New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-15
4 BRIGAND ROMANCE.


snanty stations, where the groups OF TURKISH
peasants stood agape at every tram that passed. as
II their wonder at the SDJTtlng, SMOKY means OF
Incomotion had forever taken the place OF any
more active employment of life > from lialIaI-
iashar on the bosphorus, to lsmldt, and you ge'
out at "a little station almost exactly halfway
between the two places; II you then mount one
of the little, rough country horses, always ready
al five minutes order, trust yourself tendeTly 10
the trial of an awful imitation oil Sadd!c AHA
franca and ride for SIN SLOW ana palllul Ii0ie
Won will come to the curious. tumbledOWn village
where Aycsha lives. II ncstes hlSn up III the
hills close to n haunted wood, the home OF the
demon who is terror to the slmple-ilihue'
Turkish folk. but who has sufficiently Klnd heait
10 have never manifested himself since lie tihie
when he was seen by the grandfather OF the IleU5
ancient elder of the village ana theh OILY III oi,t
shane of a stag with single horn growing OUT
from between his eyeS-high up IN the mis- from
which glimpses may be had, over depIessioiS ~, III
the sweeping downs OF tne Giue III thTmc and
mint in the summer, and the vine runs WIG :
where the harvests are plentiful, II the seeu 't
only sOwn; where the timex underwood 1'iV Go
cover in the winter for numberlcss Wo0ucOcK-i.hc
sport for outlandish guns: where hltle cle@I
streams purl forever unsteady under the trees any
the wild flowers grow ana the Dt fr SIN re Sm
undisturbed forever.
Eight long hours would Mehemet, a great, hand
some giant OF Turkish pc9Sant, often tramp on
foot through that beautiful country behind MS
scrarnv mack horses from his village tine same III
which Ayesha lived 70 the small town WIN
railway station. where he would Sell ms cHaico'i
t,r money 10 be- paid 10 the taX-coilector, ahq
'aven hours back. again, with one taken 1Or rest
between At the end of the sixteen houIa
tourney Mehemet would lounge mo WIZ hi1 n Ii
,,lled his "harem," and be greeted by ms on
mother its one inmate, with plate OF rlce' ana
the unfailing question:; .,
Dds Tnou rice the beasts back q,
Not l." the inN1neble answer am
heavier than charcoal
Very right" the old woman would reply
"wise men walk where fools RIDE. -, .,,o,or or
After his plate Of rice he would sumner Oh
to The Kavcd1i the coffee cler whose small shop
formed a kind of mcetino-Glace for the men OF
fine VILLAGE and after bidding tie Peace De Wl'l
you" to Lis gossps and receiving from mem mem; M
" And with YOU be peace" would enter INTO
conversation which consisted fre4uentlyTlIe?s We
ing as scarce news and necessity l0I 'icII NV
rhaure therefore abscnt-Of prolonged Intervals Oh
silence linked together by erunis. Sometimes II
he were pretty flush Of money ne would li."uI2e
in 4 little cup OF muddy black c3hce 10 acco,lpIfN
his cigarette OF cOntraOard tobacco. AS TO ,.H
tobacco being contraband, that must not be aiQ
20 his blame; the tobacco administration was lT
the hands of foreigners, a pack 81 Vh2o'ls ahu
simple PEASANTS faith, it would be serving ms no'!
and his Padshah to frustratc And Mehenlei
was, on the whole-happincss after al, being =
relative ternl--f, happy man. lie really "ahIcu
for nothing lie had COW ana lew SIcf'
which orazed undcl the eye OF the village hcrds,
man ard shepherd the common pasture Iln'I
commons have not yet even ncgln - i've lhcios,H
in Turkey: and queer Old Norld Sl%I, II - c ~
,nme Int attircd in SKINS OF departed members
Of his flock, playing on his Pan-pipe strange, ONT
landish melodies with which the AIR OF that c9uI-
try has vibrated for countless centuries Ihch
10 nav his taxes and buy little rice and coiIec
and one or two articles Of clothing foT ms oio
mother Mehemet burnt charcoal ana sold II, a,
above set forth and that same cid mother herself
spun and vvove tire wool SHARED from tie backs
OF his sheep into clothes for him; and they hao
n wonderful French gun, which. after painful scrap
ines and savings, he had mana&ed TO buy III
Stamhoul and by which he added sometimes a
savory morse to the scanty meals; and ne grew
maize on a bit Of land near the village, ana
contrabond tobacco behind his cottage Surely
there was nothing more that the soul oil MeieHeI
could desire.
\ Yes. there was. His soul oneed for a harem
N more attractively inhabited than at present,
aud as abstract principle and matter OF theory
he considered That it time that he should
take unto himself wife But he h9G g9n 9, lar
al object for his philosophy in the person ~
Aycsha. II is on the whole unusual, though less
So in the country than in the towns that a
Turk should fall in love before his marn3s2:
or even see his future spOuscs face un0IS.Nsed
ny yashmak. Bat Mehemct was one OF INC cN
ccntionS The field Of AycShas parents adlolncd
his. and lie had had many opportunities OF no'IciEI
her graceful figure and her pretty face lfor the
custom of weari"g tie yashmaE Is more non ,'c
is being done in the fields. Nay, Mchcmet ana
Aycsha had even found occasion ~ eAchdh9c a
few words every now and the.' she I'spol.llli-
shylv to his advances at FIRST Int subsequently,
showing much ingenuity In contrlNlnc I" De cos,
80 him ~ some hour or other Of the day. Aa0
so .hr end Of il all was that Ncbenet was very
much ia love-had scld a few sheep IN order 10
raise sufficient money 10 rut MS mouse IN "Ttc''
and had made his mother propose formally ioI nm
10 AyesEas parents tor her hand' mus Ncic .
cun of haDpueSS was soon to be complete. ANefh%S
pareuts were nothing l0dth 10 lessen the ndmpef
of their household h. one. and the marriage was
arranged as also the dOwry OF cow ana Jew
more sLccp which Ayesha wSS TO bring with her
10 swell her future husbands fortune. There
fore Mchcmct could not for the NC OF nun ul'eI-
stand why il was, on the day on Whlch tI,iS Hsl"I .
berins That AVcsha seemed co re uctant 10 come
near the confines OF his field in spite OF me NAM
obvious chances he Eaye her ana that Wiz VII,
ot last she did approach him. her face WAS swollen
with weeping, and her eyes still strefmin9 tears.
Pcnc-cXccp, as 10 divers seedlings rom OF
Qu1rrcls with, his mothcr-quitc unused 10
,i"ns occurred t. lin witch might Lave
conc into the sophisticated mind of =
Western man, even in his own class lie dIu not
rive vent 10 any consolatOry reflections on the
Varjoblencss or unaccountability of the fair sex
lie simply cooked his fez forward. put his head on
ono side rubbed his fingers through ms mar,
stared at her, puzzled aud uncomiorta6le' and
waited for an explanation: But as Ayesha went
on with the pretence at hoelng-whlch was het
prctcNt for coming near him-without speaking a
word scarcely even raising her eyes. he piuckci
up his courage and hoeing too Vigorously on his
side said:
What art thou crying for"
tn his obrupt question he received no answer
for SO long that he looked up startled from ms
work TO find Ayesha. with disturbing for@euul-
ness Of propreties, leaning on her hoe ana LOOKING
nj him with an expression Of such evident distress
that he also forgot himself and, stopping the quite
unnecessary trouble he was taking over piece o.
ground already thoroughly prepared, lie took a
stride nearer 10 her and asked again, IN louder
tone:
What art thou crying for ?"
His movement and his voice Startled Ayesha
into her hoeinC again; but trembling answer
came back 10 Kim:
am going TO he married.
This announcement plunged Mehemet into an
nhvss Of establishments His mind became blank ;
he blamed himself for not understanding the ways
Of women: he tried 10 conceive some reason why
lie too should weep because he was going TO be
married and cOUld find nOnc-On the contrary, he
was dclightcd. AyeSha seemed 10 him more lovely
and desirable than ever. A little auburn curl had
ing in the light breeze and shining in the sun: ali
be fclf was a wild wish % run up 70 Ter and