The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-01-17
An AwKwARD SITUATION.
4 Newspaper Correspondents in the East
Receives aD Embarrassing Present.

This IS what happened 10 the Nice cores
pOndcnt OF the London Standard when
lately travelling in the Balkan peninsula:
Close to this ruin lies the only new thing
the great village can show-a Circassian
colony. which guards the entrance into the
pass To the east 4 snow storm, which ST
such height is not without danger, com
pelled US to begin our night at 2 O'Clock in
The day-that is, n stay at the khan, whose
only room was scarcely six feet high, with
window pasted over with paper, not even
oiled TO make it more transparent.
Only 10 find a place to sit down in we
had 70 light the candles we brought with us.
The situation was anything but agreeable,
especially when more and more guests were
driven into the house by the storm, and we
were packed as close as herrings. But my
deliverance soon came. In the village the
news rapidly spread that a Frank had ar
rived, and under the preteDse Of drinking
eoffee one Turk after another dropped in.
Among the curious was also q Grcassian,
and he was not little pleased TO find his
old comrade in the war; the "lngliZ" In
the greatest haste he ran 10 the colony, and
soon a deputation of Circassians appeared 10
invite me, of course by signs, 10 go to the col
| ony. I was glad enough 10 accompany them,
and was taken 10 the house of the director OF
/ the community. Outside it did not differ
much from the straw -thatched cottages
round it, but the interior looked cOnifOrta-
| BILE from the carpets spread about. | was
| regaled first with coffee. and then with warm
milk, in which coarse maize bread had been
| crumHed, the ordinary food OF the Circas-
SLAMS. [ was in good spirits, and patiently
! bore the somewhat rough hand shakings
which one after another OF my old COM
rades gave me; little did | dream that the
/ greatest embarrassment of my whole life
| awaited me. ! do not know exactly what
! happened, as we could only exchange a few
| substantives and in6nitives with each other;
| ! only remarked that the old men of the
| community were having lively discussion
and frequently looked in my direction.
| They then went out, and one man soon re-
| appeared; behind him pretty young girl OF
| about Ii, who squstted at my feet, and did
| not venture 10 look at me. The gestures of
! the old man plainly indicated that the girl
! was to be mine. In my youth L have GER
tainly rayed about Circassian slaves. but now
| | am too old TO appreciate their value And
! then, not to speak of my being married
mani was on my way home, and could
/ not take the girl home with me. All
! Circassian girls are brought up in the
lhope Of entering the herein OF the sultan or
else of q paeha, and so living in the midst
of an imaginary splendor, and accordingly
they feel unhappy in simple life. One OF
my acquaintance, a major, bought Cir
| cassian many years ago, it being tse fashion
| then to have at least one; but she tormented
| him with complaints of pretended depriv-
| ations and outbreaks OF jealousy TO such a
degree that he was obliged to get rid OF her.
| refused, with great politeness, the offer
made 10 me, but the man replied to ME in
| dignantly-what be said OF course do not
I know. rave him to understand that had
| not money enough to buy the girl, but again
! received an indignant reply, which seemed
| to indicate that the whole parish made me a
present of the girl and paid her father for
\ her And with that the old man went away
and left me alone with the girl. The
snow storm had maze me so
| dead tired that I Immediately fell
| asleep, quite regardless of my COM
panion. When awoke the girl was squat
| ted in the same place. but had fallen asleep,
| and her fair head rested on the divan. /
| drew out my little dictionary and turned
| over the Leaves TO find some word TO help
me, or saving thought-in vain! The girl
| awoke, looked at me shyly and entreatingly,
4 and kissed my feet; it set med as IL she had
no greater longing than to be released from
| the smoky mud house that served her as
/ home She went out and brought me some
COFFEE, which slowly slipped. thinking all
rfe time of some way out of the difficulty.
| | could think of none, but Ibrahim watched
over me- He had learned a great deal dur
\ ing the week he spent in German lodgings
in Nish, and was able to judge of my posi-
/ ton. Armed with good dose of common
sense he might have said to me what the
shepherd said to the bishop in the old Scot
| tsh ballad
-What you. learned man, with gold have not
gained,
That have long ago from my good mother
D. learned"
He represented to the Circassian. az
learned through the dragoman at Bazard-
chik. that | had no house in Stamboul,
would only remain few days there, and SO
could not take the girl with me, but that
t.should return, and would then take her
tYith me to Nish. The Circassian agreed tO
Ithat, and we parted the best Of friends, only
that my right shoulder was almost dislo-
Gated from the hearty hand-shakings.
II Casey Master Of the situation,
trWashin0ton nisDatch tn Cincinnati Enonirer