The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-03-16
SIMPSON OF BUSSORA.
THE STORY OF THE MAN WITH
FOUR WIVES.

One of the quietest and best fellows
ever knew-and have known him al
my life-was Simpson of Bussora. wa,
at school with him hve-and- forty years
ago, and though his house of business
is at distant place, had met him
from time to time during his periodical
visits to this country, and always found
him unchanged-gentle, unassuming,
modest, and orthodox in his opinions.
Our house does IL little business with
him in shawls aud carpets, but our ac-
quaintance is mainly social. My wife
and daughters arc very partial to him,
and delight III his Persian tales, which
are p .cturesque and full of local color.
He brings them little bottles of scent,
which perfume the whole neighbor-
hood, and now and then q scarf that is
the envy of their friends. l never en-
tcrtained any idea of Simpson as SON
i'll law until my wife ut it into my head.
He lived too far away for me to picture
him in such relation, and though l
knew he had made money, l did not
think he had made enough to return
home and settle. His income was u
very handsome one; but living at Bus
sora, he had given me to understand,
was dear, and did not admit of much
saving. Above all, Simpson struck mo
as by no means marrying man. When
ever the subject of matrimony was
mooted, he always smiled in that dry,
cynical way which proclaims the Goa
tirmed bachelor. Household matters
did not interest him; he did not take
much to children; he would smoke until
the small hours of the morning, and
raise his eyebrows when one said it was
late, and perhaps ones wife might be
sitting up. He would say, Greatly :"
as though such an idea as ones wife sit.
ting up for one was preposterous, but
could never concern him.
1 need not go into the causes which
led to my conversing with Simpson on
the subject of matrimony. Suffice it to
say that did not do so of my own free
will. had received instructions from
my wife to " sound" Simpson on the
matter, with relation to some "ideas 1"
that she had got into her head with re-
spect to our second daughter, Jane, and
I" to hear was to obey" as they say at
Bussora.
"My dear Simpson," said I, as We
were cracking our walnuts together
VI,
" / often wonder why man like you,
with large income and a fine house,
as you describe your home to be at Bus
sora, has never married. 1t must be
rat. er wretched living out there ali
alone"
Well, it would be, no doubt" said
Simpson, in his quiet way. "But. Lord
bless you! I've been married these
twenty years"
You might have knocked me down
with feather. Married these twenty
years You astonish me. Why, how
was it you never spoke about it 2"
" Oh, don't know; 1 thought it
wouldn't interest you. She was Per
sian, you know. If she had been n
European, then I should have told you
ga Persian wife! Dear me-" said ],
chow funny it seems !" 1 said
"funny," but at the same time all the
suspicious that entertained respecting
travellers and persons who abjure civili-
zation crowded into my mind. "Now,
what color, my dear Simpson, if 1 may
put the question without impertinence,
are your children p
"Well, we've got no children" said
Simpson, in his usual imperturbable
tone. "We never had any,"
L don't quite know why, bat somehow
or other L thought this creditable to
Simpson. 1t was very wrong in him to
have married Persian, perhaps fire
worshiper, or at best Mohammedan,
but it was comfort to think that the
evil had, so to speak, stopped there.
To think of Simpson with heap of part
ly-colored children, processing, perhaps,
their mothers outlaadish faith as they
grew up, would have been painful to me,
in connection with the fact that Simpson
was at that moment under my roof, the
same roof with my wife and daughters,
and that was the church warden of our
district church. forsook at once the
particular subject of Simpsons wife to
discuss the general subject of rolygamy.
"The Persians have more wives than
one, have they not 2" inquired l..
Those who can afford it have" said
he; "but it is not so usual as you may
imagine"
ST need not ask how SO profigate
system must needs work, said /. 1t
is domestic failure, of course 2"
You need not ask the question, as
you say" replied Simpson, cracking o
walnut. But if you do ask. am
bound to say it is so far like marriage in
this country-it is sometimes domestic
failure and sometimes not. Perhaps it
requires more Judgment in selection;
you have not only to please yourself, |!
You know, but to please your other I
wives"
Goodness gracious I" said /, show
coolly you talk about it 1 nope no
European who happens to be resident !