The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-05
Anew Story About
the Great Caliph
BY RUTH GRAHAM

cies, right their wrongs and be of gen.
eral service to them, be one evening
passed by the shop of money changer
who was looking very lugubrious.
What troubles your asked the ca.
llph, who was dressed in the garb of a
vender of dates and had on his arm a
! basket containing the fruit.
what need to tell you. poor date
seller" replied the other. you have
an honest and sympathetic counte.
nance, but you cannot help me-"
Not with money surely" replied the
caliph, "but with advice"
! "Ah," said the money changer, there
is great deal more advice in the
world than of money! ANY one can
| give advice. | am oyerrun with 1t, es-
| pecially about my children. There S
not one of my neighbors who cannot
tell me just how to train them, though,
confess, those who are most explicit
in their instructions have never had
any children of their own"
The caliph was much impressed with
this information, which was new to
him, for no one would dare give him
advice as to the training of his chill
dren. "Tell me your trouble" he said
to the money changer, land IL do not
help you / will give you all the dates
l have In my basket" So he told the
caliph what grieved him.
81 change money. / lend money" he
said, land | receive money TO keep for
others which | loan again at interest
with a hundred pieces of gold they
wished me TO keep for them. l took
the money and signed a receipt for ii
which they had drawn up, and by its
terms was obliged TO pay the gold
to them all together and not to any
one of them separately.
"Soon after they had gone away one
of them returned saying that he wished
to count the money, for he feared there
were not the 300 pieces had receipted
for, because, after leaving, one of his
party had said; That man is fool,
/ gave him for my share only eighty
pieces of gold, and he viii have to pay
me hundred pieces.
II took the gold from my strong
box and laid Il on the table before this
honest man, and while we were count
ing 1t there came a knock at the door.
There stood the two other depositors.
who said to me. III our third man
comes to you and asks you TO let him
count the money we left you do not
permit him. He is a rogue | told
them would be very careful and tried
to get away from them TO go back TO
the man with the gold, but they in
sisted on telling me why they suspect.
ed, their colleague. And by the time
they had finished and got back to the
room where had left him be had
gone with the money, having stepped
out through window into the street
HE had not been gone long before
the other two men came back and said
they had an opportunity to use their
funds and demanded that / should re-
turn them their deposit. | have not so
much on hand; besides ] must eventu-
ally lose 300 pieces of gold. They have
cited me to appear before the judge |
tomorrow, and since ! cannot return |
their deposit shall be sent to jail"
When the caliph had heard this story
he frowned that there should be such /
rascals in Bagdad But the matter
was one of law. and the good man new.
er interfered with legal processes ex-
cept in wise judgments like Solomon OF
ala ar WITH Y,nt .vfva Won any advica y
he said TO the money changer, "and
since / must keep my contract will
leave my dates with you. But you
will see me at the court tomorrow, and
l think know a way to help you"
The money changer did not wish to
keep the dates, but the caliph would
not take them away with him.
The next day, when the money chang
er went to court. whom should he see
on the judges bench but the date vend.
err to whom be had confided his story.
The two men who had demanded their
money entered. and the judge told
them to make known to him their com,
plant against the money changer
They told the same story as the latter,
whereupon the judge called for the re
ceipt which had been given for the
gold. Having read it, he asked of the
complainants:
Where is the third man to whom
the money is to be paid?"
1--WE do not know. He has made off
with it, but that is not our fault. 1t is
the fault of the money changer, OF
whom we demand the return of OUT
dues"
This receipt" said the judge, "com. :
pels the money changer to return the
funds left with him TO all the deposit.
Ors and not to any one or two of them
Bring the other man and
be will repay you"
The two men hung their heads and
made no reply
II believe" continued the caliph
that you are as dishonest as he, but
cannot prove it or would send you to
prison" Then, turning to the money
changer, he said. IF these men trouble
you again appeal the case to the caliph
Raschid"
The judge stepped down from the
bench, and as he went out to the street
| number of slaves who were waiting
or him bowed down their heads before
him. The money changer asked who