(Note: When you get to the bottom of the page, press the “page down” key or keystroke equivalent.)

Aladdin

and the Wonderful Lamp

There once lived a poor tailor,

who had a son called Aladdin,

a careless,

idle boy

who would do nothing

but play all day long

in the streets

with little idle boys

like himself.

This

so grieved the father

that he died;

yet,

in spite

of his mother's tears

and prayers,

Aladdin did not mend his ways.

One day,

when he was playing

in the streets as usual,

a stranger asked him his age,

and

if he was not the son

of Mustapha the tailor.

"I am,

sir,"

replied Aladdin;

"but he died a long while ago.”

On this the stranger,

who was a famous African magician,

fell

on his neck

and kissed him saying:

"I am your uncle,

and knew you

from your likeness

to my brother.

Go

to your mother

and tell her I am coming.”

Aladdin ran home

and told his mother

of his newly found uncle.

"Indeed,

child,"

she said,

"your father had a brother,

but I

always thought he was dead.”

However,

she prepared supper,

and bade Aladdin seek his uncle,

who came laden

with wine

and fruit.

He fell down

and kissed the place

where Mustapha used

to sit,

bidding Aladdin's mother not

to be surprised

at not having seen him

before,

as he had been forty years

out

of the country.

He then turned

to Aladdin,

and asked him his trade,

at

which the boy hung his head,

while his mother burst

into tears.

On learning

that Aladdin was idle

and would learn no trade,

he offered

to take a shop

for him

and stock it

with merchandise.

Next day he bought Aladdin a fine suit

of clothes

and took him all

over the city,

showing him the sights,

and brought him home

at nightfall

to his mother,

who was overjoyed

to see her son

so fine.