Kawartha Lakes Public Library Digital Archive

Fenelon Falls Gazette, 9 Mar 1900, p. 2

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..,-V‘V~W~IMANWW.W~$W\~M"ILT . » ("V's/.1 - Ana» -‘;4,-.,‘ " We." “ “ ,,..,.V.;_,‘\\,, “ .’v v» r. . with The iva » Magician. You must know 0 illustrious stranger, that I was born in the-city of Shirazan, my fatherâ€"peace to his ashes lâ€"being a merchant, whose fair dealing raised him to a position of high honor in the eyes of the Governor and esteem in that of his fellow-citizens. Alasl for my prospects, however, he was gathered to the 'arms of the Pro- phet when I was but an infant, and I passed under the guardianship of an uncleâ€"a sage (magician of the name of Hassan ibn Afzul. Now, it happened that in the same city where we dwelt, and where my uncle practiced his exalted profession there lived another magician, called Afzul ibn Hassan, between whom and my uncle there existed a rivalry so hit- ter and far reaching in its conse- iquences that the fame of it extended to the borders of Persia. ' It is said that even among the learn- ed of the Gioaurs professional jealousy at times leads to strange acts of retal- iation ;>but, illustrious sir, it can eas- illy be understood that when the con- tending parties for public favor are powerful magicians what pecks or trouble they may heap upon each oth- er's head. During my childhood scarcely a day passed, but that we would suffer from the effects of some enchantment be- ing directed at our well beingpand. doubtless, as my uncle had slightly the advantage in power and knowledge, of: his art, the household of Afzul ibn Hassan suffered even to a greater ex- tent. . Without entering too minutely into the details of the situation. it will suf- fice, as an example of what we en- dured, to say that our perfumes were often turned into the vilest of odors. our food into the most unpalatable dishes, our house filled with‘smoke, shoes with scorpions and beds with cockroaches. What my uncle accomplished for Af- zul ibn Hassan I do not know; but doubtless he was bountifully supplied those lesser vexations, 'which harass the soul beyond the limits of ‘ patience. In general my uncle adopt- ed a grave demeanor, as became one of his learned profession, so that when his humor bubbled over, like the seeth- ing mess in one of his crucibles, then I judged that Afzul ibn Hassan was plucking the hairs out of his beard and petitioning Allah for vengeance. At the time, when I reached my sixâ€" teenth year, my uncle, considering that I had made sufficient progress in the study of astrolgoy, determined to ad- vance me to the higher branch of his workâ€"the science of magicâ€"when two events occurred, bearing directly upon one another, which changed the whole mates of my life. In the first place I fell passionately as love with the most beautiful crea- ture in all Persia, whose name was Alzura, who finally reciprocated my sentiment, and who. strangely enough, was. the daughter of my uncle's bitter rival; and second, my uncle unravelled the grand secret of night metamor- hosiation, or the changing of the ormi of a creature at sundown, upon which. both the magicians had assidu- ously labored for years. Considering the relations which ex- lsted between Alzura’s father and my whole, neither of us had dared to make known our mutual affection, but we contrived to meet secretly .in the rose garden of a friendly astrologer. who possesed sufficient power to Screen our actions. At what length I could di- late upon those blissful hours; the moon, that friend of lovers. peeping ind smiling upon our happiness through sheltering foliage, the sweetâ€" est flowers perfuming the air upon whiCh we exchanged vows of unalter- ible devotion, our way illuminated by those winged insect lanterns of the East, myriads of which flitted in the up such a lively croaking under the latter’s window that rest was as far from. his pillow. as.th-e unbeliever is from obtaining the joys of the Pro- phet's paradise. From this my uncle went on from accomplishing one annoyance upon his rival to another, until he conceived the most villainous piece of mischief of all. , It was the night of the sixth full moon, in the 1,089ih year 'of the lie- gira, that I set out for the rose gar- den of our friend to meet Alzura as usual; not, however, without misgiv- ings, for my uncle'appeared to be in exuberant spirits, repeatedly stro‘ing his venerable beard and exclaiming, “Mashallahl but Afzul ibn Hassan will now lie at my door as a suppli- cant." I entered the garden and quickly mod-e my~way to our place of meeting, but for the first time for many moons Alzura was not there to give me greet- ing. For a while I paced back and forth, momentarily expecting her ap- pearance, and then I ventured to call her'by name, softly at first, and then a little louderâ€"“Alzura, Alzura, Alâ€" zura!” but the only response that came to me was the plaintive meow of an ill favored looking, hungry visaged yellow cat that had persistently folâ€" lowed up and down in my footsteps. "Hishtl" I at last cried. “ Get thee gone, brute. Away, and fill thy stomach with mice, as from the sound of thy voice it must be as hollow as a.d.run." Then I hit at it with a switch, but while eluding my blowa the cat still kept close at hand, ceasâ€" ing not its mournful wail. Then, as I stood for a moment re- garding the creature with no little surprise at the constancy with which it had attached itself to my person. the poor beast raised 'its eyes to mine with a gaze so full of pathetic mean- ing that at once the conviction forc- ed itself upon my mind that my vindic- tive uncle had changed the form of the beautiful Alzuna into that hideous bone protruding grimalkin. . " Alas, Alzura i” I cried. “ Surely thy sweet nature cannot be embodied in such an ungainly shape. Alas, alas l” and taking the poor creature into my arms, I wept bitterly. Far into the night I caressed and soothed my transformed Alzura, strokâ€" ing her unkempt coat, so that the fur flew into my nostrils ;.permitting her, Without a protest, to sharpen her tal- ons in my limbs, so that they were covered with scratches, and allowing her to crawl all over me, for which I suffered torments on account. of the parasites ‘with which my uncle had not omitted to provide her nlentifully. In deep grief I finally parted from my enchanted lady, determined, how- Iever, to lay the whole case before my uncle on the marrow, and entreat him, With all the eloquence of a desperate lover, to withdraw the spell from one who was completely innocent of any share in her father‘s offence. This intention I sought the earliest opportunity to carry out, but if Ian- ticipated any sympathy or deviation in his cruel purpose I was quickly unâ€" deoeived. When I made known to him my passion for his rival's daughter, and that we had already exchanged .vows of fidelity his distress and sub- sequent rage were fearful to be- hold. First of all, he charged me with the basest ingratitude, pointing out the when he took me under his protection as an orphan little did he imagine that' I would grow up to make common cause with his enemy. It was of no avail that Itriedl to ar- gue the injustice of holding Alzura re- sponsible for her father‘s actions. At the mere mention of Afzul ibn Has- san's name my uncle’s countenance be~ came distorted with fury as he shout- ed at me, “Choose, thou cobra that I have taken into my bosom, between I-Iuassan ibn Afzul, thy hencfac.tor,und Afzui ibn Hassan, my enemy." I truthfully answered that I natur- ally preferred to choose the one from whom I had received so much kindâ€" ness and from whom I anticipated no harm. , ” Then thou wilt swear by the holy Kahlua,” said he sternly, “never more. to speak, or by sign «:ommunimte,with that jade of .Afzul ibn l-Iassan‘s whom thou oallest Alzura." "Sir," I protested, with such onlm~ ness and decision, as I was able to summon to command, " that I cannot do, for she is no jade, hut vm-ily the light of my existence." My uncle threw back his head and laughed derisively, “ Light of thy ex- istence, forsoothl" he cried, “ Thou shalt, in truth, make fuel for her ex- istence, if thou dost not pay heed to my word. " Look you, boy," and he placed a five minute timeglass upon the table between us, “ If before the void and clung to avary bmuch nndi sand hast run out thou hast changer) twig. Ah, of a most fearful. description! Such being our position, it may be assumed that I strove my best to bring about a good understanding betweenlde my uncle. and his rival, pointing out,1m"de- in' so far as .I was able, how his repu- 3'0 tation for generosity would be great- ly enhanced by permitting Afzul ibn Hassan to share in the benefits of his discovery, rather than by using it sole-' ly as a weapon to do the latter fur- ther injury. ~ ' At the mere suggestion my uncle was in turn oonvulsed with laughter, and enraged almost to the point of apar- oxysm. of madness. “ By the heard of the Prophet," he exclaimed, " that is too good a joke! Indeed, thou art a simple youth to suppose that I will endow with the and secret one who, on account of he similarity of our names, trades on my reputation and entices away good paying clients." Then he swore with deep and fearful oaths that Afzui ibn Hassan should realize the full penalty of having call- d, him a cheap and pitiful trickster. he would quickly prove to the world which of the two was the greater mag- man. So be commenced. by transforming Ill Afzul ibn Hossan's chickens each light into enormous frogs, that kept, what; entrancing pigheaded obstin‘acy ii? \Vlll he were those, to be terminated by one! “I611; if not, than thou hndst better, I get thee With all speed out of the land I of Shirazan." I san might have discovered an antidote to my uncle's spell and thus preserv- ed his daughter from the hateful change. But alas! no sooner had I arrived at our. place of meeting than I was wel- comed. by the same plaintive “ Meow," and, with. tail erect, Alzura trotted out from under a bush. At that moment, I remember, Ibeâ€" cnme conscious of a curious shrinking sensation throughout my limbs. Sm:.ll- er and smaller I seemed to become, while each instant Alzura appeared to grow larger and larger until she ver- ily looked to be amonster the size of a house. Then an awful terror seiz- ed my bones, and making one desper- ate spring, little legs to a small crevice in the garden wnll, where I endeavored to hide myself in its furtherest recess. Though I realized it not at the time, my inhuman uncle had, in the furthâ€" erance of his animosity, changcd me into a mouse. so that I might become a supper instead of a husband for the famtshed Alzura. Of the full horror of that night I am unable'to find words to filiingly describe the situation. Conceive your- self, 0 illustrious one, cramped at the inner extremity of a small hole, with two enormous green eyes, appearing as the size of two full“ moons, glaring in with hungry wni'chfulness. Imag- ine, if you are able, the hot breath of a terrible monster, every now and then filling the tiny retreat. and a seemingly gigantic pmw at intervals thrust within almost a hair‘s breadth of your shivering form, in strenuous endeavor to hook you out. Such was my position for seven unâ€" ending hoursâ€"houls that seemed like seven 'dccodes. Toward morningmy senses must have become so si'upcficd with terror that I lost consciousness, until I suddenly found that daylight had come, that I had resumed my criâ€" ginal form and that Alzura was no- where to be seen. I paused, regarding my surroundâ€" ings us a man that has awakened from a horrible dream. Then, as the real- ity of it all was made plain, and a mighty dread of becoming the toy of Alzu-ra's paws took possession of my being, I turned to flee by the first road from my uncle‘s vengeance, when I encountered out friendly astrologer of the garden. . “ \Vhither in such haste f" be asked, accosting me in a kindly tone. I told him briefly of my experience of the previous night, saying that no consideration would induce me to chance a repetition. " Farewell l" I cried, “ and may Allah protect you, I desire to make all haste to a place scâ€" curre from my uncle‘s malicious influ' ence. ” Stay," said he, " You Will not suf- fer a repetition of the last night's en- chantment, for I can see that Afzul ibn Hassan is even now successfully working a spell to counteract your unâ€" nlp‘s designs. In any case, I will give you a talisman to render you proof against his charm." and he handed me a. dark, transparent stone, upon which was engraved a verse from the Koran "I have given Alzu-re a similar charm to protect her also,” he concluded. I thanked him profusely, and, feeling assured by his assertion that the stone would protect us both from further misfortune. awaited without fear the events of the night to come. Now it happened that Afzul ibn Hassnn. work- ing upon the same problem. which my , uncle had solved, himself that day dis‘ 'covered the secret of night metamor- phosis and resolved to change my un- lcle into a rat at the some time that my uncle determined to transform his rival into an animal of the same spe- cies, so that when night fell both magi- cians found themselves suddenly con~ fronting each other in the shapes of two vermin with all their hatred retained. Apparently a mutual recognition took place simultaneously, and, their brute instincts gaining the mastery over their cunning and discretion, they at once set upon each other with a fulry born of years of jealousy and re- crimination. Ah, Allah! how those beasts foguhtl With their sharp teeth they tore he flesh from. each other‘s bones, they squealed in their rage'and fixed their jaws in each other's throats, until, in a shout space, the lives of both were cxterminated. . \Vhy dilate further? The story is finâ€" lished, Alzura, when her grief for ,her father’sdeath had subsided and the required period of mourning under- gone, yielded to my entreaties, to per- mit me to fill his place as her protoc- tor. Iestablished myself in a business in the principal bazaar of Shirazan, l where we together enjoyed many years of great happiness and prosperity, be- ing often visited by the friendly as- trologer who had assisted us to that end. “4â€"”...â€" WIIY IIE DIDN’T G0. At a. Scottish fair afarmcr was lryu "Sir," said I, respectfully, but. with mg to engage sled to assist' on the odness, for which I shall ever re- main grateful, but to renounce Alzura is out of the question." My uncle gazed at me inquiringiy termination, " my choice is already farm. but would not fillLShl the bar- I thank you for all your past gain u-ntilhe brought a character from the last place; so he said: Run and get it and meet me. at the ' cross-roads at four o‘clock. The youth was there i-nl good time, for a moment, as if be yet doubted mndi the farmer said: my resolution, than replied :-â€"“ Listen, repent of thy purpose, when. if thou Well, have you got your character ‘I! will yet give thee until sundown to with you? Na, replied the youth, but I've got still persistest to thwart my will, look yours, and I'm no' comin'. to thy safety boy, or I may remember thee in a manner of which thou dost not- even dream." Then, '«with a motion of his hand, he waved me from his presence. Much depressed in spirits I left my uncle’s house, determined nevertheless that come what ill fate might Iwould remain faithful to Alzura. During the remainder of that day I wandered without purpose up and down the bazaars, so preoccupied with the dismal outlook that I passed by friends and acquaintances without re- turning their salutations and stared aimlessly at objects which left no im- print upon my mind. 80 toward evening I took my way in the direction of the rose garden, faintly hoping that Afzul ibn Has- . _._._. l‘.() ERS GOOD FISHE RMEN. The Boer is no mean fisherman. Given a pipe and a goodly supply of his favorite weed he will sit. for hours angling. Very fine sport, indeed, may be had in any of the streams north of the Orange River. YOU'D DO THE SAME. At 8 p.m.. the gaslight's gleam Reveals young Cholly Smart, He’s) calling on his lady1 fairâ€"i They sit this far apart. Al 10 o'clock the question’s. popped, Their souls are filled with bliss, If we could peep we’d see the t they Aresittingcioselikethis. v-hv’”. g... I scuttled away on four; Wiesle ‘ . g A Convioi’s Dress 6 A Lady Enter-tamed Him Unnwares, - but Did Not Care to Visit Him and Eli: Wife Afterward. r. BY 13. r. CMSSWELL. ‘ ‘7 COWY‘WM. 1899.byBcatrico F. Creamed. 5%; iii grammmmmmmmmmm l thought my cousin. Annie Rigwell. would have made me more welcome when I came to stay with her at her Dartmoor . farm. 1 had been ill: change of air was recommended. so i ofl’cred myself to my cousin. in that fashionable manner. as a “paying guest," and I must admit that after a long. hilly drive to Brackworthy I thought she surely would be glad of so- ciety in so isolated a spot. But her Welcome was not of the hearty kind I expcctcd from a west country woman. She grectcd me without enthu- siasm. l observcd that we were almost strangers to one another. and she made no profcssions of wishing we might be | better acquainted. . “You'll find us very dull and lonely here. Flori-is." she said. “You won‘t want to stay long.” _ During the days that followcd she often ' asked me if i were not getting tired of the place. in a style suggcsting that she would not be sorry if I left. One morn~ l ing she obscrvcd to me: “I am expecting a visitor hcrc. Flori'ie. He may come any day, I’m not sure of a particular time. it .â€"it is a gentleman who is coming to see the farm. You know l am selling the place. I intcud going to America." it was the first time I had heard of any of her plans, and I obscrvcd with what difficulty she now spoke of them. One morning. a‘ few days afterward, she said she must drive into the town for business and would be absent all day. I might be lonely, added she. Would I not come with her? ’ “Oh, I've plenty to amuse myself with," I answered. “i shnn’t feel dull. and who ‘ knows?-â€"-your possible purchaser may turn up. and I can show him the farm. What's his name, in case he should turn up?" said 1. just to tease her. “His name? Hartlnnd," she answered. in a suppressed tone. ' I watched her drive away, our maid beside her. Eliza could not understand 1 was staying at home for my own pleas- ure and tried to cater for my amusement before she left. “One 0’ they convicts from Prince’s 'Town’s escaped.” she said to me, when Annie was out of the way. “'Tis all here in the paper. 1'” leave it for you to read. since you're not able to come with us, Miss li‘lorrie.” She thrust a dirty local paper, some two days old. into my hand. and then ran after Annie. who was calling her. After they left I read the account of the convict's escape with ‘no particular interest. It was written in a sensational style. giving a graphic description of the man, Jim Phipps, who was under [ sentence of 25 years for manslaughter under such doubtful circumstances that it secmedalmost like murder. Later in the morning some one opened the gate. I saw a tall, good looking man, clean shaved, with something in his ap- pearance that suggested an actorâ€"l knew not whyâ€"~carrying a knapsack over his shoulders. » ' “Miss Rigwell athome?" he asked, when I opened the door. “No. My cousin has gone to Ashburton and won't be home till late." Then sud- denly remembering who this must be, I added. “Are you not Mr. Hartland? We I Were expecting you. My cousin was so g sure you would not come while she was away. But Icun show you the farm." I offered to dispose of his knapsack, but he would not part with it. All my impor- tunities only served to make him slip it from his shoulders, lay it on the table and lean one elbow on it. while he ate the luncheon I had prepared for him. Had Dartmoor the effect of making peo- ple tncituru? thought I. “I’m sure you must be busy,” he pres- ently said. “Don't let me hinder. you. I'll take a walk round the farm and have a look at the place." Evidently he did not care for my so- ciety, i reflected. He was very willing to leave me. Some men would have invited me for a stroll, or have staid to enter- tain me since he knew I was alone. Mr. I-Iartland's behavior did not p‘répossess me in his favor. i finished some letters, made some do- mestic preparations and then thought of looking for my guest. Out of the back door I glanced over the moor, where no tree or obstruction hindered the view for miles. I saw Mr. Hartland about a quarter of a mile from the house, where a brawlng stream dashed down the hill. But what was he doing? Evidently he had found a spade, for he seemed to be digging a big pit where the soil near the stream was soft and deep. What ne‘extraordinary per- formancel l crept up to him, stop by stop, my footfalls making no sound on the soft turf. He neither heard nor saw my ap- proach. The inseparable knapsack was beside him open, and it did not take long to dis- cover thnt Mr. Hartlund was burying something. It was a convict‘s dress! The stronger was no man of business, but an escaped criminal! In an instant I remembered the news- paper description. Jim Phipps was tail, gof gentlenmnly appearance and a man 'of good education. An involuntary ex~ clamstion escaped me. The man turned round and saw me there. Never'buve I seen anything like the expression of his face. ' “W’hat brought you here?” he fiercely cried, seizing me by the wrist. “I came to see-to see"â€" I gasped. _ “What I was doing. Fatal curiosity, of course. The curse of mother Eve is on all you women." “'21s it fatal curiosity? WOuld he'mur- 7 der me and bury me with the clothes? I ltremolml like u {car and dated 895' will!" ing. ' , “Will you held your tongue?" hedo- needed- - a... ..._. __ l “Yndeed. indeed I will," I cried. “I will 5:1,. nu word to any one." , “You can help me," he grimly remark- ed. “Is there no quicklime on the farm?" “1 think so." 1 replied. “Then fetch me some as soon as you can." I returned to the farm yard, found what was required and brought it in a. basket. He shook it over the clothes that he had placed in the pit. “You understand that you have helped me?" he said. "If those clothes are found, you are responsible. and you will have to answer any inquiries the police may make." Shouldering the spade, he trudged into the house. I shall never forget the strange horror of that afternoon. I sat pretending to work; my visitor dozcd over a magazine in the back of the parlor. We made no attempt to converse. Now and then he looked up, usually when the clock struck. I think he found the time as long as I. did. His danger was not yet passed; he must have chafed at the sunshine of the long summer day. Wheels sounded on I the road at last. i l l l l I l i 1 l 1 “My cousin is comingback," said I. .“VVell, you know who I am,” replied my companion, Without moving. “Go and tell her Mr. Hurtland is here." _ I went into the passage and told An- nie. She shook. swn'Wl. caught the wall with her" hand. I Could not comprehend her agitation. f‘I-Icre. and l away!” she cried. “I guesscd rightly that he might come,” I said. “Do you know him by sighll Annie?" “Of course I do.” Then she would know this man was not Hartlund. I wondered why he had had the audacity to stay. But Annie had entered the parlor and greeted the man with three words. ' “You are come,” she said. “I have come." he answered, ndding~ and I thought he looked significantly at me as he spokeâ€"“your cousin has taken good care of me." _ I don’t know what Annie replied. She soon left the room. and Mr.‘ Hartland followed her. If he had gone with the ln~ tention of murdering her, I had no power to stop him. My nerves were utterly shaken. Whether she was gone a long or short time i could not say. but Annie camc back-alone. “VVhere’s Mr. Hartlandi’” I said. “He left," she carelessly replied. The over-strain was too much for me and l burst into tears. , “It has been so lonely,” I sobbed in ex- cuse. “and I don’t like strangers.” Annie was very kindâ€"kinder than I had yet known herâ€"and when I went to bed she came and brought me mulled cider. I drank the stuff. but I did not like it. It tasted funny. and. though I slept. it was with feverishdrcams, and presently I awoke hot and restless and could sleep no more. ' A farmhouse stirs early, but the sounds that morning seemed earlier than usual. I rose and looked out of my window. It was neither dark nor dawn, and on the read below stood a cart and horse. , Two people left the farm. I watched them get into the cart and drive away They were‘ Annie and Mr. Hartland. O O I fi . ii . More than 18 months after I had left Brackworthy l heard from my cousin Annie, then in America: Dear Florrieâ€"I and my husband feel that m owe you some explanation for an nflnir you can- not liavc forgotten. The man whose convict clothes you helped to bury was my husband. Never mind about his so called crime. In my eyes he is innocent, for never was a man killed who deserved death more than he who met his death at my husband's hands. 'When I knew .Jim’s sentence, I Look Brackwortliy farm on pur- pose. if possible, to help him.. Our marriage be- ing secret, I was the better able to do this. Other clothes were placed where Jim could find them on the moor, a hiding place provided at Brock- worthy whenever he should be able to get there. The rest you know. Pardon my lnhospltaiity. I had no thoughts while you were with the save for Jim. Pray forgive him also the (right he caused you. It was necessary for his safety to intimidate you into silence. Come and see us here, where we are safe and happy, and we will promise you I. warm welcome. I was glad to learn the truth of that trying-expcricnce, but 1 have not cared to avail myself of Cousin Annie's invita- tion. ~ Sleeping His Life Away. “There goes the happiest man in the borough," said a Nori-istown barber. pointing out of the window to a little, elderly man. dressed gayly, who walked with his eyes fixed complacently on his new but old fashioned yellow shoes. - “That fellow," continued the barber, “became rich suddenly, after a life‘ of. hard, uninterrupted work. Now that he has money, he knows of nothing better to do than sleep. He sleeps all the time. and it is ruining his health. In the morn- ing he comes down to breakfast at his boarding house, messes with the food a. little, and then, as soon as his bed is made. skates up stairs for a snooze. At dinner he tries hard to eat, but his appe- tite is bad. He plays with his food and blows to the other boarders about the fine naps he takes while they are workâ€" ing hard, and if‘thcy pretend to be enâ€" vious he shows that he is delighted. Of course he sleeps all the afternoon. but at night. although he denies this. it is well known that be rests poorly. “I suppose lt'is better it you are rich to ruin your health by sleeping too much rather than by drinking or dissipating in the other ways, but just to sleep seem: to me a foolish thing (0 do, because when you sleep all the time you might as well be dead." ' Wrangell. “You bust excuse be this credig, lea Billigad," said Mr. Addleiihwuite, “if by speech is it little thin ', for I have a berth- blo cold id by head." “I see you have, " Miss Milligau re- plied, "and that reminds me that you ought by all means to call on Sue Bailing- t‘on while you are in your present condl tion.” “Why so, Blss Bilii'gadl‘” “She told me the other day that she war sure you had nothing in your hand. Now you can prove that she nutdo a mistake.” buwveland handler. m4- .â€"â€"_..â€"..â€"-

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