The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-09-07

iooksd the Aspptnsas tell from MN. tor
though tho Aaht Of The fountain water
had quspchsd his thirst and Tho sight Of
dssirss the sight of tho gems and rich
silks far from giving him satisfaction,
made him unhappy, inasmueh as they
were not bis, For feyshad, sire, was
merchant.
He paused at the shop Of Ell Kobir, the
goldsmith, and, SELLING upon vase of
gold incrusted with turquoise, cried out,
"El Kobir, what pricsP" But III Kobir
neither drew tho amber mouthpiece of his
pipe from his lips nor turned his head, SO
Feyshad put the vase beneath his robe and
walked on.
As Ell Kobir did not cry after him he
knew that the -bazaars and all they con-
tanned were his. A great hunger for
riches came upon him, and he cast the
vase of gold in the street, and it fell upon
q slecping dog, who neither moved nor
raised an eyelid. Then Feyshad ran to
the shop Of silk merchant and taking
therefrom great bag Of silk embroidered
with golden melon flowers returned with
1t on his shoulders to the shop Of Ell
Kobir. There he took all the diamonds
no could find and cast them in his sack,
and rubies and elneralds as we'll, and
when there was nothing left Cor him to
take he cried out in dcrision, "El Kobir,
what priceP"
loss of the jewels, but sat smoking his
pipe and conyersing with a Greek, heed
less of Feyshad and his evil doings.
Then, sire, Feyshad went to the shop Of
Jew and took little vial Of altar of
roses, and a dagger with ruby hilt, and
an elephant Of gold with jewelod eyes, and
bag Of sequins, and the Jew, who at
that moment was, in fact, asleep in his
shop in Cairo, dreamed that he was being
robbed but he could not prevent Feysbad
from taking his things, and Feyshad has-
tened home rejoicing, with the sack upon
his shoulders.
Though it seemed to him that he had
spent several hours In the baZaars, 1t Is
impossible that he could have been there
longer than moment, for, to his aston
ishmcnt, when no entered the courtyard
of his house his child was still In pursuit
of the butterfly with amber wings, and
the tortoise he had left crawling upon the
pavement Ind not gained an inch toward
its goal, and his wife was still grinding
the coffee.
Feyshad felt great thirst from his ex-
ertions, and tho sight of the fountain did
not allay it as before.
He emptied his suck Of the stolen jewels
and covered the glittering heap with
leaves plucked from the acacia, and then
he cricl: "IIow happy am I that have
never loved, else tho sight Of my wife or
my child or friend would have banished
ING forever from this land, where l may
rob all day and BIO happy Now will !
quench my thirst ut the fountain and,
leaving my jewels here, return to tho ba.
zaars for more"
But sire, tho hand Of Allah reaches
even to the land of happy illusion. AS
Fcyshad bent to drink no beheld q person
whom no loved for, in the clear waters of
tho fountain, he behold the reflection of
his own face.
At that moment, sire, tho people of the
approaching caravan saw the phantom
city that lay before them trembling, from
the green palm trees at its walls to the
domes that cut the sky, and then it van.
ishcd like dream, lenving naught but a
black speck upon the land, which was
Feyshad
The jewels he had hidden for safety be-
, meath the shadow fountain were never
found again or tho jewels he had covered
with the leaves Of the acacia.
And today, sire, he sits ut the gates OF
Cairo begging alIus or wanders through
the bazaars gazing upon the jewels that
once were his-in the land of happy illu-
sion--H. de We're Stncpuole.