The sun., 1906-12-30

I
the stranger. holding out the deed OF Hades
90 that the impressive seal was visible.
The seal, for II was surely that OF the
priest, caught their attention, and again
| they paused
What is that1" they asked
The stranger briefly explained that but
moment before he had purchased all OF
Hades. and that he should reserve II for
himself alone. From that time forth every
Moslem, whether faithful or unfaithful,
must go 20 Paradise, for Hades was his,
and he would permit none TO enter there.
The amazed pilgrims gazed blankly az
ono another and then at the deed which
/ the speaker held before them. One took
: 1t, looked at IL and then at the back OF the
| paper. Neither he nor any OF the party
could read. yet they pressed about it, each
! took il and finally, with doubt still upon
their faces, handed 1t back
! Il will read il to you" said the stranger,
and AZ he read doubt began TO disappear.
-Wallah wa billshl" calculated one when
the reading was finished. He speaks the
| truth"
He truly does" said another, and the
| party looked with compassion upon the
man who had foolishly purchased Hades,
and who alone would suffer its eternal
tortures.
Truly Il Is no longer necessary 10 pur-
| chase a deed Of AbdulIah," finally said one
of the pilgrims, fondly caressing the coin
which had been destined for the priests
treasury, and as the truth gradually dawned
upon the others they climbed the hill,
not to Abdullah's house, but 10 the han for
| repose
! Abdullah sat alone In his office. Trade
seemed dull that day, and finally between
the sips OF coffee and the puffs Of smoke
he reflected that since he had sold the deed
of Hades no customers had come.
The hours Of the day wore on and still
he was alone. Finally the sun set, and pok-
ing his feet into his heavy shoes he went
to the han for his usual evening smoke.
There the pilgrims were collected In
numbers ss great as ever, and as he saw
them he marvelled that business had been
so dull. They seemed TO be talking ex-
oitedly to one another, and straining his
cans to listen he heard one pilgrim relate
to another how Hades had been sold to a
stranger and that it was no longer neces-
sary to purchase place in Paradise.
As the words came to him he could hardly
believe his ears, and realizing that his
business was at an end cold shudders raced
through his fat body. Finally reviving
sufficiently he Joined in the conversation
and acknowledged that Hades had been
sold, yet he argued that one could never
be sure Of going to Paradise IL he held no
title to a place there. His words were I'M
Needed and II soon became evident that
with the sale OF Hades he no longer had a
monopoly upon Paradise.
All the next day and the day after, and
Il =. a.
not purchaser appeared. A week passed
before he recovered sufficiently TO set his
wits actively at work to recover the in
dustry which had netted him so handsome
and steady a profit.
He searched throughout the town for
the stranger, but no one knew where he
was. Day after day the search was con-
tinued with the same result, and the priest.
though he had already reaped a fortune, was
in despair.
Finally one morning a month after the
| fatal transaction the stranger entered
Abdullah's Office and silently squatted upon
the floor before him.
Il have heard that you are inquiring
for me" said the owner OF Hades. after the
salaams were completed and the cigarettes
were passed.
me 10 feel that one OF the Faithful has
purchased Hades and that in the flames,
forever barred from Paradise, you must
spend eternity. called upon you that
l might relieve you of the horrible fate,
and like the honest priest Of Allah that
am, l will return to you the Ave liras.'
As he finished speaking he united the
knot at the end Of his girdle. and counting
out the money held il toward his guest.
The owner Of Hades, with his eyes upon
the floor. sat motionIess as IL he did not
see the prorered gold.
Il was a fierce battle which Abdullah
and his guest waged that day. The sun
| set and darkness came before IL was
finished. Abdullah the monopolist was
not the victor.
To regain the title OF Hades he added one
Ira TO the original number, then two, then
five. but 20 no purpose. He groaned and
rayed: he fattered and swore; he called
down the blessings of Allah upon his OBJ
stiuate guest, alternating them with divine
curses and threats Of eternal fire, but the
proprietor Of Hades was unmoved.
The price Abdullah offered rose from
fifteen to twenty, then to twenty-five,
fftv and a hundred, not by leaps, but by
slow climbing from one point to another.
Nor did the rise stop there. When the
aim was two hours above the horizon 1t
had reached the thousand mark; at SUM-
act Il had gone to five thousand, and the
guest still sat calmly waiting for the figures
to rise higher.
II was well into the night when even he
became fatigued, and to end the long fight
he demanded ten thousand liras for the
paper which he had purchased a month
ago for ten.
The old priest expostulated, but to no
purpose. He begged but his pleadings
fell upon deaf ears. Security Tor the
money was given, and the stranger, chuck
ling aloud, disappeared into the darkness
OF the street.
Abdullah soon recovered his composure.
The next morning at daybresk he was
sitting among the pilgrims OF the han.
waving before their astonished eyes the
deed for Hades. He read It to them and
! A.. .,,o-o fban aver n tiflo N n