The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-11-19
MRS. LEW WALLACE AND CLEOPATRA.
Criticisms of the Famous Queen-A New ser'
sion of the Story of Lady Peterborough.

CritfcfsmS OF me famous Oucen-A NC"
sion of the Story of Lady Peterborough.
New York Mail and Express.
Mrs. Lew Wallace has been writing q new
book which she calls 1.-The Reposs in Egypt.
In it she discusses the Pyramids, Suez and
Sinai, the Obelisks and Alexandria, and, In con-
nection with her account of the latter city. she
tells some entertaining things regarding Cleo
patra, who, once in the tropical airs
of that old city, rode on swift camels ana
foated In gilded barges with Antony, ano.
after years of revel. she WAS buried there, with
imperisl pomp, In his tomb. For women VINO
enormously think that beauty alone pieases,
Mrs. Wallace pictures Cleopatra as bewlrchlng
in manners, but not, personally, even pretty.
She had command of seven languages,
and she knew who how to fatter the vanity
OF men. by adapting herself to their varying
moods and exerting herself to be FASCINATING;
Her whole aim and study was TO please, ana
her voice was like a musical instrument tuned
with many strings. The secret OF her success
with Antony was that she gave him no time TO
think, lest reflection and repentance might roo
her of her hero. Mrs. Wallace saw the portrait
Of Cleopatra at Denderah, and has much or IN
terest to say OF this woman who held In cheek
tee generals aud the wars. changed the map OK
the world, and added miseries to the hard fate
of the Egyptians.
One of the pretty word-pict ures made by Mrs.
Wallace is her account of the Bosphorus at
that point where the sweet waters OF Asia meet
the rapid currents of this river. Here it is:
would you have one day like the stuff which
dreams are made of, an idyllic day, that will
stand apart from other pictured memories far
and near, 60 to the valley of Sweet Waters. the
beauty-spot OF the Bospborus. In the lazy ait
ernoons it is the resort of lovely ladies, psllid as
lilies, robed in vaporous d~raperies of snow-drltt
and thistle down, scented with rose and musk.
White wells, dim, mysterious. hide their faces.
all but the swimming. ~lustrous eyes. Oh! what
eyes they have! Bright as stars. black as death,
dreamy pictures they make, reclining on the
crimson cushions Of the rocking c~acique, which
is draped with India shawl or Persian hangings.
The armed slave In the stern 10 clad In barbara
splendor. the rowers in wide white trousers and
scarlet jackets, stiff with gold embroidery.
Greek boatmep, bearing the old names that can
never die"
But by far the most attractive portion of her
book is the account of Lady Peterborough, the
English woman who deserted home, husband
and children to 60 and live in the East. The
author tells it at considerable length, and with
a needless amount OF reticence as regards real
names. as the world hos known her story these
many years.
Lady Ellen-as she calls her--hed from Eng
land to Italy. and, after years of reckless living,
went to Greece. Her husband divorced him
self from her, and her large fortune was at her
disposal. She married a nobleman in the serv-
ice of King Ohio, of Greece. and lost her husband
through the Queens mman Lady Ellen
then went to the East. and Mrs. Wallace says Of
her travels:
"She would be queen again in another en-
iEC u LOu n kulCk Al tuO oIA a.
willing subjects should be the untamed and I'M
tamable Bedouins. To fit herself for fresh ad-
venture and sway heirimasiDary scepter. Lady
Ellen studied Arabic. There are Old
citizens of Beyrout who remember the stir
among an idle populace when the great English
lady landed at the seaport, and, uncrowned. yet
q queen, set out for the shadowy realm where
she should rule by divine right. Lady Ellen
bought a palace at Damascus and furnished 1t
luxuriously. One of her countrywomen, resi-
dent at Damascus, said she was always the per-
feet lady in sentiment, voice, manners, speech;
for those who enjoyed her con-
h hasrsG :, he it ,ocI S y IA. v srsas 10 shows Sass
of Damascus had a strong hold on Lady Ellen.
and they amused her for a time, but her place
was filed, aud the monotony OF the place palled
upon her. One morning she abruptly announced
that she was tired Of Damascus. and longed to
see Bagdad. Why should she be cooped up in
stone walls when the free desert was wooing her2
She went into the desert under the escort OF
Sheik Antar and a small retinue. Very natur-
ally he fell in love with the unveiled Giaour,
and finally he proposed to divorce all his Moslem
wives and mary Lady Ellen. One-half the year
he would pass with her in Damascus. and the
the other half in the desert She married him
in his tent with no witnesses but his amazed
compan ions. To her horror, she learned that
she had, in so doing. lost her nationality and
become a Turkish subject. But she never re-
pented. She made over to him her palace and
her gardens at Damascus, and for six months
Ok SdCu ycoF II was Oh u OoSeEt. ToE AAtccu
years she lived this life, and was never sepa-
rated from her husband, TO whom she was Is
votedly attached. 1t was said that she never
lost anything Of the English lady, nor the soft
ness of O woman; to tie last she was fresh and
young, brave. refined and delicate. Her grave
is 8 beautiful shrine--a shady pavilion of rosy
velned marble. pillared with silver and pearl,
and ceiled with vermilion and blus. She was
worshiped by the tribe, and to this day the
Arabs of the desert sing the tender romance Of
their Chief Insen. whose hair was of amber,
whose eyes were like Sirius when the Nile be-
gins TO swell"