Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-09-03
A ~Duusmy Wife,.


esting writer, and who has been "vaga-
bondizing" in Algeria, gives the following |
account of singular addition to the
harem of an Arab chieftain:
They have legend at Con-
stantia tending to show that Arabs cannot
always abstain from looking into show
windows When the Sidi-Abd-er- Rah-
man ben Djellab ruled at Tuggurt, in the
region of the Red Rhir, he was in the
habit of sending messenger occasionally
to Constantine, (then recently occupied
by the French, J to make purchases and
collect news.
| In the process of time he remarked that
| however the accounts of his informants
might vary in other particulars about the
city, they all agreed on one point, viz:
that there was, in certain street at Con-
Stamina, damsel whose beauty surpassed
the most extravagant conceptions of their
most imaginative poets. Now Adder
Rahman- Djellab was at this time IN
depressed state of mind. There was a
vacancy in his heart and harem.
| lie Was u NldOWtI W tu tAtcHl
may be represented by the vulgar fraction
IA; for the favorlte, fairest and latest of
his four wives, Ghazala, " the gazelle,"
who weighed nearly twenty stone, had
just died,
The tales of the Constantinan beauty
excited, first, curiosity, and then warmer
and stronger passion, and he called to
him his major omo, a faithful person and
a man of Judgment, and babe HIM go to
the city of Constantine, and bring back a
true report. And the major-d omo re-
piled, g / hear and obey,n and went, and
returned, and reported, saying" 1t is
true, 0 my master, whal thy servants have
said, and there is no lie In it at all. |
myself have seen her. Her cheeks are
like ripe pomegranates, and her eyebrows
are curved like the branch of the palm
tree, and her hair resembles the tail of FL
Warda, the mare Of the Prophet, whose
name he extolled.
And all day she sits in the window Of
her fathers house, which is indeed mean
casket for so bright jewel, and stead
lastly regards the persons who pass by
smiling in manner that deprlves the
holder of reason.
Then the heart of Adder Rahman was
inhamed, and he gave large sum il
a douros to the major domo, and told him t.
/ 90 to Constantine, and bring back tn
: damsel at any cost. And the major -dom
: departed, and went to the house of tn
. damsel's father, and finding the father a
: the door of the house he mentioned hi
h mission, and explained that he came o
the part of mighty prince of the sout
to demand in marriage his daughter tn
N fair damsel who habitually sat in the wiz
r dow smiling, and that he was prepared
1t offer handsome marriage portion.
OF Whereupon the father was much PEE
N picked, for indeed he had no daughte
a. He was only hairdresser from Ma
in settles, who cut for the officers of the ga
t. rison, and curled for their wives and IL
of damsel was but dummy, wax wor
is figure which he had placed in his windo
d. as an indication of his profession. B
re the malor-domo was a man OF liter
turn of mind, and as he had been instructt
under severe penalties not to return wit
w. out the damsel. he brought the image, al
= it became one of the chief ornaments
S,' his masters harem. And Adder Rahma
49, ben-Dlellab, who was man OF pleasa
u 10 humor and also of vast matrimonial EXP
~ rience has been heard to say-so the sto
w goes-that there were worse wives, so
III as peace and quietness were concerne
than the enc he got from Constantine.