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

smiths art, peacocks of silver and gold whose spread tails were thick with rubies, emeralds. diamonds and pearls; vases of rare porcelain, great tusks of ivory band ed with gold. heaps and heaps of gold and silver coins, and other riches which 1t were vain to attempt to describe. All Baba was poor, he had never been able to collect any money of his own and was so easy going that the rich Cassim prophesied that he would never be any thing but poor to the end of his days.
 But Ais business talents were suffi- ciently developed for him to know enough soon as he had recovered from his as- tonishment this he proceeded to do The door had shut after him of it's own ac- cord when he had entered the cave but Ali remembered the magic words and had no uneasness on that score. There were some bags filled with gold pieces lying handy and of these he gathered enough, as he judged, to make a load for his three asses Then commanding the door to "Open, Sesame" he went out brought the asses to the entrance of the cave loaded them, covered the bags with flag ots and commanded Shut, Sesamel'' The door went to and Ali Baba took his home ward way thinking of the scolding his wife would probably give him for being late to supper and of how he would sur prise her by pouring out the gold at her feet.
 His wife was sitting upon a shabby slx. came in; but before she had fairly got started the tardy husband began to throw bag after bag of gold at her feet. This cut short the lecture, but she demanded to know at once how Ali had become pos sessed of this great wealth. And he told her the whole story. q wonder how much there is here," said the wife. "Oh, it does not matter-there is plenty more where that came from when that is gone" re- piled Ali. But we ought to know just how much we have here now" persisted the wife. Tt would take forever to count it piece by piece" said Ali "I will go dig a pit to bury it in and we can dig it up as we want to use it"
 But Mrs. Ali had her mind set upon getting some idea of how much her hus- band had brought home She had the idea that she was better business person than her husband. When a woman gets the idea that she is a business woman and proceeds to do business something is pretty sure to happen-and so it was with Mrs. Ali If she could not count the money she determined to measure it. So, commanding All, her husband, not to bury any of the coin until she returned, she Cassim, and asked if she might borrow a measure. Cassim was away from home, but his wife readily lent the measure. She was so curious to know what in the world her sster-in-law should want it for Those poor people-what sort of grain did they buy that they should need a measure to compute it in-people living from hand to mouth did not generally have to measure their grain. So, before handing the meas. ure to her sister-in-law, the wife of Gas. sim put some tallow on the bottom of 1t where 1t could not be seen.
 Mrs. Ali Baba ran home with the borrowed measure ac1. placing 1t on the heap of gold, began to fill it over and over again until she lad found out how many pecks of gold her hus- band had brought home. Ali, mear- time, was digging a pit in the gar den for the hiding of his treasure and, when his wife had quite done, he took the gold out and buried it. While ne was engaged at this agreeable occupa- tion his wife went back to Cassino's house and returned the measure with many thanks. As soon as sh had taken her leave Mrs. Cassim looked under the bottom of the measure and there, sticking in the tallow. was a piece of gold.
 "What!' exclaimed Mrs. Casslm. Measures her gold, does she, instead of counting 1t? Where can that poverty stricken wretch have got it? By no honest means, I warrant 1t. This must be looked after The dear woman worked herself up into quite raae over the matter, and when her husband came home she was waiting for him. Where have you been? What have you been doing? How much money have you made today? You think you are rich don't you? Well. you are poor beside your brother Ali Baba. You can count your wealth, but he wants e peck meas ure to count his." As soon as anger and envy allowed her she told the story of the measure and showed her husband the piece of gold which had been left sticking in the tallow. It was an old piece-so ancient that neither l..
 arch whose name was engraved on it.
 Cassim was almost as indignant as his wife that good fortune had come to Ali Baba. He could not sleep the livelong night for thinking of it. Poor relations are not easily or voluntarily replaced. With the first light of morn ing-as soon as the sun had caught the sultan's turrets in a moose of light Cassm was up and off to Alis house Ali lived hard by, and it was one Of Cassim's little enjoyments to contrast daily the home of his indigent brother with his own. Ali Baba" said he as he entered the humble house, you pre- tend to be poor. What do you mean?
 You, who measure your money-you who pass as miserable beggar? And Cassim showed the piece of gold which had stuck to the bottom Of the bor- | rowed measure. Also he told Ali how his wife had found 1t. All Baba knew at once that Cassim and his wife sus- pected that something out of the ordi- nary had happened and determined to know what 1t was--which was a great exertion of mentality for All, who gen.