Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-11-21

Karamani- -og lou bought the ring-a
most gorgeous one-and returning safe
and sound to Algiers, entered the court
yard of his own house just in the cool of
the evening. Fathma, his wife, was
standing in the inner porch. She looked
younger and more beautiful than ever
but she was dandling sturdy, curly
heady little boy, some two years old
and all at once a golden arrow shot
through the heart Of the cloth merchant
and a silver voice cried, ''Karamani
ouglou, you have a son! The deligh-
ted mussulman rushed forward his
face was balhed with tears of Joy. 81
have son l'' he grasped. "You have,
o Oglou p replied his blushing spouse.
He held out his arms for the precious
burden; he covered his child with kiss
es he called him whole vocabularies of
endearing names; when all at once he
heard peal of laughter that sounded
like the mirth of ten thousand diins,
afrits, and ghoulhs; and looking up saw
Fathma, his wife, dancing about the
court yard in her baggy trowsers, and
shaking the strings of sequins in her heir.
From her had eminated the djin-like
laughter, and she was crying "Yadace;
Karamina-oglou! o my lord va
dace o my caliph Yadace ! o my
effendi Yadace! Yadace Yadace
Thou saidst not, 'Fi bali = when thou
tookest the child from my arms, 'Ya-
dace ="
"Go to Eblis % roared the enraged
Karamani-oglou, letting the boy fall flop
upon the pavement of the court, where
he lay bowling, with nobody to pick him
up.
From the foregoing, and especially
from the following anecdote, it would ap-
pear that it is the highest degree dam
gerous TO play at yadace with your wife.
Hassan-el-Djeninah was, thirty years
since, vizier and chief favorite to the Pa
sha of the Oudjak of Constantine. He
was the fattest man in the pachalic, and,
more than that, was reckoned to be the
most jealous husband in the whole of
Barbary. 1t is something to be the most
jealous in land where all husbands are
jealous. Gay young mussulman sparks
trembled as they saw Hassan-el l-Djenin-
ah waddle across the great square of
Constantine, or issue from the barber's,
or enter coffee house. He walked
slowly, and with his legs very wide
apart. His breath was short, but his
yataghan was long, and he could use it.
Once, and once only, he had detected
young Byejzade, Ibrahim-el-Majki, sac
rilegiously attempting to accost his wife
as she came from the bath, and having
even the hardihood to lift corner of
her veil. "Allah Akbar God is great!"
Hassan the vizier was wont to say, pul
ling from a green silk purse in his girdle
silver skewer, upon which appeared to
be three dried up, shriveled oysters
''This is the nose, and these the ears of
Ibrahim' el-Majki.'' Whereupon the be-
holders would shudder, and Hassan-el-
Djeninah would replace his trophies in
his girdle and waddle away.
Hassan had four rwives,-Zouluki Kah-
noun, Suleima Khanoum, GAIA Kha-
noun and Seila Khanoum. Khanoum.
be it understood, means Lady, Madame,
Donna, Signora. Now if Hassan-el-
Djeninah was jealous of his wives, they,
you may be sure, were jealous of each
other-save poor Leila, the youngest
wife, { the poor child was only sixteen
years old, who was not of a jealous dis
position at all but who, between the en-
Wy of her sister wives. who hated her,
and the unceasing watchfulness of her
husband, who loved her with inconven-
lent fondness. led q terrible life oft. He
would suffer her. but no one else, to fill
his pipe, to adjust the jeweled mouth
piece to his lips. and to tickle the soles of
his feet when he wished to be lulled to
sleep. He would loll for hours upon the
cushions of his divan, listening while she
sang monotonous love songs, rocking her
self to and fro the while, and accompany
ing herself upon the little guitar called a
ouoithralh, as it is the manner Of Moor
ish ladies to do. He gave her rich suits
of brocade and cloth of gold he gave
her a white donkey from Spain to ride on
when she went to the bath he gave her
i jewels and Spanish doubloons to twine in
her dresses !; scented tobacco to smoke,
and hennah for her eyelids and finger
nails finally, he condescended to play
with her for practical stake-nothing
less than the reputation of the other
three wives, and the settlement of all his
treasures upon her first born-at yadace
At the same time, as | have observed,
he was terribly jealous other, and watch
ed her, night and day, with the patience
Of beaver, the perspicuiiy ofa lynx, the
cunning of fox, and the ferocity of a
wolf.
He kept spies about her He bribed
: the tradesmen with whom she dealt, and
the attendants at the ba-hs she frequen-
ted. He caused the menfonce, or little
round aperture in the wall of the queu5-
lou, or alcOve of her apartment, (which