Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-09-05
AN UNwELCOME VISITOR.
How Mrs. Gen. Lew wallace Re-
eeiVed the Sultan's Gift OF a Cir
cassian Beauty.
Omaha Bee

Omaha Bee.
The Sultan of Turkey has presented
Gen. Lew Wallace, the American Minis
ter, with a beautiful Circassian girl.
Mrs, Wallace was sitting at the front
window of her Constantinople house. on
the verge OF going down to the bazaar
for some embroidered stuffs to send
home, when cavalcade drew up before
the door, huge eunuch, arrayed in the
Sultan's livery, knocked at the door
and salam slammed, and then two
eunuehs a size smaller brought in and
deposited upon the inside door mat a
big eyed, beautiful Circassian girl.
whose lustrous orbs and sparkling Jew.
els were but little obscured by the filmy
gauze yelling that covered her from head
to foot. Mrs. Wallace stared at the girl
in dumb amazement.
''What do you want?" she said.
The girl shook her head.
"Mustaby, Mustaby" cried Mrs. Wal
lace, sharply. "What does this mean?"
Mustaby came from the floor below,
where he had been polishing some knives
with Bristol brick. He dropped knife
and brick when he caught sight of the
visitor.
"Ah. ali, he calculated, with satisfac-
ton, as he saw the imperial insignia, cit
is a present 1t is magnificent present.
His highness has smiled upon my master
and has sent him his choicest slave"
And what is his choicest slave going
to do in this house, I would like to
known" continued Mrs. Wallace, with a
vinegary CLEAN of sarcasm.
she Will bring my masters coffee to
him when he awakes in the morning,
and attectionately superintend his morn
ings ablutions."
"She will, will she ?" remarked Mrs.
Wallace as she gritted her teeth very
hard. "She will affectionately superin-
tend his morning additions, will she ?"
and she stealthily fingered bric.a- brac
cimetar and glared at the offending pre-
sent.
Then she walked straight up to the
beauty on the door mat, pointed her
index finger out the front door and re-
marked, go 'wayr'
The present stared at her stupidity.
go way, tell you. You're shame
less hussy to come intruding on re-
spectacle family in this way"
The present did not look as though she
had done anything particularly infamous,
and showed no disposition to move.
Mrs. Wallace could contain herself no
longer. She flew at the present, grabbed
it by the shoulder, and was hustling it
down the stairs, when General Wallace
came around the corner, rather flushed
from rapid walking, He took in the
situation at a glance.
''Oh, Lewis" cried his wife, with &C.
centuated horror; "did you ever hear of
such thing?'
Lewis did not look Mortified, though
he evidently was. He evidently had
heard of such things, for there was a
doubtful look on his face. Finally he
said
81 don't think, Maria, that I would
put it out into the street. It's not to
blame, you know"
There was faint snap in Mrs Wal
lace's eyes, but she nodded and lured
him on further.
"You see it's present, and you can't |
give away or throw away a present, you
know. If we could send it back, saying |
we had no use for it, or that we had one |
already, and couldn't he make it some |
thing else, it would be the best way.
You have to consult custom and Ell |
quette in these things, you know dear"
''Yee-s," said Mrs. w, with a sims
ter sweetness in her compliance.
Besides, he continued, as he care
lessly took hold of the presents hand and |
began strOklng the presents brow in |
gentle and fatherly way, 81 don't really |
know if it would be safe to send it back |
at all. You see these foreign powers |
are mighty touchy, and 1 don't know |
but if was to send this present back |
and turn up my nose at it in such way |
they might be mad enough to declare |
war on the United States right off and |
us all. ="
You would, would your" remarked |
Mrs. Wallace in a voice like the first |
of rising typhoOn. "'Fraid |
to send it back, are you, you bald head
ed old fraud! 'Fraid of international |
complications, are you, you salacious old |
wretch Now you can understand this. |
SIT, and right now. If that present doesn't |
gO,back to that old beast that sent it in less
than ten minutes I'll show you what kind |
of Bulgarian atrocity you're married |
to. I'll show you," she Missed as she |
flew at the present and inaugurated a
panic in dry goods and hair pins and |
Circassian squeals and male protests, |
and finally Mysteries, and General Wal |
lace called a camel and packed the girl |
off at hot speed
Then he went in and caught it-caught
it so hot that he remarked to the Vice
Consul that sooner than go through the
ike again he would see the whole CONT
nent bathed in blood, and the American
eagle bOmbarded until it hadn't pin
feather to its name.