Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/17

 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT.

JOUDER AND HIS BROTHERS.

There was once a merchant named Omar and he had three sons, the eldest of whom was called Salim, the second Selim and the third Jouder. He reared them all till they came to man’s estate, but the youngest he loved more than his brothers, who, seeing this, waxed jealous of Jouder and hated him. Now their father was a man stricken in years, and when he saw that his two eldest sons hated their brother, he feared lest trouble should befall him from them after his death. So he assembled a company of his kinsfolk, together with divers men of learning and assessors of the Cadi’s court, and letting bring all his money and stuff, said to them, ‘O folk, divide ye this money and stuff into four parts, according to the law.’ They did so, and he gave one part to each of his sons and kept the fourth himself, saying, ‘This was my good and I have divided it among them; and now they have no farther claim upon me nor upon each other; so, when I die, no difference shall arise between them, seeing that I have parted the inheritance among them in my lifetime; and this that I have kept shall be for my wife, their mother, wherewithal to provide for her subsistence [after my death].’

A little while after this he died, and neither of the two

VOL. VI.