The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-06-27
THE GHOST SEER.
A Story of the East.


A story of the East.
1t was in the Mohammedan or lunar
month of Sha 'aban, which that year cor
responded pretty nearly with our Deem
her, and which, as preceding the thirty
days yearly fast of Ramadham, is in
some measure festive time for the fol-
lowers of the Prophet, sort of Kaleed-
Zadeh, to give him his name in full, had
set up one night till rather late in one of
the cofee-houses-here the ordinary
social resorts-of the quarter, amusing
himself after the fashion of the country,
by playing backgammon with friend of
his own age and position, and chatting
on the ordinary topics of the time.
When the coffee-house had to be closed,
little before midnight, they were the
last to leave it and before parting for
the night, they agreed to meet early by
the first dawn at the public bath close
by, and afterwards to go together into
town upon some business which they
had arranged in common. They then
separated. Osman went home and to
bed, intending to be up before daybreak,
and join his friend at the bath. But in
the middle of his sleep he was suddenly
awakened by sharp knocking at the
door. Getting up quickly, and opening
1t to see what was the matter, he beheld,
standing outside, what he supposed to
be his companion of the evening before,
with lantern in his hand The night
was still, warm, and overcast with low,
misty clouds, as nights are often here
during the winter solstice, cold and
storm rarely setting in before mid
January. "What has brought you
here so early ?" he asked cit is not
yet near morning." GLOW so ?" re-
piled the other, Z" the dawn has already
broken, only tbs cloudy and dark. If
We do not make haste we shall fad the
bath crowded with people, and have
ever SO long to wait for our turn. Be-
sides, the sooner the better. Get your
things on and come" Hearing all this,
Osman supposed that he must have over
slept himself, and was really behind
time. SO he slipped quietly back into
the house, dressed himself, and came
out His friend was still waiting for
him, lantern in hand, at the door.
No one else was up and stirring as
they passed along the narrow lanes, now
doubly dark with overshadowing trees,
talking Familiarity as they went, till they
CANE out on the little open space close
by the coffee-house where Osman had
spent the evening, where stands noble
plane tree, and opposite, beyond, is the
low, dark entrance of the bath they were
going to. But on one side the view
opens out across the Xexnos ravine to
the battlement walls of the castle op.
posite and beyond these again rises
high i'll air the tall stone minaret or
mosque, once a byzantine church, and
now the principal place of Mohammedan
worship within the limits of the old for
titled town.
Here they stopped to breathe the fresh
AIR a moment after the close, sitting
lanes. 1t was murky night. Osman
looked east, but there was no hint of
dawn there only the tapering outline
of the minaret was traced family white
against the blackness of the sky. Glow
far off it looks in the dusk, and how
high - he exclaimed. How far off,
nor so very high, NEITHER" said the
other, in a strange, altered voice, that
made his companion start. "Suppose
we just light it up-shall II" And
without waiting for an answer he
stretched out his arm, which suddenly
heightened right across the valley be-
fore them, the city walls and the houses
beyond, till it reached the minaret and
hung the lantern on the pointed sum-
init, where it remained suspended, gilt
tering Like star in the gloom.
Terrified at the sight, Osman turned
TO ask-but his companion had vanished,
and he was all alone under the plane
tree in the silent night. Without wait
ing foC more, he hurried back as best
he might to his own house, entered, and
threw himself, dressed as he was, upon
the bed. His wife woke up and in
quired what had happened to him
where he had been. He gave some
eyasive answer, and then lay quiet, pre-
tending to go to sleep, and wishing for
the morning.
Only few minutes had thus passed,
when rap it came to the door again.
Osman turned deaf year at first but
when it was repeated his wife awoke,
and, not suspecting what had occurred
before, begged her husband to get up
and see who was outside. Ashamed to
own either his fears or their cause, Os-
man reluctantly rose, left the room, and
opened the house door. There, sure
enough, stood his friend-or the SEM
biance of his friend-lantern in hand, |
waiting. Who are you ?" asked Os-
man. The other stared. "Why, do |
you not know me ?" said he. "Were !