Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-01
EayPTs RULER WON BY \ cir
cAssIAN BEAUTY
SHE REFUSED ALL HoNoRs SAVE
THOSE THAT CAME WITH WIFE
HooD-A REAL ROMANCE FROM
THE PARKWAY LAND OF THE
PYRAMIps.


ed for him and married one OF his fair
chattels. From the same source 1t is
learned that the court and It's satellites
were dreadfully shocked. and no won
der. The dowager khcdiyah was
furious. Turkish ladies OF high degree
IN the mart matrimonial were consumed
vita envy disappointment and 1eal-
0usy.
Abbas, the young khedive. is just 10,
and his charmer Is several years MS
senior. She IL q Clrcnsslan. Was ever
a beautiful slave known to be anything
else but Crcnssian2
From the days Of Alexander. the
Great the little province OF Clrcassin,
in the Caucasus. has been busy proyid-
Ing professional slave beauties Woman
Is It's chief and most profitable article
Of export, ClrcAssia is the place whore
the slaves come from" The circus and
the dime museum occasionally compete
With the harem for the services OF
these beauties, and " one may judge
from the specimens thus exhibited the
the "unspeakable Turk has most un-
spe1kablc taste.
But the passion or young Abbas Is
not mushroom growth. II reaches
back to his childhood. At that time
The lShedivah purchased two little Cir
cassian slaves of the softer sex to play
with her two boys Abbas and Moham-
med All The quartet We're companions
unul Abbas reached the age OF "a, and
then by the Turkish custom they were
separated, lkbul Hanum is the un-
romantic name OF the girl who en-
throned her image IN the heart OF
Abbns. The parting was undoubtedly
as painful 10 her as to the young lover
but the law OF Islam Is very emphatic
On this point. She yelled her face,
averted her eyes from the gaze OF man,
and Joined the retinue OF the young
stcrs mother. The rose-COlored pie
lures drawn by Moore and Byron OF
the loves and lives VI their Lallu
lookhs and Zuleikas find parallel IN
ne passion OF Abbas aud ikbul. The
elimination shows that love somehow
lund way. The sharp eyes of the
princes mother were covered with
thick layer Of wool and even the ieai-
Gus nymphs with whom his inamorata
associates were deceived.
More than year ago there was a
change OF administration In Egypt
The old khedlye went out Of business
aud there were some spectacular obse-
quics. The young khcdive relgned by
,1e grace OF England. And wonder
It's that the good queen Of Britain. whc
Is so clever at matchmaking. did not
extend her benevolent weakness to the
court Of the young khcdiye, Had she
nelected partner for him then It would
nave been good-by Romance and good
by Clrcassian beauty
Whom Abbas established his court he
incidentally established a harem BUT
sim his art was true TO Pom other
wise the lovely lkhul, He commanded
her to appear In his presence aud she
appeared. "Will you walk into my
| harem? he said. Tho answer came
prompt and emphatic, "Nn, sir" There
| doubtless was n very pathetic scene
AZ this point. She told che khedive
that she would be his wife or nothing.
A brave bit OF femininity was the Cir
casslhn girl as virtue goes in the East.
q shining example, This uniooked-fot
decision Increased itbe khedive's re-
spoot and passion, he appointed his
| lady love mistress 1T The wardrobe.
giving her precedence over the gold
stick-in-waitng
What computations, what seduction
the young woman was called upon to
withstand In this position are not
stated, but one can imagine the love-
amlttcn youth following her about talk
ing as Selim talks IN the Bride at
Abydos' while she Is repairing q rent
in his baggy trousers or sewing tasse
on his fcz.
As mistress OF tho wardrobe Ikbul
scored n splendid success. Never be-
fore We're his mysterious trnpplngs OF
an colors kept ia such good condition.
His plumes and his Jackets, his under
things and his oyerthings. showed the
sollcitOus care thar money could not
buy, And sin she remained outside
the harem door.
A year ago the kedlvnh decided that
II was time Tor her son 10 get married,
| and 50 she sailed AWAY to Constan-
tinople 20 look up a bride. This In
eident demoralized the mistress OF the
| wardrobe. She felt that they would
be parted forever II his mother were
! successful n her search. Then she did
what many great ladies' had done for
| hundreds OF years before she was born.
She submitted Ia the hope Of prefer
| ment.
Now that she was about to become a
mother the khedivc has married her
/ His mother has relented and blessed
them, but that faction Of the family
| who hoped TO get his job through the
/ agency OF an eNtinguished line are still
| angry.
Generally speaking. tine Turk does
! not avail himself Of the privilege OF
entering the unholy state Of poiygamy.
Ills not on the score OF morals but
/ purely OF finances A harem IS ex-
/ pensve. Each wife must have her
separate apartments and separate
slaves. The difficulty In keeping peace
! among them Is another prohibtlye
The expense OF a mans harem In Tur-
key far surpasses all those for the rest
( OF his household.
The practice Of purchasing Georgian
and Circasslan women for the harems
Is stlll kept up, Constantlnopie being
the central depot for these willing viz
tins. They prefer the gilded slavery
of the harems, where they soon be-
come despots, to the life Of hardship
and prlvatlons which would be their
lot at home. Occasionally, on a Com
stautinople steamer. one may see a
Turk homeward bound from Circassia
with bevy OF bundled-up females
who are destined to replenlsh the stock
OF wives or slaves.
Marriage Is indeed a lottery IN the
East. The Eastern woman can make
no choice OF a mate. she can never
see her husband In advance OF her
nuptials. except by peeping through a
lattice at him. Her parents choose the
husband, and she must literally take
him for better or worse" The des-
tined husband encounters the same OBJ
stacles. He never sees his intended's
face unless he IS a pretty smart man
until the nuptial night. Should either
be an orphan. then the nearest male
or female relatives arrange the bust
ness. The husband takes the bride on
report. and sometimes on probation.
for there is a limited marriage contract.