Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-03-14
Tn. Tragedy Of an Egyptian wife.

I LIS N2tCs . VI
rank, and supposed to have been sub
jected to ''pressure" In high quarters tC
induce her to remain in Cairo, persisted
valiantly in her resolution to accompany
her husband into exile. The prefect OF
police, it is said, was sent to Nine.
Rifaat to urge many reasons why she
should not forsake her native land. Was
she aware RIfaat Bey's destination was
Malta? 1t was a Christion country
attempts would be made to destroy her
faith. to compel her to turn Christian.
To all this Nine. Rifaat's answer was
the answer given by Ruth long ago
where her husband went she would go;
if he became a Christian. she would be-
come one too; his people should be her
people, his God her God. Very touch
ing, and. so far as the lady is concerned
noble also. But whether Rifaat Bey
himself deserves to he the object of
such absolute devotion, an incident that
occurred on the platform last night
gives one cause to doubt. Rifaat was
calmly seated In a first-class carriage;
and the exile's impassive dignity and
calm whilst tue sound of women's wall
ings came from the waiting room i'm
pressed one as quite heroic, whilst one
was allowed TO hold the delusion that 1t
slgnlhed indifference to his own misfor
tunes. In an adjoining carriage were
Nine. Rifaat and female slave, both OF
them closely velled and attired in the
black baggy gowns Egyptian ladies float
about III; mysterious balloons known to
be human only by the voices that pro-
ceed from them. These ladies were
silent and appeared naturally dispirited;
but tive fine little boys, the eldest being
about ten years OF age, stood at the
carriage window, aud talked away
eheeriully IN French to the European
visitors who had come to wish them
good-speed. Presently this expression
of fine forfitude, and brave acceptance
of baDIshment by whole family rather
than that its honOred head should go
forth a solitary exile, was woeflllly DIS
turbed and the head OF the family him.
self made to appear in anything but an
amiable light. From the black crowd
of wailing women In the distance sud-
denly one woman broke, throwing off
the grasp of those who tried to hold her
and, rushing up to Rifaat, her veil ali
torn and her beautiful face Zone of the
most beautiful | haveev SEEM literally
bathed III tears, cried Gn truth with an
exceedingly bitter cry. For the love
of heaven give me back my childl' She
spoke III Arabic; but her gestures ard
her despair were so eloquent that the
Engli gentlemen round the carriage
started, and In delicate compassion drew
back from her and let her plead her
cause as she might, but they had not
taken into consideration the high disdaiu
II dignitied Oriental puts into the inter
course with women. Rifaat Bey, who
had a cigarette III his mouth aud con-
tinued smoking while the poor wild
creature poured forth her complaint,
only took it out OF his mouth to say one
word, signifying ''Be oil with you, and
rs a hIdeous black Nubian came up
quickly, the hey nodded to him with the
same gesture with which he might have
ordered the slave to brush away fly,
Then the story was whispered round
that this was RIfaat's first wife, whom
he had divorced. But an Egyptiln,
ike NEST easterns, sets great store by
bis sons. even though he has grown to
hate their mother, and so Rifaat carries
away iatO exile the only child of this
poor deserted creature, whom l should
Judge by her fair complexion and lovely
oval face, and also by her perfect
knowledge of French, to have been a
Circassian slave; chosen fer her beauty
and trained in accomplishments, like
the Fair Persian~ IN the ''Arabian
Nights" and married as the FAIR
Persian herself was to be thrown
aside as lightly. After all, the
Nubian ennuch would seem 20 have
reasoned with the poor mother more
compassionately than his unattractiye
countenance promised, for after time
she returned with her veil arranged, and
only weeping quietly. Sue passed
Ritaat's carriage with bent head, and
only stopped at the adjoining one. She
had brought sweetmeats With her for
the boy, and put them into his hands,
and kissed bin. weeping; WI lie he ac-
cepted all her fondness with placid
indi ference which led one almost to
hope his stepmother might follow out
the traditions of story-land and give him
cause to regret the affection he valued
so lightly. After few moments the
Nubian came near the carriage and
seemed to remind the weeping woman
she had promised there should be no
fresh disturbance. This time she walked
back to the other women quietly, and
until the train had started We saw no
more of her. Later, one of the saddest
scenes l have ever witnessed was that
of the black-gowned women round her,
their guard OF eunuchs standing with
clasped arms watching them, whilst
they walled over her In the mOlotOnous
note Egyptian women dwell upon IN
lamentation. The divorced wife and
bereaved mother was dis inguishable 10y
her tern white veil and uncovered face.
and also by her silence. She seemed TO
have exhausted g1ief, or at any rate her
sense of mourning, and sat there
amongst the dark figures almost as
though she were dead and these were
the funeral guests invited TO bewall
bar