Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-12


sell she put her son in the place of honor.
LOT henEeforth there was again A sword
| bearer IN the household. Lazar recoupted
tAe campaign, which. by his report, all
turned on his own skill and heroism. /
am trying In this story to suggest. where
circumstances allow, the character of the
fathan in general. A habit Of grave but
reckless Boosting is not 10 be omitted.
Nuradeh went away at length Her
black eyes danced maliciously throuCh
the loop-holes Of the veil as Iazar silently
renewed his prayers for a word in the gar
! uen that night. When she left him the
Dame spoke freely, insisting that the Khan
would not refuse his daughter to a cadet
OF the family who had won such early dis
tinctiOn as promised In no long time to
iu!hll the horoscope. But Lazar Judged
more soundly, aided by n newborn pas
sion for Nuradeh. The Khan of LalpcOra
IS one OF the first mobiles OF Afghanlstan,
and his eldest daughters beauty was al
ready famed. If in good humor, hemight
laugh at his proposal, but his after-moOd
would be rage.
All the young men of the town came to
welcome their cOmrade returned with
glory. The Khan himself sent gracious
message, and asked Lazar to supper,
when the hero of the feast told his tale
over again, with further embellishments.
AT nightfall he slipped away, found the di-
lapidated shed, and whispered through a
crack of the garden wall used long since
by the children for their little condolences.
Lazar did not dare to breathe name, lest
Nuradeh should really have sent her sis
ter; and as the biting cold numbed his
limbs q sense of his ridiculous position
was fast changing love to ill-temper.
81 came to tell yOu," he grOwled at
length, ''that Lazar means to keep guard
over this place. So you had better warn
your lOversV
"Oh, mercy! Lalpoora will be depopu-
lated, and we shall all die maidensl"
"Oh, no! For when l have eaten my
rivals will marry you. Why have you
not answered all this time, mischievous
glrlp'
'HOw could l imagine you were talk
ing to mey 1t was alarm made me speak.
Spare my lovers, kind cousinV
Il will-tO spite them"
"Thats promise Now l shall sleep
easy. Let me advise you to go to bed when
you feel chilly. Good-nightW
''At this same hour Tomorrow. VIII
you be hereW But he only heard a faint
laugh.
Quite seriously now Lazar was in love
and eager to marry. But the chances
looked i'll on every side. Nuradeh was
the offspring of a Shiaposh slave, as her
slender form and the faint color of her
cheeks declared; but she ranked, as vet,
on an equal footing with those daughters
of the chief whose birth, noble on both
sides, gave them claim to great politi-
cal alliances. The Khan would not give
her to a bridegroom who had neither in
f1uence nor wealth. In such cases also a
young mans female relatives negotiate,
and Lazar dared not propose Nuradeh to
his mother. He waited for events, and
meantime the pair met each evening. 1t
is probable that reckless young man and
a girl so bold in her self-cOnfdence were
not long separated by a wall, but nothing
came of their interviews. When LaZar
pressed her too warmly to overcome their
difficulties by fight Nuradeh laughed and
ran away. With sentries overlooking
the garden. and a score of swashbucklers
in call, she was always mistress of the
situation. Nothing had been settled when
the furlOugh expired.
During this time Lazar met the eldest
daughter twice or thrice, impenetrably
yelled of course. Grown up now, Is
years old, that is, she understood quite
well his mothers schemes, and accepted
half of them. 1t was quite proper and
fitting that young man should be over
heard and ears in love, but II her own
feelings responded she kept them within
control. Huradeh declared that she was
ealOus of him, but that proves nothing.
The woman who resents the transfer Of a
love she does not return is no peculiar
product of civilization.
Lazar went back to his service, hot
with disappointed passion. After q time
the MOmund Khan full under Suspicion of
the Amir, who summoned him to Cabul.
His defense was not frankly admitted,
aud Shere Ali demanded hostage. The
scope, and suggested delicately, through
confidential channels, that the weightest
hostage he could give was the handsOmest
girl IN the country. The Amir took this
bait, and in few days the wedding came
of. When Lazar's mother heard of it she
was distraught, and in her passion ut
tered many foolish sayings which reached
Shere Ali. The Khan had not miscalcu-
lated his daughters influence, which from
the first reused bitter jealousies. The
malevolent made what they could of this
scandal, but it produced no visible re
suit.
AS soon as Lazar heard Of the marriage
he resigned his post ut Khelat and hurried
to Cabui, eager to profit by his Cousins
elevation. The Amir had already given
him regiment Of cavalry when the gos-
sip mentioned came TO his royal ear. No
one breathed a word Of IL To Lazar, who
thought himself launched upon the tide
Of fortune. Under such circumstances it
was no presumption TO ask Nuradeh's
baud, but to make sure, he tried to inter-
est the princes in his suit through one Of
their many relatives about her. The con-
sequence was disconcerting. One MORN
ing in durbar the Amir spoke roughly,
without cause apparent, and ON the Col
0nePs spirited reply--fOr discipline and
loyal respect are qualified In that service
he was put under arrest. Set free after
a months confinement, he had an oppOr-
tunlty, il he chose to use it, Of witnessing
Nuradeh's betr0thal with the heir Of the
Governor of Badakhshan. ! need not
dwell upon his feelings. Before the mar
rage WAS cOnsummated, his rival a sick
ly youth, died, and Nuradeh became
malden-widow. She retired with her
father to l.alpoora, and the possibilities Of
romance reOpened.
Wars have taught US much geography
OF late, but such examining does not dwell
IN the recollection. IL may be advisable
10 recall that the capital OF the fierce and
falthlees MOmunds IL commanded by the
great fort OF Dacca, where strOug garri-
son ~ always maintained by the Amir.
This threatened surveillance was natural
ly resented by the Khan OF LalpOora, and
80 soon as he felt confidence in his daugh-
ter's fascination, he asked for the civil
gUvernOrship OF Dacca. 10 was granted,
and the Khan took up his quarters in the
fort. This was "a blow for Lazar. Great
dauppru no would hnvp fouuu In OnpuinV