The Goodland republic., 1906-01-26
Aladdin and His
Wonderful Wife

In the time OF All Ben IneOQOre5
peace to his StrenUOsity, there lived
a man whose name was Aladdin. To
this man Fate seemingly delighted to
throw the dregs Of her favor He
lived a meager life, dragging each day
through a myraid Of figures set neatly
IN ponderOus volumes, and then re-
IuctantIy turned his footsteps toward
his rOoming house, where he renewed
his strenuous combat with the board
ing house menu
But to this man Fate one day turn
ed her beautiful face and held out her
hand, saying, "COme with me, Alad-
din. and I 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
a lonely and isolated cottage
aladdin said she, facing him and
looking sternly into his eyes, 4 am
about to reveal to you one Of my
greatest treasures. Inasmuch as you
guard it well viii 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
addin, whose curiosity had been well
aroused, hastened to peep into the
"oh," he cried, disappointed, cit is
only wOmani"
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 ravish-
ing still held for him a subtle some
thing upon which his mind dwelled
and which drew him back again TO
the cottage. 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 a long time he had lived in
ignorance Of the wonderful being that
belonged TO him His thoughts never
fathomed the wealth OF gold in her
life. nor the myraid jewels Of her in
/teIIect; 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 Ut
tie narrow fat into a wonderful pal
ace: how each cheap little article grew
by her touch, into a precious thing;
how she transformed the meager al
give her into a heaping mountain OF
comfort and happiness; how, with
consummate skill the evening meal
became a feast for a king He did
not guess that each day he drank
deeDIy from the wealth of content
ment and cheerfulness in her face
When a little son came into the
world, he little thought Of the marvel
of if. of the magic Of it. He dandled
T-s- md
and coddIed it, yet reckOned his
wealth as little because he had not
taken time to count and fathOm it
He did not think how her minister
ing care and her influence taught him
to look for higher things, He did not
mark how happy she was when ne
received his first advancement; how
proud, as though she had had a hand
in it When advancement after ad-
vancement came easy and frequent
he forgot the magic Of her touch In
his fortune He was TO busy IN 90
ing to think
He forgot to look back into the
mast and see how wealth, honor and
af7uence came, step by step, through
ti1e magic Of her being; how she had
manned. and watched; how she had
loved and nninistered-- He forgot to
value the touch Of her hand on his
smoothed brow, the welcoming smile,
the farewell kiss, the children that
She had given him; the home, the
life and the courage that were con-
:. illred BY the magic Of her influence
y he forgot the hand in his hand
through the shoals OF their Efe-vOy-
age. the tenderness, the faith the
love. until one day the precious wife
grew sick and the doctor came, shook
his head and went away again
Then, indeed, il seemed to Aladdin
that he heard the evil magician crying
through his halls, who viii give old
Iamps for new2'' Before his anxious
ewes. his palace, builded in such beau
teous lines, seemed to crUmble and
disappear. He saw before him the
dark. empty desOlation as 1t had been
before she had come into his life
All then he realized the wealth Of
golden love that he had squandereo
and shuddered when he thought that
his precious treasure was forever &C
be taken from him Then he realized
the unbounded faith in his ability thai
Sad pushed him, step by step, up the
ladder OF fame He saw the jewels
of thought that, lavishly, he had al
lowed to be scattered 70 the thrOne
instead Of gathering them into tht
casket Of his memory. Before hl'
EYES came his children, precious Jew
eIed treasures, Ike windows in tht
dome OF his life, even one OF which
being lacking, what artisan or jewelel
could replace2
He realized for the first time tn
magic touch that had transformed tn
mt into the beautiful palace; that hat
made 3 man out Of a driFeiing slave
nat had cast before him jewels o
y precious life. gold OF love and dia
1aonds OF sparkling faith Preciou
lamp Of his soul she had lighted {
him the magic OF the universes At
vtord she had eenjured faith, life, love
aItl ana homer and now at
1ch, aye. at thought, a sinister
rsIenting thought al thsse thing
su1sd 70 disappear from his sigh
ldih z0ut ont the doctor an