The San Francisco call., 1910-01-22

u Sloe Whlch ne carried away In his
beak All Of sudden the lad heard
awful thunderstroke behind him.
He turned about and saw to his mex
pressible surprise that the bird had
turned Into handsome royal youth and
the wilderness into lovely country
with a wonderful large castle.
Most happy to have broken an evil
enchantment. the lad wandered merrily
on to the town where Alsha lived Ar
rived there, he put his pears into a
basket. put it upon his head as fruit
sellers in Bosnia do, and going through
the streets he shouted: Pears for rich
people! Each one a sovereign Only
the richest can buy themv The peo-
pie laughed at him. but he went his
way, Offering his fruits as loudly as he
could Now, of course. Aisha heard
his outcry, and, having gold in plenty
she was eager to show the people that
nobody but her could buy the pears
with gold. SO she sent down the maid
and had her buy up all the pears there
were She distributed them to the serv-
ants and as 1t was very hot they sat
down in the courtyard and ate them
up at once. My goodness! In horrible
surprise they looked at one another.
All had become donkeys! They jumped
about, kicked and cried "hee-haw, hee-
haw" so that the whole town ran to
see. The people. who knew not where
all these long ears had come from so
suddenly. laughed until they almost
burst And the more desperately the
donkeys kicked about the more every
body roared with laughter Toward
evening Aisha's father came home. He
went all through the house and not
soul was In it. Finally he came into
the courtyard where all the donkeys
were frantically chasing to and fro.
All surrounded him as though they
wanted to speak and say something,
but could not. The widest was young
ass, who pressed most desperately
against him--and suddenly he guessed
all, Somebody had bewitched his whole
household and the youngest animal was
his beloved daughter Aisha! He asked
and asked how on earth it all hap
pened but of course, got no answer.
That moment the fruit seller passed
by again and seeing the fathers dis
tress he said he well knew a remedy
to make them turn human beings once
more. but first would have to be done
whatsoever he. demanded
"And what is it?" asked the father:
Before anything is done you have to
return what does not belong to you and
is hidden in your house." said the lad.
II Know of nothing" cried Aishas
father.
We'll, then. 1 will search myself in
your daughters ROOM" declared the
lad for unless I have found the ring,
the rug and the whip of the snake en-
peror | simply won't help her"
But how will you help her?' asked
the frightened father
Just eat this" said the lad inno-
Gently. pulling a sloe out of his pocket
"and she will be again what she was
No sooner had he said it than the
cunning young ass grabbed for the sloe
and quickly swallowed it.
And there was Aisha standing pur-
rim nd IN
give him anythngl Don't give him
anything A tub of water was stand
ing near by. BY chance she looked
into it, and suddenly she gave a ter
rible scream-the ass ears We're there
still, The lad had been holding fast
to the sloe, so a piece had remained in
his fingers which would have been just
necessary for the transformation of the
ears
Now, nothing was left to the girl but
to take TO begging. Yet no matter how
sweetly and beautifully she talked she
heard nothing but laughter to see her.
ears wiggle back and forth There was
nothing left but to give in. With a
heavy heart she handed him the rug,
the ring and the whip. After that he
gave each of the other donkeys- sloe,
and Immediately they changed into
human beings. Then he started to leave.
Aisha, desperate about her ears, would
not let MIN go. Sne begged and I'M
plored him to relieve her of those awful
ears. At last he pulled out of his pocket
a sloe and gave it to her. She ate 1t
But, goodness gracious. even now only
one ear dropped on the other waggled
as Justify as before.
The lad said that this was all he could
do for her. and started to proceed home
She ought not to have eaten the first
sloe out OF his hand and thus he went
away. What could she do? She ran after
him, crying and begging him not to
leave her like that Now, since he had
made her the laughing stock of the
town. he also ought to marry her. so
she kept running and running after
him. begging him to marry her.
Good" he said. standing still "but
we will marry on the spot. And so II
was. After the wedding he gave her