going to be al- lowed to equalize the dlstribu- l tion of Ais wealth, and when it became clear to him that Ali was about to knock the stufflng out of him, he made q last effort to save himself. While Ali was resting a little prepara- tory to choking him to death, Yusof assured him that if he would spare him he would call the whole thing off. He also begged Ali to arbitrate the mat. ter, and assured him that he was far be. hind the times in being unwilling to let him (YuseD equaliZe the distribution ot his wealth. But Ali was plain man, an6 had been too busy taking care of his wife and children to study the theore. held and practiced by Yusef. To him Yusef looked like an ordinary, every day robber, and when he saw tha
 Yusef meant not only to rob him but tc make him assist in the performance ht got madder than ever and violently de prived Yusef of his wind, so that Yuse died and was soon gathered unto ant into the vultures. Out of respect to tn, law, Ali hunted up Cadi and told hin what he had done, and as the Cad knew about Yusef he commended Al for his act and gave him the reward that had been offered for the abolitio, of Yusef. So Ali went home rejoicing and never mistrusted that he had slaii a Social Reformer and thereby put th shadow on the dial of progress bacl several inches.