The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-12-27
DWARF
BT NILKELli RAUFF

ient specimen o1 tno ORtonteA ssSAg EuropeanEed.
 The orhntai tale remains a valu- able literary model for modern writ CTS of all nations. Some of the most famous short stories of the world notably those of Anderson. Hauff. Maupassant. Stevenson and Kipling-- are striking examples of the artless art which makes the tales of the great Arabic. Persian and Indian sto- ry-teliers so perfect.
 fu a considerable city of Germany thsfe once dwslled an honest shoe at the corner of the street patching shoes and slippers or. sometimes, making new ones on the rare ocea- eiona when any one happened to give him such an order, but this was not often. for ho was too poor to have a Goed supply of leather and other att tractive materials to tempt customers.
 His wife sold vegetables and fruits, which she cultivated in q little gar den beyond the city gate. People lik- ed to trade with her because she was always neat and clean and knew how to display her wares,
 The good couple had one son. a tall handsome lad of i2. He often helped his mother's customers to carry the purchases home. and generally he re- turned with a little gtft. for the rich people liked to see the boy.
 One day the shoemaker's wife sat in her place as usual. Before her was an array of baskets containing cab bages and other vegetables, fragrant herbs and carly pears and apples, Little Jacob<sat beside her and helped her cry her wares from time to time.
 <se.AA afA market place. She was rather ragged of dress and had a little. sharp face. wrinkled by age, red eyes and point ed, curved nose that seemed trying to reach her chin She supported herself with a long stick. but one could not say Just how she moved. She limped. slid and staggered as if she had wheels on her legs and was on the point every minute of toppling forward and smiting the pavement with her hooked nose
 The shoemaker's wife looked at the woman with great curiosity. She had been in the market every day for six teen years and never had seen the strange figure before. She shrank in- voluntarily when the old crone limped 10 her place and stood before her bas- ikets.
 Are you Hannah. the vegetable woman7" asked the creature with horrible. croaking voice. while her head wagged and trembled continual ly.
 'Yss." answered Hannah. Can I serve you7'
 we shall see. we shall see." replied the woman. She bent over the baskets and darted a pair of ugly dark brown hands into the pretty display of herbs. clutched the dainty things with long fingers that looked terribly like spi- der's legs, and sniffed at them with her long nose The sIioemalS CTS wife was agGrieved at the rough treatment that was accorded to her precious herbs, but she felt an odd horror of the woman that forbade her to voice any objections.
 When the hag had eIawed over the whole basket she muttered: Poor stun, miserable greens: Nothing Of all that I want. Things were much better fifty years ago. Poor stun! Miserable herbs"
 Her speeches angered little Jacob You are a rude old womanF, cried he in childish wrath. First you crush our pretty herbs with your nasty brown fingers then you hold them to your long nose so that nobody else will want them. and now you call our wares miserable stuff, although the Grand Dukes cook purchases everything that he uses from usr'
 Very we'll" said the ola woman.
 The cid woman squinted eviliy at the lad, caekled hoarsely. and croaked;
 Little son! Little sonl So you are pretty nose? You shall have one your self to reach below your chin.
 She slid and tottered to the othar pasket and took up the beautiful cab pages, squeezed them till they groaned. tossed them back roughly Into the bas- ket and repeated. Poor stuff! Miser- able wares.''
 claimed the boy. Your neck is as thin as q cabbage stalk. and if 1t breaks on and your head falls into things!"
 DO you not admire them, the long. thin neeksr' croaked the hag. you, shall have none at all Your head shall sit between your shoulders. hard and fast, that 1t may not fall from
 Don't talk such nonsenset' cried the shoemaker's wife. 'Tf you intend 10 buy anything please do it. You are driving away all my customers.
 very wellH' said the o.s woman. shooting furious glance at Hannah T VIII buy six cabbages: but cannot carry them myself. You must send your son home with me. I will nav him for it."
 Jacob did not wish to go. He sob- bed, for he was mortally afraid of the hideous woman; but his mother or dered him to go. for she esteemed if a sin to burden an old person with such load. Still half crying, he obeved. wrapped the eabbases in sack and TOil0WA0
 She moved very slowly. and 1t yaH almost three-quarters of an hour be- fore they arrived in a very distant and lonely quarter of the town and stopped before a little. half-ruinous house.
 She drew a rusty hook from her pocket, thrust 1t skiilfully into the keRhole and the door sprang open with startling crack, What was little Ja. eobs surprise when he entered. The interior of the old house was splendid with marble walls and ceilings. while the furniture was of the finest teak and ebony and inlaid with gold and precious stones. The floor was of glass and so wonderfully smooth that Jacob slipped and fell several times.
 The old woman drew a silver yghfs- tie from her dress and sounded a deafenfng peal. Instantly a number of guinea-pigs came rushing down the stairs; but Jacob could hardly believe his eyes, for they ran on their hind legs wore shoes made of walnut shells, clothes like human beings and even wore hats in the latest fashion.
 Where are my slippers7 Miserable vagabondsi" screamed the old woman and struck them with her stick, so that they leaped into the air. clamoring siteously. Miserable vaRabonds! How much longer will you keep me walt ing?'