Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-01


Spanish prince OF the fourteenth century.
He became a famous author. Ell Condo
Which the present present selection Is a BRIEF part
You ask me in what way bad man
could do the most mischief in the
world? Well, must answer by telling
! you tale.
In a certain Village there lived a
very good man, who had a wife. And
. these two were for the once so we'll
| matched that never had there risen
. between them the least quarrel or Diff
. ference
But as you know that the Devil ever
| feels a cruel spite on beholding such
good things, or things going on at all
well, he felt no little chagrin, and spent
much time in trying every device he
could to put this man and his wife by
T the ears together. Yet he could not
succeed.
One day, returning in very melan-
choly mood from the house of this good
man and his good wife, after failure on
failure had saddened him, the Devil
iell in with a wicked, strange woman.
After greetings, she inquired of the
Devil what might be making him look
SO downcast. So he told her the cause
of his despair.
Oh, you may be sure that the Devil
made his troubles all very clear to her.
He told the length Of time that he had
tried to upset the happiness OF the
good man and his wife. He told of
the colossal number of vain attempts
he had made. But try as he would, ne
had thus far failed to create any dis
cord between this married pair. Such
a reason, he concluded, was enough to
make any self-respecting devil unhappy
and gloomy.
The strange woman expressed sur
prise at this. She told him that II he
would follow her advice, she would put
him on the right track toward accom-
plishing his desire. The Devil, you
that she told him, to carry out her
suggestions to the letter. For there was
nothing at that moment dearer to the
Devils hopes than to see the happy
man and his contented wife angry at
each other.
Having made their bargain, the
strange woman set out for the abode
of this happy couple. Reaching there.
she became slowly acquainted with the
wife. She won her confidence by tell
ing her that she had once been
servant to her mother, and so felt
bound to serve the daughter likewise.
Believing her. the good housewife took
her in and trusted her, and SO did
the husband.
But one day, after remaining there
some time, the strange woman came
to the wife and said:
"It vexes me to see that your hus-
band enjoys himself more in the COM
pany of other women than when he
is with you,' she said. II suggest that
you treat him even better than you
have been doing-cajole him, pamper
him-so that he may come back to
YOU and like YOU better than the 9TH
ers. Unless you do this, serious harm
NAV result from his other infatua-
tons"
When the honest wife heard these
words she could hardly believe them.
She felt upset and uneasy. The strange
woman left her and sought out the
husband alone. She spoke to him after
this fashion:
"Your wife has heard, and believes.
that you have been going with other
women. She is therefore consoling her
self with the companionship of another
man, who she hopes will give her better
Treatment than you have done"
She begged him not to let his wife
know that she had told him this, for
il he did it would cost her life, The
poor husband could hardly credit the
evidence of his ears. Though he would
not believe it true, nevertheless the
thought of such thing made him sus-
|picious and unhappy, just as similar
story had made his wife also suspicious
land unhappy.
The strange woman now went back
10 the wife and said:
Some misfortune has happened.
Your husband is coming and he is
strangely angry with you. You will
know this by the manner in which he
approaches you"
So, when the husband entered the
blouse and saw his wife looking strange
BY at him. he was grieved and shocked
lat the lack of that trust and content
|ment which had before characterized
their married life. Feeling SO badly
Iaoout it. he left the house almost I'M
|nediately without word.
The false. strange woman redoubleo
her efforts, and played all her arts OF
deception. She limited TO the wife thai
BIT would be well for her to seek the ad-
Nice of a wise man about her husband
The unhappy wife agreed to do this. Sc
|the false friend went out and found
what she reported to be wiSeman wht
could help with sound counsel.
But, the strange woman explained
the seer would have to have a lock o.
the husbands hair and some OF hi!
beard with which he could fashion {
spell to work upon him and make hin
as he was before. For this purpose tn
IA Sc friend handed the wife sharl
razor. The wife planned to take tn
hair and beard while her husband slept
and she was doing this out Of her low
for him, and wishing TO bring back thei
former happiness,
Now the deceiver told the HUSBAND
that things had come to such a pas
that his life was threatened. Sh
warned him that his wife would com
TO murder him with razor and tina
she then would flee with her lover. TIL
husband was alarmed and determine,
TO take precautions.
When he came home, his wife me
r. n with more goodwill than recently
He supposed she was trying to lull hi,
into false security. She was thinkin
that the Wiseman's lamentations woul
soon give her husbands love and trus
saoI' ~ hav Wishing to get it over uitl