The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-05-18
rLEE1xa FOR HER NOSE n EARS.
An Exceedingly Domestic Nnd Tragic
Domestic Tragedy in Afghanistan.

In the village of Gandamak there lives a
Mahometan mollah, or clergyman, IN
Said Mir, to whose house there came from the
neighboring village Of Petta one kadir, a
potter. The reverend gentleman supplied his
guest with dried mulberries, the only food at
that hour available in the house, after which
the pair sat down on the terrace below the
pomegranate grove winch oVernanSs the
stream to smoke and talk. Said the potter
to the mollah, " | have in my house a daugh,
ter who is beautiful and Of manageable age;
if [ could suitably dispose of her l should
have room in my establishment for another
wife, "Brother potter repliedtlle moliah,
IL can well ieel tor you. l haye myself a
daughter whose face is like the moon, whose
lips are like the seed of the ~pomegranate,
whose hsir is like tangled snakes, but what
availeth all this beauty? Wives are certainly
more useful than daughters" And SO the
tive old reprobates talked the matter over,
till at last 1t was agreed that they should
change daughters and in due time the mol
lah married the potter'S daughter anu the
potter married the mollah'S daughter. Now,
the potter's daughter had not been brought
up with a proper sense of proprlety. anu soon
after her wedding, began to make eyes at the
Young men of Gandamak i'll u manner most
unbecoming to the wife of a clergyman. The
mollah, perceivinS this, cut Oil her nose and
ears and sent her back to her father with all
intimation that he had discovered her in an
act of infidelity for which he had punished
her, and that he now returned her. AS lie had
no further use for her. The potter, in getting
his daughter back mutilated in this horrible
way, was sorely distressed. He argued to
himself thus: "lf the girl goes about the
village in this state the neighbors Will never
cease to twit me about her, and l shall be
known as the father Of the noseless girl.
Such shame is not to be thought Of So he
killed her. Having killed his daughter the
potter was stung with the pangs OF remoise.
He thought to himself, "The mo.lah is a
great brute, and | will be avenged on him.
So he called his wife and said. "Your father
cut off my daughters nose and ears and
forced me to kill her. Now l must have re-
venge, so / shall cut off your nose and ears
and send you back to him." On hearing this
the lady began to cry and begged for a few
days grace. Very WE'LL said the potter,
Il will give YOU till Tomorrow" 1t was IL
O'Clock at nicht, and the potter had fallen into
his deep sleep, when his wife rose noiselessly
and crept out of the cottage into the dark
cold night. She had seen the tents of the
Ferlngis, ant she would go to them for pro-
lection. Well she knew that if she went to
her father he would kill her to avoid a blood
teud with her husband if she went to the
native officials they would take no interest in
her fate and would return her to her husband
with as little compunction as they would re-
turn a stray heiter to the butcher. There
was nothing for her to do but to go to the
Feringi. 1t was a long and difficult strip of
country TO traverse, but fear lent her strength
and speed. She sped miles across the lshpan
plain. she plunged without hesitation into the
icy ford across the Turkab, she climbed with
painful effort aud with hard-drawn breath
the rugged steep above Sarandu, she fled with
stumbling steps the winding path that led
10 the British camp at Pezwan, she crawled
past the sentry, she glided into the nearest
lent, the morn was beginning to dawn. and
she was safe. Colonel Acton wired to Cen
eral Arbuthnot at Gandamak, and General
ArbutlInot made arrangements for the young
woman's safety. | do not know what will be
done with her. hut she has saved her nose
and ears for the present.-C0rTe$Pondencc
OHfON Times.