Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-07-16
The Turkish Widow.

Inc tourists VINO pass up anu GOWN
the Bosporus in caiques Or in the
grimy, smoky little steamers that
touch on the Asiatic coast may see at
Kandilli, just at the edge Of the wa
den among palms and clambering
vines.
Every morning at an early hour a
young and pretty woman, a true type
of the odal lsque, emerged from the
house, and opening the garden gate
went with graceful steps to the pigeon
house, fed the birds, and then, pass
ing on to the terrace, she looked out
upon the cobalt blue waves on the
Bosporus, beyond which could be
seen the outlines of Arnaout Keni
point and the palace harems, sur
runded by the gardens of Bebeck.
With languid steps she re- entered
the kiosk A little Turcomar servant,
with a look of cunning in her eye, as
sisted in her first household duties,
then the young woman seated herself
before a frame on which was stretched
one of those embroideries, veritable
fairy work, that the Turkish ladies
alone know how to make.
From morning to night the lady
embroidered. Once in a month a
caique touched there, always bearing
the same man, who had the profile of
a bird of prey. He examined the
embroidery, turned it this way and
that, and finally left few gold pieces
and some pieces of the soft and deli
cately colored Angora> wool, of which
the garments Of both mistress and
maid were fashioned. Two years be-
fore the young woman had lost her
husband, boy employed i'll one of
the ministries of the empire. Left
thus alone, she now worked to sup
port herself, happy in the possession
of this house to live in, and knowing
nothing Of the outside world. An old
Turkish nurse had taught her to ply
her needle, and she had beautified
her home with the most exquisite en-
broideries. Little by little she had
sold them to defray her modest ex-
penses. Then she had made new
ones. The only beings that Ickbal
Hanoum loved we're her birds and
large and handsome dog-Boso-
tawny of hide, colored, one would say,
like the sands of the desert. For all
well organized hearts, love is ne
cessity, and Ickbal turned the strength
of her soul to protecting those weak
er, and in place of seeking to es
tablish relations with the wealthy ha
rems Of the neighborhood and fatter-
ing rich hanoums (ladies) in order to
receive presents from them shut her
self up in her own house and devoted
herself to the memory of Ibrahim Bey,
her late husband, and to her affection
for her pets.
One day, when she had finished
blue satin cloth on which marvellous
roses faded from deep purple to the
palest pink she folded it up in an old
feredje and went to the bazaar at
STEAMBOAT. Timidly she offered her su-
perb embroidery from shop to shop.
All the merchants admired it in ST
lence, but they let the seller see no
sign OF that admiration and offered
her an insignificant sum for it, think
ing she was driven to sell it by press
ing need. The Armenian saw her
from the door OF his shop, and accost-
ing her waxed very angry and said he
would never buy anything of her
again, splitting upon the ground to
give solmenity to his oath.
Ickbal Hanoum went sadly back
Co her home. Her great dog came
bounding to meet her, but he seemed
to recognize her mood, for he licked
her hands and looked at her inquir-
ingly out of his kind brown eyes. She
took his great head in her hands,
pressed it passionately to her cheek
and then sank upon divan to medi-
tate upon her future course. The |
servant has disappeared, being in
haste to rejoin her friends of the
great harem. Ickbal |
found herself alone and miserable for
the first time in her busy life.
She reviewed her past and recalled
her husband, so good, so loving, so
eager to get back from STEAMBOAT to
rejoin his dear hanoum. Pneumonia.
contracted during north wind from