Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-04-04

confess It.
"AIbubi wept and rayed and cursed
his fate until at last his companion
said:
1.-The Giaours call yesterday April
Fool. 1t Is our Feast of Franks. You
had forgotten. remembered. To
teach you prudence took 1t from you.
Here 1t ISL ......
$50. putting his hand inlo Aibubi's
turban. where he had deposited 1t, he
proceeded to draw II forth, A look
OF CONSERVATION. u cry OF astonishment
gave he forth.
"lt's gone. It's gone. Your gold Is
gone tf4 80. +t.r
ously; then ansrily cried: DO You
waste your foolishness on me! You
took my money. you confess. Where
is ity' -f...
81 know not. only know that
while you slept took 1t from your
bosom and placed II In your turban.
Somebody has stolen it
'Thc other scoffed and snscred. The
Night Of Franks. indeed, You yourself
stole II. You are thief. Where Is IT.
Give 1t to me or l will take you before
the cad!.'
"Biskoonah's remonstranees were In
vain. Albubi himself repaired to the
caliph. who on hearing his story sum-
moned the other man and bade him
speak In his own behalf.
while he looked not said Bis
~ a
tion into his coffee at the confection-
er's. and when II began to work
softly took his purse and put II into
the fold OF has turban. Further con
ccrnlns It know nothing: unless II be
the two strangers that stopped us, NJ
] took him home. one OF them asked
him the way: the other might then
have taken the money
"'You shall have IT, raid Haroun.
You are right. II was taken from
you. Ny grand vixicr has IL
~ Your Sacred aishnCss' have
II. know nothing whatever about
IT, demonstrated that officer.
Yes laughed Hnroun. 1t Is. In
your chest. Go fetch II hithcrr
THE officer did as he was bid and
returned opcn-mouthed. but fuii-hand-
cd and savcthe money 20 It's owner.
Count IT, said HaIoun. i, was all
there.
'''It was tho Feast of Franks. M
B!E!oonah hath said.' iiaroun re-
marked. I remembered II when
saw you through tho eonfcctioncr's
shop window. taking your comrades
purse. We were the strangers who
met you nftcrwnrd. and while my
vixier spoke I took the money from
the tnrban to teach you the lesson you
were teaching your friend. And let
us hereafter ahatain from NIL such
tricks until the next year. Arabian
Nights, l.oosd Night.
Charles Dickins could hardly have
omitted to make Use of this date In
the calendar Of comedy. Ills readers
will remember his references to April
In his Christmas story:
Then there appeared before the tor
rificd scroosc the Ghost Of Honest
Trade and Fair Dealing. You have
moekcd and insuitcd me- Il said In
of Scroogc run colder. 'BcguilinS
yourself with tho deiuSion that for
you every day IN the year Nigh:
riEhtfuily be an All Fools Day. you
laid J our heavy hand upon the scales.
Will. you weighed out your moldy
-four TO the hungry widow. And
Bandc your sugar for the wrc,chcd
orphai. You sold your honest wares.
your mustard mixed with flour anil
tufncric: and your coffee. made half
OF burned peas and half Of kernels OF
tinted plaster. You savc your hapicss
customers glucose when they paid for
syrup. and syrup when they asked
for honey. Your weights were hollow:
your scales tipping always In your
favor and against your helpless miscr-
able patrons You mingled cheap
meal with your best family -four. and
your swcctmeats were colorcd with
deadly poisons. Worms always eud-
died at the core OF your apples. and
even your water was adulteratcd with
chalk and little milk. Files and
cockroaches not only grew fat on your
insect powder. but were poisoned by
lrculnR OU NbuE Huu
candles. You have fooled Others con-
cludcd the Ghost. in terrorizing tones.
but most OF all you have fooled your
self. You have been fool not only
in April. but in May. June. July and
during all the other months Of the
full round year. But you have never
fooled me!"-Christmas Chimes.
Shakespeare does not seem to have
been impressed with the advantages
that the day afforded for some of His
comedy characters. like Touchstonc
and Dogberry. but II anyone would
know what Falstaff has to say about
April Fools. let him find 1t in Henry
w." act s. scene 6.
All that the Bible has to say on the
subject will be found in l. Samuel.
xvi, "a. s
Grave Of Pilgrim Il Found.