The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-23

5, ITO which of these two men was she
wife?"
OF course in his intense interest at the
| strange story, the king forgot the in
| junction not to talk and replied that as
| the Ganges is the chief of rivers, Sumeru
chief of mountains and the tree of par
adise chief among trees, so is the head
| chief among the parts of the body and
that the woman was the wife of the body
to which her husbands head was at
| tached.
As soon as he had finished he heard
the corpse-demon give wild laugh and
saw him fleeing back to the tree from
which he had been cut down.
1t WAS in Jerusalem also that I heard
a most exquisite legend anent the dove as
bird of love, but as | had read Laf-
cadio Hearn's Interpretation of "Bouti-
mar" as related in the Lights of Cano-
pus," than which no more exquisite imag-
cry exists in all literature, | readily traced
the origin of the marchen.
Those who have read the Lights of
Canopus" know of the waters of that
tenebrous ocean unvisited by mortals
where long breakers chant an eternal
hymn in Stones unlike the voice of other
seas. 1t was in an island within that
ocean that bubbled up from mystic caves
the fountain of youth which Alexander
the Two-Horned alexander the Great
vainly sought. Only his general reached
it and 1 have written of that episode in
a previous paper, but Solomon came very
near tasting of it's waters and but for
Boutimar would have been immortal.
For the sake of those who may have
never read this charming Persian story
I give the marchen as I heard it in
Jersusalem.
Solomon once sat enthroned upon the
summit of mighty mountain, which
overlooked all India, receiving the hon.
| age of all creatures of the universe and
the spirits of the air. Above him was
living canopy formed by the birds of
heaven and his environment was sonant
with the melody of a voice divine, for 1t
was the voice of a messenger sent from
God.
As the king bent his ear to listen a per-
fumed cloud arose before him and from
that cloud extended a hand fairer than
alabaster, holding a diamond chalice filled
with strange water that glimmered as a
thing ethereal. Then breathed the voice
| in heavenly cadences: 20 Solomon, the
Creator hath sent me to thee with this
chalice filled with the waters of youth
and life eternal. And He desires thee 10
choose freely whether thou wilt or wilt
not taste of the draught from the foun-
tain of youth. Wilt thou drink and re-
main divinely immortal through cons
sempiternal or wilt thou remain within
the prison of humanity? l attend"
In deep silence Solomon pondered while
the perfumed cloud hung motionless be.
fore him and the alabaster hand proffered
the sciniillating chalice with the rigidity
of death. The king thought of the good
that years of eternal youth might accom-
plish and contemplated the joyless repose
OF death. Then he said to himself that
ere he drank he must seek the counsel of
the Genii, the Peris, the sages the beasts
OF the earth and the birds of the air
Whlle the perfumed cloud remained I'M
moving and the still alabaster hand
awaited the quaffing Solomon summoned
the Genii the Peris the sages of the
land, the beasts of the earth and the
birds of the air and all with one accord
oade him accept the draught
He extended his hand and took the
chalice from the transplendent fingers
which withdrew again within the per-
fumed cloud. Marvellous We're the lights
that played within the chalice: a lambert
flame envolped its diaphanous sheen and
rr1descence quivered in its every notion
The vessel was illumined with that melt
ing glow that weaves the eternal crepus-
cuel in that far off land beyond the Ocean
of Shadows where there is forever neither
day nor night. Still the king hesitated
and then asked: "Is there a single one OF
those over whom 1 have dominion miss
iRg?'
The answer was only Boutimar, mas
ter; Boutimar, the wild dove, the most
loving of all creatures, is not there I'm
mediately Solomon dispatched the bird
of gold. fashioned by the wftchcraft of
BalkiS, Queen of Sheba to fetch the
recreant When it returned with Bouti-
mar Solomon repeated the words of his
own song, 20. my dove that dwellest
in the cliffs of the rocks, in the secret
hiding places of the stairs, let me hear
thy voice"
When. the question of partaking of
the draught was put the dove the bird
protested that it was not for a dumb
creature to advise such wise one as
the king, but upon being pressed to
give expression to its opinion asked
II immortality was to be accorded to
solomon only or to all whom he might
desire to share it with him? Upon be-
ing informed that only the king was to
be so blessed Boutimar exclaimed, 20,
prophet of God, how couldst thou desire
to be living alone, when each of thy
friends and of thy counsellors and of
thy children and of thy servants and
of all who love thee were counted with
the dead?
For all of these must surely drink
the bitter waters of death, though thou
shouldst drink the water of life.
Wherefor desire everlasting youth
when the face of the world itself shall
be wrinkled with age and the eyes
of the stars shall be closed by the black
fingers of Azreal? When the love thou
hast sung of shall have passed away
like a smoke of frankineense, when the
dust of the heart that beat against
thine own shall have long been scat
tered by the four winds of heaven, and
the eyes that looked for thy coming
shall have become a memory, when the
voices grateful to- thine ear shall have
been eternally stiIled, when thy life
shall be one oasis in an universal waste
of death, and thine eternal existence
but recognition of eternal ABSENCE
wilt thou indeed care to live, though
the wild dove perish and its mate
cometh not?"
Again silence reigned and in that
silence the kings arm handed back the
chalice to the alabaster hand which
emerged from the perfumed cloud tc
receive 1t. The chalice, hand and cloud
disappeared and passed away forever.
Solomon's beard was besprinkled with
the powder of gold but amidst that gold
glistened the most precious thing of
ala human tear.
Query Department
"A woman has written asking how
to remove paint spots"
'.'rell her To wash her face