over and again.

"Effendis," he cried, turning at last to his friends, and with a joyous
ring in his voice, "I thought I was ruined, but Allah has given me back
my dearest treasure. Do not pity me any more, I am perfectly happy!"

* * * * *

We lost a great deal of our wealth by that fire. Our slaves had escaped,
taking with them all our most valuable things.

Mourad is quite certain that the women had set fire to the house from
jealousy, but instead of regretting our former wealth, he does all in
his power to make up for it by increased attention and care for me, and
his only trouble is to see me waiting upon him.

But whenever he says anything about that I throw my arms around his neck
and whisper, "Have you forgotten, Mourad, my husband, that your Feliknaz
is your slave?"

_The Queer Side of Things._

or

The Story of the King's Idea

[Illustration]

One day the Lord Chamberlain rushed into the throne-room of the palace,
panting with excitement. The aristocracy assembled there crowded round
him with intense interest.

"The King has just got a new Idea!" he gasped, with eyes round with
admiration. "Such a magnificent Idea--!"

"It is indeed! Marvellous!" said the aristocracy. "By Jove--really the
most brilliant Idea we ever----!"

"But you haven't heard the Idea yet," said the Lord Chamberlain. "It's
this," and he proceeded to tell them the Idea. They were stricken dumb
with reverential admiration; it was some time before they could even coo
little murmurs of inarticulate wonder.

[Illustration]

"The King has just got a new Idea," cried the Royal footman (who was
also reporter to the Press), bursting into the office of _The Courtier_,
the leading aristocratic paper, with earls for compositors, and heirs to
baronetcies for devils.

[Illustration]

"Has he, indeed? Splendid!" cried the editor. "Here, Jones"--(the Duke
of Jones, chief leader-writer)--"just let me have three columns in
praise of the King's Idea. Enlarge upon the glorious results it will
bring about in the direction of national glory, imperial unity,
commercial prosperity, individual liberty and morality, domestic----"

[Illustration]

"But hadn't I better tell you the Idea?" said the reporter.

"Well, you might do that perhaps," said the editor.

Then the footman went off to the office of the _Immovable_--the leading
paper of the Hangback party, and cried, "The King has got a new Idea!"