The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-06-26

dropped Into his hands, he told aii ne knew of his adventure More gold and the cobbler consented to lead the thief to the corner where Morgiana had blindfolded him. and allow himself to be again blind folded there and then try to conduct the robber to the house where the body had been waiting to be sewn up.
 The old man had taken careful note of his turnings and his pace when Morgiana had led him to the house, and DO he was successful in leading the thief to the very same door. This must be the house." said the cobbler. Take off the bandage." The thief did so, but first made mark upon the door before which the old man had halted. He asked the cobbler who lived In the house, but the old man replied that he was g stranger In that part of the town and could not say. Thanking and again rewarding the old man, fthe thief left him and made haste to the forest. where the band awaited him. He related to them all that had taken place. "we must act quickly" said the captain; let us arm ourselves ana enter the city in couples so as not 10 attract attention. Assemble in the great square Meantime I will go and find the house with the chalk mark
 It was done as ordered and the thief who had discovered the house where Cas- sim once lived and where Ali Baba lived now conducted his chief to the marked door, What was the astonishment of the thief and the rage of the captain to find not one door, but four or five doors, all exactly alike and in a row, marked as the thief had marked the one the cobbler had taken him to in the early morning. Which was the right door it was impos- sible to tell. When the disappointed rob- bers met again in the forest they held summary court martial on the thief who had thus been put to shame and chopped his head off.
 The explanation of the many doors marked alike was this: Soon after the thief had marked Ali Baba's door Nor giana had occasion to go out upon some early arrand and at once noticed the marking. What can this mean? she thought. Has any one grudge against my master? Or has this been done in sport? Anyhow 1t will do no harm to guard against malice So saying she took piece of chalk and, as several or the doors both above and below Alis house were exactly alike, she marked them all with the same marks as Were on her masters door.
 In spite of the tragic fate of the first nff pd his services and was sent into the clty | with instructions to succeed, upon peril of his life, wh ere his brother rob : Der had failed He found the coopier bribed him as the first thief had done and was led as the first thief to the door of Alis dwelling. Then he put small red chalk mark upon the dooi and returned to Ehe forest boasting
 But before the captain of the thieves had been conducted to the house py | his new guide the ever watchful MOT rta na had discovered the red marx ano r reproduced it upon the adjacent ooors When the captain saw that not one bu' | several doors, as before, bore the sams sign he flew into a rage, tocS his gulde hack to the forest and cut his heae of. The next morning the captain aa- nounced that he would do the Jop hin'' self-he was tired of depending upon incompetent subordinates. Ths captain really was a rather clever fellow. Witt the aid of the cobbler he sound ths door sought for, but. instead of mar ing it, he walked up and down befor | it many times until he had fixed II and It's location firmly in his mind. Tie. he went back to the forest and pre-
 pared for action.
 He sent his men 10 the neighborine towns and villages and bought nine teen mules and thirty-eignt large leather jars, such as are used for carry ing oil. One of the jars he had fl'ee
 with oil and in each of the others, aftel they had been brought to the seclnsior ] of the forest, he secrcted a thief Then | disguised as a merchant, he took tht road to the city with his caravan, ar irving about an hour after sunset Go ing straight to the house of All Babf
 he knocked and asked to see the mas
 ter of the place. When good d-naturet All came he told him that he had trav.
 eled far that day and was too late tt get his oil into the market that night Would the protector of the poor allow him to rest himself and his mules 1T his courtyard for the night? Certainly
 Ali was only too happy to be able to play the host to the agreeable mer.
 chant So he called slave and or. Edered that when the mules were m. laden they be put under the cover o, the stable, while he asked the capteir
 to come in and sup with him as soor
 as he had seen to the unloading. Ther
 he told Morgiana to prepare a supper
 for his guest and see that a sleepins
 room was ready for him. Also he gave
 her notice that he should go early ncx,
 morning to the bath and that she mus
 have good broth ready against hi.
 return.
 Before entering the house the captair
 went to each jar which contained a thie
 and said to the concealed man: When
 shall throw some gravel from my chambe,
 window rip open the jar you are in iron
 top to bottom and come out. shall b,
 with you soon after.' Each thief had {
 knife especially sharpened for ripping tn,
 jars. Then. going into the house, he par J took of supper and went to his chamber
 where he lay down with his clothes on tt
 wait until the household had gone to bed
 Meantime Morgiana had started to mak,
 her masters broth against the morning
 and had discovered that she had not suf
 ficient oil to keep the light burning b,
 which she worked But there were man,