The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-01-02
LADY ELLENBoRoUoH.
Mr.. Lew WN.lace's Story Of an Eccentric
English WOman's Career.

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Mrs.. Lew ws.lacs's Story of an Eccentric
English WOmsn's Career.
Mrs. Lew Wallace in her famous
book. THE Repose in Egypt" gives
an exceedingly Aowery account of Lady
Peterborough, the eccentric wife of an
English nobleman, who, emulating the
example of Lady Hester Stanhope and
Lady Mary Wortley Montague, not to
mention a French lady, Nine. de la
Tour GAuvergne. who built herself a
temple on the top of Mount Olivet, and
lives there now, deserted her country
and went to live in the far East Mrs.
Wallace says of her: One day she fled
to Italy. and, after years of reckless
living, thence to Greece. The House
OF Lords easily granted divorce to
her husband, and the children re-
manned with him. BY the terms OF
the divorce large income was allot-
ted her. and she set up the standard OF
wit and beauty, and to it flOcked genius
and valOr. She married again, a no
bleman of Greece, from whom she was
separated by command of King Ohio.
Determined to rival Chatham's eccen-
trio granddaughter, she sailed away
from Greece to see what the gorgeous
East is made of. Her ample income
gave means of gratifying a taste ex-
quisite as it was luxurious servants,
! carriages, furniture, plate, linen, q
French maid, the companion OF her
changeful moods, even her little lap-dog
went with her. There are old citizens
of Beyrout who remember the stir
among an idle populace when the great
English lady landed at the seaport.
Her languages gave her the broadest
range of acquaintance, and she had a
genius for friendships. Officials OF
rank crowded the salon, throne room,
where she spoke in one evening
French, Italian, Slav, German, Span
ish, Arabic, Turkish and Greek as
readily as her native tongue. Page
after page is devoted by Mrs. Wallace
to describing the surroundings and life
of the wonderful woman who grew
tired of Damascus and set out for the
hills of the fire worshipers, Bagdad
For guidance and guardianship she
travelled with squad of Anazehs un-
der Sheik. Mrs. Wallace does not
think it best to tell names and tales to-
gether, so she calls the Sheik Aular.
His real name was Digby ell Mezrah.
In describing him she takes occasion
to say that when you find the best
Oriental, the exquisite grace of his
bearing, the smooth, patient, courteous
dignity of his manner, surpass the high
est breeding of Christian courts.
Then she quotes q remark of an ac-
quaintance, who says: 1.-The further
east you go the finer the manner.
First among the sons of men for polish
and urbanity is the Arabian; next to
him the Turk; then comes the Italian;
then the Spaniard and Frenchman;
then the cold, stiff Englishman, and,
lastly, the helter-skelter American,
and l presume California is worse
than Chicago, though have never
been there"
Lady Peterborough married the
Sheik in his tent in the desert, with no
witnesses but Arabs. and according to
the laws of Islam. The bride found to
her horror when she returned to
Damascus that she had forfeited her
nationality, and had become a Turkish
subject. She never repented of her
bargain, but made over her property
to her husband, and lived with him for
fifteen years, when she died, regretted
by the tribe and by all Arabs. She
was devotedly attached to her hus.
band and he to her. The wife of the
English Consul at Damascus, who
knew her, said that she and her hns-
band were never apart; that she kept
his respect, and was the mother and
Queen of his tribe. When she died a
rare shrine was erected in her memory
at Damascus.
The romance of Lady Peterborough s
life Mrs. Wallace heard under the
palms sung in a low. slow song by
an Anazeh, who had no thought when
singing that the wife of the American
Minister to Turkey was listening.