The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-05
AN AUATOLIAN sPECTRE-sTORY

It was in the Mohammedan or lunar
month of Sha'aban, which that year
corresponded pretty nearly with our
December, and which, as preceding
the thirty days yearly fast of Ramad-
han, is in some measure festive time
for the followers of the Prophet, a sort
of carnival before their severe Lent.
Osmand Kaleeb-Zadeh, to give him his
name in full, had set up one night till
rather late in one of the coffee-houses-
here the ordinary social resorts-of the
quarter, amusing himself. after the
fashion of the country, by playing
back CANNON with friend of his own
age and position and chatting on the
ordinary topics of the time. When the
coffee-h house had to be closed, q 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 sep
| arated.
Osman went home and to bed, in
tending to be up before daybreak and
! join his friend at the bath. But in the
middle of his sleep he was suddenly
awakened by a sharp knocking at the
door. Getting up quickly and open
ing it to see what was the matter, he
| beheld standing outside what he sup
posed to be his companion of the even
! ing before, with a lantern in his hand.
The night was still, warm and overcast,
with low, misty clouds, as nights often
are here during the winter solstice,
cold and storm rarely setting in before
mid January. What has brought you
here so early p" he asked. cit is not
yet near morning." "How so ?" re-
piled the other /; '' the dawn has already
broken, only it's cloudy and dark. If
we do not make haste we shall find 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
oversight himself, and was really be-
hind 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 familiarly as they went,
till they came 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 Cf the
| bath they were going to. But on one
side the view opens out across the Xe-
nos ravine to the battlemented walls of
the castle opposite and beyond these
again rises high in the air the tall stone
minaret or mosque, once Byzantine
church, and now the principal place Of
Mohammedan worship within the limits
of the old fortified town.
Here they stopped to breathe the
| fresh air moment after the close, sti-
| fling lanes. 1t was a murky night.
| Osman looked cas-, but there was no
hint of dawn there only the tapering
outline of the minaret was traced faint
! sky. Chow far off it looks In the dusk,
and how high r' he exclaimed. "Not
so far off or so very high neither, "
said the other, in a strange, altered
voice, that made his companion start.
GO Suppose we jRst light it up-shall
| I?" And without waiting for an an
swer, he stretched out his arm, which
suddenly heightened right across the
| valley before them, the city walls and
the houses beyond, till it reached the
minaret, and hung the lantern on the
pointed summit, where it remained sUs-
pended, glittering like a star in the
! gloom. Terrified at the sight, Osman
| turned to ask-but his companion had
vanished, and be was all alone uuder
| the plane-tree in the silent night With
| out waiting for 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
inquired what had happened to him
| where he had been. He gave some
evasive answer, and then lay quiet, pre-
tending to get to sleep, and wishing for
| the morning.
Only a few minutes, however, had
thus passed, when rap it came to the
| door again. Osman turned a deaf ear
at first but when it was repeated his
wife awoke, and, not suspecting what
had occurred before, begged her hus-
| band to get up and see who was outside
Ashamed to own either his fears or
| their cause, Osman reluctantly rose,
! left the room, and opened the house
| door. There, sure enough, stood his
! friend-Or the semblance of his friend
lantern in hand, waiting. "Who are
/ vou?" asked Osman. The other stared
! s'Why, do you not know me ?" said he
''Were we not playing backgammon
! together last evening, and did we not
agree to go to the bath together this
morning? Come along, or We shall be
late the day is breaking" Form,
voice, manner-au were those of his
friend. Osman felt again ashamed to
hint his suspicious so he determined
to put bold face on it, and accompa-
MED the other into the street.
Before they had gone far he himself
learnt to despise his own fears so thor
oughly did the easy and straightfor-
ward talk of the one at his side assure
him that;at this time it was no tricky
phantom but a real living "man and
brother beyond doubt. Still, he re-
Trained from mentioning the incident of
an hour before, lest he should be
laughed at or disbelieved.
They passed the open place, the
plane-tree, and reached the bath. To
their surprise Osman's, at least-its
door sto2d wide open, and the entrance
hall was fully lighted up; yet no one
appeared TO be moving within the
head bath-keepeT's accustomed place
was empty; nor did any attendants
come forward to meet them. But the
bath-wrappers, towels and other requi
sites were already put out; some hung
up some folded in their proper places