The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1905-11-10
Copyright. 1905, by Daily Story Pub. co..

IN the time or Aid Ben Theodore,
peace to his Strenuosity, there lived
man whose name was Aladdin. To this
man Fate seemingly delighted to throw
the dregs of her favor. He lived
meager life, dragging each day through
a myriad of figures set neatly in pom
derous volumes, and then reluctantly
turned his footsteps toward his room
ing house, where he renewed his siren
uous combat with boarding house
menu.
But to this man Fate one day turned
her beautiful face and held out her
hand, saying, Come with me, Alladin,
and l will reward YOU
He stretched out his hand and took
hers wonderingly. Childlike, he fol-
lowed her footsteps as she led him by
devious ways and winding paths
through the woods to the window of
lonely and isolated cottage.
"Alladin," said she, facing him and
looking sternly into his eyes, Il am
about to reveal to you one of my great
est treasures. In as much as you
guard it well will be your reward.
Think deeply, therefore, and fathom
well your courage ere you look through
the window into the hut"
With that she disappeared and Al
Iadin, whose curiosity had been we'll
aroused, fastened to peep into the hut.
"Oh," he cried, disappointed, 1T is
only woman"
He went away angry at the trick
Fate had played upon him, but the
next day he returned, for the face, not
beautiful, and the form, not ravishing,
still held for him a subtle something
upon which his mind dwelled and
which drew him back again to the cot
tage. There was no resisting it.
He saw again and again. He grew
to love. He woodland finally-HE
MARRIED-the woman. And thus
Fate bestowed upon him, disguised,
the most precious of her treasures
upon this earth.
For long time he lived in ignor-
ance of the wonderful being that be-
1onged to him. His thoughts never
fathomed the wealth of gold in her
love, nor the myriad jewels of her in
tellect; the glittering gems that fell
from her lips, nor the magic light in
her eyes.
He did not see how the touch of her
magic hand transformed their little
narrow fiat into a wonderful palace;
how each cheap little article grew, by
her touch, into precious thing; how
, she transformed the meager allowance
of money that he was able to give her
into heaping mountain of comfort
and happiness: how, with consummate
skill, the evening meal became a feast
for king. He did not guess that each
day he drank deeply from the wealth
of contentment and cheerfulness in
her face.
When a little son came into the
WOElu, uG lIIIlS tIOuSiI VI INC ultll Wei
of it, of the magic Of it. He handled
the boy upon his knee and loved it
and coddled it, yet reckoned his wealth
rs little because he had not taken
time to count and fathom it.
He did not think how the minister
ing care and her influence taught him
to look for higher things. He did not
mark how happy she was when he
received his first advancement; how
proud, as though she had had hand
In it. When advancement after ad-
vancement came easy and frequent, he
forgot the magic of her touch in his
fortune. He was too busy in doing to
think.
He forgot to look back into the past
and see how wealth, honor and af,
fluence came, step by step, through
the magic of her being; how she had
: planned and watched; how she had
loved and ministered. He forgot to
~ value the touch of her hand on his
Soothed brow, the welcoming smile