Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-22
FLIGHT OF THE DERYISH.

! The day WAS sacred one at ConstsntinoDls.
| It was the festival OF the Eegira, and every
available mosque was crowded with the pros
| trata forms OF the faithful
| 4 terrific storm ragged over the city. At
| each lightning fash, the thunder rolled
/ through the vault OF heaven as il 20 announce
! the day OF doom. The rain poured down in
| torrents, and the wind swept in violent ftful
/ gusts beneath the porches, and into the very
! isles OF the holy places where the worshipers
were assembled.
| While the tempest was at its height, man
! Of tail, commanding stature with a long
/ white beard which reached down below his
| girdle, might have been seen making the bes.
OF his way through the narrow streets that
/ extend towards the outskirts Of GaIata, as IL
| intent on reaching some unknown, invisible
| goal. This weird individual, whose age il
/ would have been difficult TO decipher on his
| Eaggard and wriukled countenance, was evi-
IDENTIFY sinking with fatigue. Alone an iron
viii, or perchance some extraordinary mis-
sion, could have upheld him in his toilsome
| journeying, for at each step be sank deep
| into the mud OF the streets Of old Stamboul.
| and the blood from his swollen feet stained
! the thick, heavy sandals which the wayfarer
wore.
| He stopped occasionally to cast look Of
! deep anguish towards heaven, and nurInured
/ in nis misery.
! 20, God! when wit thou give me restF-
But the blast alone made answer TO his
/ prayer, and a mysterious voice from the
/ thunder clouds overhead seemed to mutter,
! "On! oni on while the lightning fash. like
/ threatening finger, pointed 20 the maze OF
! streets in town, or. beyond these, to the dis
! nal horizon.
! This man, SO wretched and sorsly tried,
/ was Ahasverus, the Jew, who, in years long
! since dead, had struck our Lord Christ,
! driving him with contumely from the door,
! when, faint with sorrow and suffering and
/ exhausted by the weight Of the cross, the lat
/ ter besought the cowardly rulIian to let him
/ rest for a moment on tie step OF mis- house ct
/ Jerusalem. From that day forward. cursed
/ by God and man, Ahasverus whose doom il
/ Is still To walk the earth under the burden Of
/ q life that viii not end ard must know no
rest, sailed forth from his home, and, leaving
! his wife and children, has wandered airnlessly
from land TO land for nigh 1000 years.
| Suddenly the storm grew 10 tremendous
| hurricane, such as Moslem had never sssr
even az Constantinople, where the winds
blow from every point OF the BoSphorus,
and hail fell in such masses as almost 10 turn
: day into night. The large icy humps fell so
thick and fast on the bare head of the wan
derer that having reached ths outskirts of
hassin, be sought refuge in the newly
erected mosque of the Sultana Valide called
! Yeni-DiaTni, with its lovely minarets and
columns brought from the ruins OF ancient
/ Troy
/ Entering the front hall where good Mos
lens cast off their shoes, Ahasverus left his
dirty blood stained sandals among as rare a
collection Of variegated foot gear as it had
ever been his cobbler's privilege to come
across at jerusalem. 1t was no mere senti-
ment OF curiosity that impelled the dsuntiess
+ Hebrew thus to penetrate within the sane
tua-y. Ills sole object was to rest his burn
ing brow against one of the marble pillars
from Troy. Soon he found himself within Oh |,
7 temple, his duh eye grew dizzy al the sight
OF flashing lamps, and sense OF awe came
over him az he viewed the closing scene OF the
great Mohammedan ceremony, through the
cloud of incense which arose from golden
censers, thuribles and tripods He had no
sooner lowered his gaze OF the Eost Of worship
ers before him, in tie vain hope of discover
ing perhaps human being a. vretched as
himself, than the voice with tie Same pitiless
+ injunction fell inexorably on his ear:
"Ort on, on.7
He staggered toward to obey, Just as the
crowd Of MosIerns rose to leave the sacred
building. They all made for the doorway 50 ef-
fectlyely that Ahasverus was pushed 10 the
wall, and unable to reach the hall OF shoes un-
I'll well nigh every one had got out before him.
When he did manage to quit the sanctuary,
he sought for his mud covered, blood stained
sandals They were gone First, his eve
squinted awfully round the place; then il
twinkled with delight ON belolding q tall
pair OF boots sumptuoUsly lined with some
soft material, which, Ike Castor and FoIlnx,
uprose in dreamy, dual grandeur in a corner
of tbs hall He slipped them On and made
OF. Never before, throughout his checkered
career, bad be met witn such q comfortable
pair OF boots. They were large and wei
furred throughout As soon SIS be reached
the doorway, two eunuchs caught hold OF him
by the arms and legs and carefully lift,i him
into 8 well stuffed, six lined and cozy sedan
chair, which at once conveyed its precious
burden towards the beautiful quarter OF
Galasa, in the suburbs OF Constantlnopla
The storm had blown over, and ths san
came out again, full OF serene glory.
An hour after, Ahasverus found himself
before well dressed table inside Of an ele-
CANT villa, with three lovely creatures who
ministered to his wants au> formed his
Laren- The table literally gave way beneath
the load Of fruit and cakes and vianGs which
II bore.
On arriving at the villa the eunuchs had
plunged Ahasverus into a delightfully."- cool
bath the barber had combed his hair and ca.
OF his long white beard, while caf,an Of
soft satin took the place Of his former rags
Even his wrinkles had disappeared and his
hair grown brown: in fact, 50 thoroughly
trausmogrifed was be by ths time he found
himself at table thst no oas would have
known him who had seen him an hour before
BE ate and drank as be had never done BE-
fore, del0ded by the sweetest dreams and BE-
gziled BY the loTelieSt women
Doctors and learned Elsn from ell parts OF
the world visited and consulted him, for his
erudiIioa was profound, and ks knowledge
OF languages unprecedented. The sultan
csnsed thirty gold pis.oles TO be drawn from
the private treasury ind handed him By the
seraskier OF the palace, for work Of ccn-
siderable merit BY him On Shoe now IN
fortunately lost Diplomas AMI decorations
flowed in upon him tkicxly that be bad %
have room st apart for his srcniveS
Ii fact ne wko for upward Of SO years
had bean waadersr on the earth Tow lived
the life CT q quiet, vel 20 Go e1rzsn q the
Ottoman empire under Abcul- Hand II, tee
t6irty-ffta sovereign IN male DESERT of TIE
hocsa OF OTTOMAN. tbs founder CT the empire,
nd tESH--w-@fes-[ Sr,tra7 ssY1a rEs