The Sultan awoke with a stifled scream:
His nerves were shocked by a fearful dream:
An omen of terrible import and doubt--
His teeth in one moment all fell out.
His wisemen assembled at break of day,
And stood by the throne in solemn array.
And when the terrible dream was told,
Each felt a shudder, his blood ran cold,
And all stood silent, in fear and dread,
And wondering what was best to be said.
At length an old soothsayer, wrinkled and gray,
Cried, "Pardon, my lord, what I have to say;
"'Tis an omen of sorrow sent from on high:
Thou shalt see all thy kindred die."
Wroth was the Sultan; he gnashed his teeth,
And his very words seemed to hiss and seethe,
As he ordered the Wiseman bound with chains,
And gave him a hundred stripes for his pains.
The wisemen shook as the Sultan's eye
Swept round to see who next would try;
But one of them, stepping before the throne,
Exclaimed, in a loud and joyous tone:
"Exult, O head of a happy state!
Rejoice, O heir of a glorious fate!
"For this is the favor thou shalt win,
O Sultan--to outlive all thy kin!"
Pleased was the Sultan, and called a slave,
And a hundred crowns to the wiseman gave.
But the courtiers they nod, with grave, sly winks,
And each one whispers what each one thinks,
"Well can the Sultan reward and blame:
Didn't both of the wisemen foretell the same?"
Quoth the crafty old Vizier, shaking his head,
"So much may depend on the way a thing's said!"
[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]
_To our Young Friends:_
As we can not expect to receive letters from you until you have been
notified of the existence of our Post-office Box, we open the
correspondence by writing to you, and asking you to think of us in the
future. We should like to hear from you upon any subject which may
interest you. If you have any questions to ask regarding your studies or
your reading, we shall take great pleasure in advising you; or should
you desire any information which you can not obtain from books within
your reach, we will do our best to aid you. We shall also be glad to
hear about your sports, your pets, or about any curious thing in nature
which may come under your observation.
You must bear in mind that your communications must be very brief,
because there are so many of you that we can not give a great deal of
space to any one. We will endeavor to be kind and attentive to each and
all alike.
It is very easy in these times to send letters in Uncle Sam's big
mail-bag; and when you write on your neat, delicate note-paper, and put
the pretty postage-stamp on the right-hand corner of the envelope,
perhaps you never think of the way your great-grandparents went to work
when they wanted to send a letter. First they took a very large square
sheet of coarse blue paper, or, if they were young ladies and
fancy-minded, one with a bright tint of pink or yellow. As postage was
high, when they had written the pages full, straight across, they would
turn the sheet sideways, and write at right angles to the other lines,
and then corner-wise, perhaps, with a different-colored ink. There were
no envelopes in those days, and the sheets had to be ingeniously folded,
so that no curious postmaster could pry into family secrets. There was
always a portion of the last page left blank, to form the outside of the
letter, which, after being folded and directed, was sealed with a big
red wafer. It was then ready to be started off the next time the
stage-coach came through the town, for there were no railroads in those
days, and often the mail-bag was carried miles and miles on horseback
through wild regions where now the steam-engine whirls along with its
long train of cars.
It was not necessary in those days to prepay the postage, which was much
dearer than it is now. There were no postage-stamps, and big figures
were written or stamped on the outside of the letter to denote the cost
of transportation. In those times it often took weeks to send a letter
to places where now only a day is required.
Do any of you know the name of the man who first thought of the great
benefit cheap postage would be to the world, and can you tell something
about the great work he accomplished in that direction, and when and
where he died?
Our Post-office Box is now open for your contributions, which we trust
will be neatly and correctly written, because an editor's eyes have a
great deal of important work to do, and ought not to be employed in
deciphering illegible writing.
Trusting that our acquaintance may be pleasant and lasting, the editor
bids you welcome to the pages of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE.
[Illustration: THE ORPHANS.]
[Illustration: FUN]
A Boy who is not fond of fun and frolic may possibly make a tolerable
man, but he is an intolerable boy.
* * * * *
An Irish lover remarked that it is a great pleasure to be alone,
"especially whin yer swateheart is wid ye."
* * * * *
If a man's horses should lose their tails, why should he sell them
wholesale?--Because he can't retail them.
* * * * *
"I'd just like to see you," said a blind man to a policeman who told him
he would lock him up if he didn't move on.
* * * * *
A little girl of four years was recently called as a witness in a police
court, and in answer to the question what became of little girls who
told lies, innocently replied that they were sent to bed.
* * * * *
When a certain King of England visited Scotland, many years ago, the
following conversation took place between two countrymen: