El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-16
The Devils Only Good Deed
BY Curnonsky.

A LISCHAR, son Of the vizir All el
! ~ Yamani, at the death Of his faith
er inherited an immense fortune,
I whereupon he married young Houria,
woman more beautiful than the moon
and in two years he spent with her the
whole fortune his father had left him.
Being a poor man now, he felt too
much ashamed to stay in the country
and as he still loved the beautiful Hou-
ria, because Of all the sacrifices he had
made for her sake, he took her with
him to the country Hzab.
a rich blacksmith who saw them
passing on the way, fell in love with
Houria. and said 20 Alischar.
Come both and live with me. You
may stay at my house. You can work
in the smithy and your wife can wait on
mine in the harem-'
Alischar consented. but after a month
he said to the blacksmith. Khaldoun:
Now that you say you are pleased
with my work, please let me see my
wife"
The blacksmith seemed very surprised
and said: Your wife, I know nothing
about her. All the time you have been
here you have been single, as everyone
viii testify"
Then AIischar went to the cadL for
he saw that he would never get his wife
back II he did not invoke the aid of AL
lah and the law.
But when he, the poor stranger, told
ms story to the cadL everybody laughed
at him, and TO make fun Of him they
cried
Complain Of the devil, It is he who
must have taken your wife"
Why should I insult the devil" said
Alischar He has never done me any
harm, and have no complaint against
The nthe cadi, the baIcadeI and the
kebars rushed at aim and threw him
into the street shouting, who are you
who refuse to insult the devil2' And
they threw stones at him till he fell
down senseless.
After a while Alischar got on his feet
again at turn in the road he met 1
the devil, who was waiting for him. and I
who said; Since you have refused to 4
insult me I VIII see that you get JUS
ice. 90 back TO the blacksmith who ]
stole your wife and continue working .
for him, as II nothing had happened"
This Alschar did, and he forged such /
beautiful tools, which looked as bright /
as silver, that all the Ma bites same to 4
look at him 4lsSrlSing and his fame even ]
reached the ears of 1.-THE Cadi.
Then one day the devil came into the \
smithy, but AllschaH alone recognized
him. And the devil said to him. "In q
little while I Will come back with the
cadi, who wants to see you working.
Then you must do everything ask YOU
to-"
After awhile the cadi came with his
bachadel and the kebars, but Alischar
looked for the devil and could not see
him.
Then an old man who looked to be at
least 100 years old and who spread an
q
char and said, oh master who know
how to make tools ard arms as bright
as silver can't you make me into
young man again
And Alischar who now recognized the
ievil, replied: Il viii do what you
ask"
And he thrust the old man into the
lanes on the forge, which did not seem
20 hurt him, covered him with coal and
legan to pull the bellows, and after a
while he drew him out looking like a
bright ingOt. Then he began shaping
his with the hammer, and when IT was
,Old he rubbed it with a bag. Sudden
y the ola man stood there rejuvenated,
-Oung, strong and handsome.
The cadi. the bachadel and the ke-
Jars Frustrated themselves when they
aW this miracle. And when they came
lone they told the sultan ali about IL.
Now the sultan had an ugly old wife,
.eit Sobeida, who caused him much
rOuble, and who knew that he was
]
he heard about the miracle she sent
or the cadi the bachadel and the ke-
.ars and made them swear they had
cen If with their own eyes.
The next day the devil came to Ais
har and said: IF The sultan comes I
ere with his old wife ZObeida, hide /
ourself in the garden. so that you can
lot be found"
In the afternoon -ne sultan came to I
he smithy with his wife. the cadi, the
achadeI and the kehars. The devil
lso was with them in tae shape Of the
Dung man.
Said the sultan to the blacksmith
II want you to make my old wife into I
young woman as handsome as that
Dung man"
The blacksmith looked for Aiischar
veryWhere, but he could not be found,
o Seit Hobeida began to howl and the
ultan to utter terrible threats while
be devil began TO mock the blacksmith I ]
-haldoun; When your apprentice could z
make me young again. you, the master ]
an surely do the same thing with the ]
ultan's WIFE
Trembling with fear at the anger OF ?
be sultan, hnaldOun at last took hold
T the old woman, who was only too n
Filling, and thrust her into the flames. j
he yelled terribly and when Khaldoun s
naan hammer na Z