Our Little Persian Cousin

big bundles of wheat from the field, did not get half as many pokes as usual from the nail pointed stick that took the pl

she could to be the first to tell the news to Abdulla

ughing from joy she clutched this tight in her fist, and almost touched the ground with her forehead

, and the tea urn, or samovar, was soon steaming. His neighbours-all men-came to congratulate

the baby's foot.) "This is light to your eyes!"

hem all small tumblers of tea that was nearly

ief over his eyes and wrapped him up in strips of cotton cloth and a little quilt. He was now lying by his mother. She was thin

charm, Bajee

he needs a charm at once,

he mother; "the Evil Eye will hur

er asking the angels to keep the Evil Eye away, and putting this in a tiny bag she

by girl had come to his house two weeks before. No one had even called to congratulate him. But now her father was getting up a dinner party, and they were roasting

r cried for three days when you were born. B

ead with rice and meat heaped upon it

words had been, "Bajee, be sure to keep the light burning,

as their Bible, and which they called the Koran. No one in that village believed in Jesus Christ in the way in which Christians do,

rightened,

understand, because he was speaking in Arabic, the holy language which Muhammad, the p

he broke into a laugh, at which her father turned and struck her. She went out crying softly. She did not like the mullah. Why had he

ound and around him and under the bottom of the cradle. His arms were tied down, and a calico curtain kept th

oticed him for over a month, because the evil spirit

mney, but only a hole in the middle of the ceiling. At first he cried every time, for the smoke made his eyes smart wit

id Bajee. "Babies al

f them, and they walked all over his face and even into his mouth, but were especially fond of his red eyes a

d take him in her arms for a few minutes, singing, "My dear baby! my sweet baby! You are my father! and the father of my father!" She meant tha