El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-06-08

!: THE RIVAL
MAGICIANS.
BY Clifford Michel White.
*S*S:>

You must know, oh, illustrious stran-
ger, that 1 was born in the city of Shir-
azan, my father-peace be to his ashes
being a merchant whose fair dealing
raised him to a position of high honor in
the eyes of the governor and esteem in
that of his fellow citizens.
Alas for my prospects, however, he
was gathered to the arms of the prophet
when | was but an infant, and l passed
under the guardianship of an uncle-a
sage magician of the name of Hassan
ibn Afzul.
Now, it happened that in the same city
where we dwelt and where my uncle
practiced his exalted profession there
lived another magician, called Afzul ibn
Hassan, between whom and my uncle
there existed a rivalry SO bitter and far
reaching in it's consequences that the
fame of it extended to the borders Of
Persia.
In my sixteenth year 1 fell passionate
ly in love with the most beautiful crea-
ture in all Persia, whose name was AL
Zura, who fully reciprocated my senti-
ment and who, strangely enough, was
the daughter of my uncle's bitter rival.
1t was then my uncle unraveled the
grand secret of night metamorphosiation,
or the changing of the form of crea-
ture at shutdown, upon which both the
magicians had assiduously labored for
years. So he commenced by transform
ing all Afzul ibn Hassan's chickens each
night into enormous frogs, that kept up
such lively croaking under the latter's
window. From this my uncle went on
from accomplishing one annoyance upon
his rival to another until he conceived
the most villainous piece of mischief Of
ALL
One night 1 entered the rose garden
where it had been my wont to meet AL
zura. For awhile ] paced back and
forth, momentarily expecting her appear
ance, and then 1 ventured to call her by
name, softly at first, and then a little
louder, ''Alzura, Alzura, Alzura.' but
the, only response that came to me was
the plaintive meow of an ill favored look
ing, hungry visaged yellow cat that per-
sistently followed up and down in my
footsteps until the conviction forced it
self upon my mind that my vindictive
uncle had changed the form Of the beau
tiful Alzura into that hideous, bone pro-
truding grimalkin- Taking the poor
creature into my arms, l caressed and
smoothed my transformed Alzura, strok-
ing her unkempt coat so that the fur
few into my nostrils, permitting her
without protest to sharpen her talons
In my limbs.
In deep grief 1 finally parted from my
enchanted lady, determined, however, to
lay the whole case before my uncle on
the morrow and entreat him to withdraw
the spell. But when / made known to
him my passion for his rivals daughter
and that we had already exchanged vows
of fidelity his distress and subsequent
rage were fearful to behold. He bade
me abandan her, saying:
81 will give thee until sundowU, when,
if thou still persistest to thwart my
will. look to thy safety, boy. or I may
QyNl Inr hnn in rS nIfht
thou dost not even dream" Then, with |
a motion of his hand, he waved me from |
his presence.
Much depressed in spirits, 1 left my
uncle's house, determined, nevertheless,
that, come what i'll fate might, l would !
remain faithful to Alzura. So toward !
evening / took my way in the direction ]
Of the rose garden; but, alas, no sooner |
had I arrived at our place of meeting |
than l was welcomed by the same plain
tive meow, and, with tail erect, AL |
zura trotted out from under a bush. /
And at that moment 1 became conscious /
Of a curious, shrinking sensation through |
out my limbs. Smaller and smaller l
seemed to become, while each instant /
Alzura appeared to grow larger and /
larger.
An awful terror seized my bones, and;
making one desperate spring, I scuttled
away on four small little legs TO a small |
rrevice in the garden wall. where en-
1eavored to hide myself in its farthest
recess from the pursuing Afzura.
Such was my possession for seven un-
ending hours-hours that seemed like
seven decades. Toward morning my
senses must have become so stupefed
with terror that l lost consciousness
until suddenly -ound that daylight had
come, that / had resumed my original
form and that Alzura was nowhere to be
seen.
Now, it happened that Afzul ibn Has
san, working upon the same problem
which my uncle had solved, himself that |
day discovered the secret of night meta |
morphosis and resolved to change my I'M
Gle into a rat at the same time that my |
uncle determined to transform his rival |
into an animal of the same species, so |
that when night fell both magicians /
found themselves suddenly confronting |
each other in the shapes of two vermin. |
with all their hatred retained.
Apparently a mutual recognition took |
place simultaneously, and, their brute in |
stincts gaining the mastery over their |
cunning and discretion, they at once set
upon each other with fury born Of
years of jealousy and recriminataion.
All, Allah, how those beasts fought!
With their sharp teeth they tore the |
flesh from each others bones, they |
sQuealed in their rage and fixed their |
Jaws in each others throat, until, in a
short space. the lives Of both were ex-
terminated.
Why dilate further? The story is fin
ished Alzura, when her grief for her
fathers death had subsidized and the re-
quired mourning had been undergone.
yielded to my entreaties to permit me to
fill his place as her protector. l estab-
lished myself In a business in the prin-
cipal bazaar Of Shirazan, where we to-
gether enjoyed many years of great hap
piness and prosperity.-New York Even
Ing Post