The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-26


 , trologer paused, and the king drew rein l at his signal. Ibrahim pointed out to | Aben the mystic hand and key above the arch and said: '"rhese are the talismans 1 which guard the entrance to this paradise. You see now no towers of the palace frightening above you nor embowered l terraces of the garden stretching along the heights. That is reserved for your eyes when once within rne mystic portal. i But once within, until that hand shall reach down and grasp that key, neither
 mortal power nor magic artifice can pre- vail against the lord of this mountain" While Aben Habuz gazed with open mouth and silent wonder at tho gate and
 It's mystic signs the palfrey of the princess went on and bore her into the very center of the archway. Behold" cried the as- 1 trologer my promised reward-the first beast of burden, with It's load. which should enter the magic gatewayi'' Aben Y Habuz smiled at what he considered a pleasantly of the aged man. but when he :, found that he was in earnest his gray beard trembled with indignation.
 Son of Abu Ayub," said Aben Habuz sternly, what equivocation is this? Thou knowest the meaning of my promise; the first beast of burden with it's load which should enter the portal Take the strong est mule in my stables, load it with the most precious things in my treasury and it is thine. But dare not raise thy thoughts to her who has found favor in my sight and who is the delight of my heart"
 What need have I of wealth?s cried the astrologer Have I not the book of knowledge of Solomn the Wise? Through 1t can command the secret treasures of the earth. The princess is mine The royal word is pledged. claim her for my own"
 The king was aroused the philosophers spirit was up, and their aged voices be- came sharp and cracked as their anger in- creased and they argued the matter with senile fury. The naughty and beautiful princess turned in her saddle and looked down upon the quarrel of the old men with a smile of scorn curling her beauti- full lips. At last the wrath of the mon arch swept away all his discretion. Base son of the desert!' he fairly screamed. thou mayest be master of many arts. but know me for thy master and presume not to juggle with thy kingl'
 My master! My king!" exclaimed the astrologer, his whole frame shaking with wrath. 'The monarch of moiehill to claim sway over him who possesses the tals- mans of Solomon. Farewell, Aben Habuz, reign over thy petty kingdom and revel t,,4 4txr laugh at thee in my ph;losophic retire ment' So saying the wise son of Abu Ayub grabbed the bridle of the palfrey of the princess and smote upon the earth with his staE. The earth opened and princess and astrologer sank through the center of the barbican. No trace re- mained of tt opening by which they had descended.
 For an instant Aben Habuz was struck dumb with astonishment. But quickly re- covering himself-for he was a tough old king, not easily to be thwarted-he called for a thousand workmen, and with pick and spade these workmen digged and dgged for days but were unable to make any progress toward the secret place (which the king rightly judged was the astroioger's cave, to whi-h Ibrahim and the princess had gone. Aben sought the mouth of the cave but 1t was closed up. Where once was an opening now was smooth surface of primeval rock. Above, as fast as the workmen dug out the soil and shivered away the rock with their picks the earth and the rock formed them- selves again. With the disappearance of Ibrahi,l and the princess the magic tails man upon the tower lost it's virtues as warning against foreign invasion and the brouze horseman remained fixed with his face toward the hill whcreon stood the magic gateway and his lance pointing toward the cave of the astrologer as if there lurked the greatest foe of Aben Habuz. The neighbors of Aben, those whose armies he had cut up at leisure while the talisman of the magic horse man was in working order, and whom he had dehed and taunted, gradually found out that he was no longer protect- ed by magic spells and made such in- roads upon his territory that the re- mainder of the life of this most pacific of monarchs was one long turmoil until his troubles were ended and he was gathered to his fathers
 But from time to time the sound of music and the tones of a female voice were heard in the bosom of the hill. and peasant one day declared that on the preceding night he had found Assure In the rock by which he had crept in until he looked down on subterra mean hall in which sat the as- trologer on magnificent divan, slum- bering and nodding to the silver Tyre of the princess. But when again the Assure was sought it was nowhere to be found, and some treated the peas- ants story as a fable. As to the sum- init of the hill, it remained a nakeN waste. supporting only the arch of the magic gateway with it's hand and key.
 Ages rolled away and on the summit of the hill was built the Alhambra. which, in some measure, realized tile fabled delights of the Garden of Irem. The spe1lbound gateway still exists and now forms the Gate of Justice at the entrance to the palace-fortress. Under the gateway, it Is said, the old astrol- oger still remains in his subterranean hall, lulled by the silver Tyre of the princess. The old, invalid soldiers who mount guard at the gate hear, occa- sionally the strains of the Tyre in the