Oh, poor man! you complain of your lot, and with justice; for your
labor is not that of a man, but is as heavy as that of a beast of
burden. Now I have made a wager that I shall find a contented man; so
give me the handle of your plough and the goad of your oxen, that I
may do the work for you."

The peasant consenting, the devil touched the oxen and in one turn of
the plough all the furrows of the field were opened up and the work
finished.

"Is it well done?" asked the devil.

"Yes," replied the man, "but seed is very dear this year."

In answer to this, the devil shook his long tail in the air, and lo,
little seeds began to fall like hail from the sky.

"I hope," said the devil, "that I have gained my wager."

"Bah," answered the peasant, "what's the good of that? These seeds
might be lost. You do not take into consideration frost, blighting
winds, drought, damp, storms, diseases of plants, and other things.
How can I judge as yet?"

"Behold," said the devil, "in this box are both sun and rain, take it
and use it as you please."

The peasant did so and to very good purpose, for his corn soon ripened
and up to that time he had never seen so good a harvest. But the corn
of his neighbors had also prospered from the rain and sun.

At harvest time the devil came, and saw that the man was looking with
envious eyes at his neighbor's fields where the corn was as good as
his own.

"Have you been able to obtain what you desired?" asked the devil.

"Alas!" answered the man, "all the barns will break down under the
weight of the sheaves. The grain will be sold at a low price. This
fine harvest will make me sit on ashes."

While he was speaking, the devil had taken an ear of corn from the
ground and was crushing it in his hand, and as soon as he blew on the
grains they all turned into pure gold. The peasant took up one and
examined it attentively on all sides, and then in a despairing tone
cried out: "Oh, my God! I must spend money to melt all these and send
them to the mint."

The devil wrung his hands in despair. He had lost his wager. He could
do everything, but he could not make a contented man.

THE EFFECTS OF RAKI

Bekri Mustafe, who lived during the reign of Sultan Selim, was a
celebrated toper, and perhaps at that time the only Moslem drunkard in
Turkey. Consequently, he was often the subject of conversation in
circles both high and low. It happened that his Majesty the Sultan had
occasion to s