Fairy tales (1800)/Ebouli Sina

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THE

STORY

OF

EBOULI SINA.

EBOULI SINA, a sage dervice, had passed the night in the house of a poor woman, who had exercised all the duties of hospitality towards him, he was touched with the unfortunate condition to which she was reduced, and resolving to succour her in her misfortunes, he loosened a stone from out of the wall of the house, and pronounced some words over it, placed it again where it was before, and pierced it with a little pipe, at the end of which he put a cock, then said to the man as ⟨returned⟩ her ⟨his⟩ thanks, and bid her adieu.

My good Mother, whenever you are in want of necessaries turn this cock and draw out as much wine as you please; take the quantity that is necessary for your own use, and cary the remainder to the market. Be assured that the source will never fail, all I exact of you is, not to unloose the stone, nor to look at what I have put behind it. The goodmoman promised she would not, and during some time observed what the holy man had recommended to her. She gathered riches; affluence and plenty soon reigned in her little family, at length curiosity became so strong within her that she submitted to its dictates, she displaced the stone, and found nothing behind it but one single grape; she then replaced it in the same order she found it, but the wine ran no more: Thus was she by satisfying her idle curiosity punished by the same want she before experienced.