Year: 1875

s'It is a lie ~ roared the kadi. 81 am
more sane than any of you. If the mule
is not in the sheraby, where is he ?'


Doubtless replied the servants,
''your Excellency has led him out secret
ly, in order to play joke upon u.s.
cit is.false !" screamed the kadi .'He
is in the sheraby as truly as you are a
set ofignoramuses."


Abu Hamood's four wives and all his
relatives came and tried to convince him
there was no mule in the sheraby. He
only foamed at the mouth because of
their unbelief and would let none touch
the vessel for fear they should break it
| and injure the mule. Accordingly they
concluded him to be stark crazy, and
sent In a hurry for the best doctors of
the city to prescribe for his case. The
doctors decided that his mind had de-
parted from him, and ordered that be
should be abundantly whipped and very
stingily fed for three days on bread and
water. 1t was of no use for the kadi to
struggle and roar and swear by the tail
Of the prophets mule that he spoke
nothing but the truth. He was thrown
on the floor by the three stout kavasses,
who beat the dust out of him with their
canes, and then dragged him away, and
forced him into a gloomy dungeon ap-
pointed for the madmen of Bagdad.
Here he was fed with bread and water
and very short rations at that-until
three days had passed over. At the ex-
piration of that time an old Imam came
to the cell, and. wagging his beard
mournfully, said:


90, kadi ! 0, beloved friend has
thy mind returned 70 thee? Art thou
convinced now that there was no mule
in the sheraby?"


"No p roared Abu Hamood, in great
wrath. 81 saw him jump in and I saw
his ears sticking out" Accordingly,
they gave him another beating and three
days more of bread and water. Now
Abu Hamood began to reflect on his





after the following fashion


"Well, here am in alamentable case
indeed Because I tell what I have
seen, people call me crazy and whip me
and feed me on short allowance of bread
and water. By lying "a little 1 might
deliver myself from prison, and get my
house and family back again. L saw the
mule jump into the sheraby, and I saw
his ears sticking out !; but if swear to
it to my dying day nobody will believe
me. I may as well say that I was mis-
taken, and so find escape from this per-
secu1tion."


At the end of three days the Imam
came again, and said go, kadi O,
beloved friend has thy mind returned
TO thee?'


eyes" replied the kadi, 'spraise be to
Go! He has restored me my wits. I
see that [ was mistaken, and confess
that there was no mule in the sheraby"


"What has God wrought ?" said the
Imam; and he wagged his beard for hap
piness, as he bad done before for sorrow.
He sent Immediately for the family of
the kadi, and they came, weeping for
Joy, to take their relative out of prison.
Abu Hamood was carried to his house
and plentifully fed, while his friends
crowded around him to congratulate
him on his recovery. After while they
arose and left him to slumber, but placed
dishes of fruit and sheraby of water
beside him, so that he might refresh
himself again on awking. The kadi
slept soundly and dreamed of thousands
of most beautiful mules, each one of
Mughrebee, until suddenly they all leap
ed into multitude of water-jars and
disappeared. He awoke with astonish-
ment and vexation, and his eye fell upon
the sheraby at his bedside. There just
as glossy as ever, were the same long
ears, wagging at him in the usual tanta-
lizing manner. But Abu Hamood was
wiser now than he had been. ssAh !"
said he, "you may shake your ears at
me as much as you please but I will
swear that [ never saw them. am not
going to be beaten, and half starved
again for telling truth which nobody
believes"


Accordingly the ears disappeared and
the kadi rose and pitced the sheraby out
of the window, without so much as peep
ing into it. And from that day unto the
day of his death he was never known to
look at mule nor to contradict public
opinion on any subject what soever.-
Woods Household Magazine.