The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-02
b1 NILH[L1 HAUFF

Tn this story, one of the many fa- nous tales in the taie-cycle The Caravan" HauK shows his mastery of the art of simplicity in literature the unconscious art of the Orient that Western writers must ever hark back to consciously.
 Although German love long novels. and although their favorite modern authors write little else. the best things in German prose remain the short stories of such men as Heine. Hoffman, Grimm, chamisso and Auer- bach. No students Knowledge of lit- erature is complete without a knowl- edge of these forms of literature. They are quite different in idea, con- struction and type from the short stories of other races and nations.
 In Nicea there once lived a man whom everybody called Little Muk." He was a most wonderful figure. His stature was only four feet. His body was tiny and graceful, but it had to support head that was far larger and wider than the heads of ordinary human beings. He lived all alone in nne greenhouse. doing even his own cooking. R
 The people of the city would hardly have known whether he were alive or dead. so little did they see of him, as he emerged from his mansion only once every four weeks, had they not watched the smoke from his chimney every day at noon or seen him walk solemnly up and down on his roof at night. On such occasions beholders on the street might have imagined that they saw great head promenad- ing there all alone. since his body was so short that 1t was hidden by the parapet.
 The lads of the town were over joyed when the day came for Little Muk's periodical appearance on the street. They gathered around the door and waited for him to emerge. When the portal swung open and the great head with the still greater tur- ban peered timidly forth, to be fol lowed by his little body, every fez was thrown into the air and every boy danced around him and yelled.
 Little Muk merely replied with a grave nod of his big head and moved n1ajeBtically down the street, drag ging his huge slippers along the pave ment, for they were so enormous they would have fallen from his tiny feet had he essayed to lift them in walk ing.
 A shabby little cloak hung over his shoulders His legs were incased in flowing brooches, vastly too wide for his tiny limbs. Around his waist was a broad belt through which was thrust dagger that was so long that one could not say whether Mtfk were fast to the dagger or the dag ger were fast to Muk.
 AS he moved slowly along. the mis- chievous boys would follow, chanting a refrain that they had invented for his benefit, and occasionally even pull ing his cloak.
 He never paid the least attention either to their pranks or to their of- fensive cries, until one day the son of the richest man fin the city trod on his immense slippers. This tripped length,t much to the merriment of the lads. But their laughter ceased when Little Muk, still without saying word. arose and went straight to the dignitary's house. He entered and remained there for some time.
 When the door opened again the frightened lads saw him emerge. es- eorted with great signs or respect. The rich man held him by the hand and parted from him with many deep bows.
 Scarcely had he gone before his host beckoned to his son. The boy advanced with hanging head. You have insulted the honored Mulx," said his father gravely. 'I shall tell you and your companions the history of this man and then you will not laugh at him any more. Before and after nay tale, however, you shall be rre- scented with twenty-five we'll counted and we'll placed blows."
 He took the long stem from his pipe, unscrewed the amber mouthpiece and laid 1t on earnestly.