Year: 1869

seVeo the moltnc8non OF purchasing q
tnew pair Of slippers. ~


Whsa the cadi had finished bathing,


bis slayes hunted eyerywhers for his


slippers, but they found none but a vile
Ipair Of leather aones, which were dis


covered to be those Of Cassam. The


euppohs pursued she supposed thief,


and brought him back, accused of


theft The cadi, after having again
changed slippers, sent him to prison


Money was necessary 10 get out of the
claws of justice, and as Cassam was
reputed to be as rich as he was ava
ricious, they did not let him escape


without paying pretty large sum.


On his return home, the afflicted


Cassan, in spits, threw his slippers into
the Tigris, which flowed under his win
dows. A few days after, some fisher
men drawing a net more heavy than
usual. found in it the slippers of Cas-
sam. The nails, with which they were
covered, had broken the meshes of the
net. The fishermen. angry both at
Cassam and the slippers, took it into
their heads to throw them into his
house through the windows which he
had, left open. The slippers being
thrown with some force, struck the
phials which were in the window, and
knocked them down; the bottles were
broken, and all the fine rose-water lost.
Imagine to yourself, if you can, the
grief of Cassam at these accumulated
disasters.


"Cursed slippersl" cried he. tearing
his beard, "you have caused me great
losses" He sighed, and taking a
shovel, made hole in his garden to
bury his ruined, though still beloved
shoes.


One of his neighbors who for a long
time had spite against him, saw him
replacing the earth; he Immediately
ran to tell the governor that Cassam
had dug up treasure in his garden;
he only wished to excite the cupidity
of the commander. 1t was useless for
the miser to say that he had not found
treasure, and that he had only buried
his old shoes; the governor had calcu-
lated on getting the money, and poor
Cassam was not set at liberty until he
had paid another large sum.


The miser was desperate, and wish
ing his slippers to the deuce with all
his heart, went to throw them in the
aqueduct some distance from the city.
He believed for once that he would
hear no more of his slippers; but the
devil, who was not yet tired of playing
tricks, very justly directed the slippers
to the small opening of the aqueduct,
and they stopped the flow of the water.
The overseers of the fountain hastened
to repair the damage; they found, and
carried to the governor the old shoes
of Cassam, declaring that they had
done all the mischief. The unfortunate
master of the slippers was sent to pris
on, and condemned to pay fine far
heavier than those he had already paid.
The governor who had punished the
crime, pretending to be very liberal,
returned the precious slippers to the
owner. Cassam, in order to prevent
any further evils that they might cause.
determined to burn them; and as they
were perfectly soaked with water, he
placed them in the sun on the terrace of
his house.


But fortune had not yet exhausted
all her arrows against him, and the
last which she had reserved for him
was more cruel than the rest. A dog
belonging to one of the neighbors, per-
ceived the slippers, and jumped from
the terrace of his master to that of the
miser; he took one of the slippers in
his mouth, and while playing with it,
let it fall into the street. This unlucky
old shoe fell directly on the head of
lady who was passing at the moment.
The violence of the blow occasioned a
long and dangerous illness. The la
dy's husband complained to the cadi,
and Cassam was condemned to pay
fine proportionate to the magnitude of
the injury of which he was the cause.


He returned home, and taking his
unfortunate slippers in his hands, hast
ened to the eadi.


"Sigueur," said he to the cadi, with
so dolorous visage that the judge
could not restrain his laughter, "here
are the fatal instruments of all my
These cursed slippers have
at last reduced me to poverty; con-
descend to have them. arrested, in order
that the misfortunes which they will
otherwise undoubtedly occasion may
not be imputed to me-"


The cadi could not refuse his request;
and Cassam learned, to his cost, the
great danger of not frequently chang
ing his slippers.