The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-10-04
IN CcNSTANTlNOPLE.
The American New Woman Feels Small
In the Ancient City.

The American New Woman Feels Small
In the Ancient City.
The rivalry among these men (guides)
is of very active order, as speedily
discovered when I stepped from the
Oriental express into that scene OF mad
confusion and tumult. the Constantine
pie station. It was drizzling hard.
was speechless from heavy cold. we
were all three worn out with the absurd
and fatiguing travesty of quarantine
on the frontier. Twenty Turkish porters
made wild rush for our bags the IN
slant the train stopped and fought over
them like bowling beasts A tall man
with cast in his eye handed me caro-
on which my own name was leglply
written, and said he was the dragoman
sent by the hotel to take us in charge.
A little man, with nervous and excited
manner, handed me a card on Hhlch also
my name was legibly written and said
he was the dragoman sent by the hotel
to take us in charge. 1t was a case for
the Judgment of Solomon, and 1 lacked
not only the wisdom to decide, but the
voice in which to utter my decision.
There was nothing for it but to let the
claimants fight it out, which they pro-
ceeded to do with fervor, rolling over
the station floor and pounding each 9th
er vigorously.
The tall man, being much the better
combatant, speedily routed his rival,
dragged him ANONYMOUSLY from the
carriage when he attempted to scale 1t
and carried us off in triumph. But the
race is not always to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong The little drago-
man was game enough not to know
when he was beaten. He followed us in
another carriage, and made good his case
evidently with the hotel landlord, for we
found him placid and smiling in the
corridor next morning waiting his orders
for the day. Inever ventured to ask how
this change came about, lest lndlscreet
INQUIRIES should bring a second drago-
man upon my devoted head. So Deme-
trius remained our guide, philosopher
and friend for the three weeks we spent
in Constantinople.
He was not a bad little man, ON the
whole; was extremely patient about car
rying wraps and was honestly anxious
we should suffer no annoyance in the
streets. But his knowledge upon any
subject was of the haziest description.
He had perfect talent for getting us
to places at the wrong time-but that
may have been partly our falkland If
there was anything interesting to tell
he assuredly never told it. On the other
hand, he considered that, to our occi-
dental ignorance, the simplest architec-
tural devices needed an explanation. He.
would say: "This is well, " THAT is
q doorway, ""These are columns sup
porting the roof, - with all the benevO-
lent simplicity of Harry and Lucy's
father enlightening those very inteIIi-
gent and ignorant little people.
The only severe trial that Demetrius
suffered in our service was the occasion
al attendance Of the two kavasses from
the American embassy, whose protection
was afforded us twice or thrice, through
the courtesy of the ambassador. These
magnificent creatures threw our poor
little dragoman so completely into the
Shade and regarded him with such open
and manifest contempt that all his inno-
cent airs of Importance shriveled into
humility and detection. 1t is but honest
to state that the kavasses appeared to
despise US quite as cordially as they did
Oemetrius, but we sustained their seorn
with more tranquility for the sake of
the splendor and distinction they i'm
parted.
One of them was very handsome
and very supercilious Turk, who never
condescended to look at us nor to speak
to us; the other, Circassian, whose
pride was tempered by affability, and
who was good enough to hold with us
the strictly necessary intercourse. l
hear it said now and then by censorious
critics that American women are the
most arrogant of their sex, affecting a
superiority that is based upon no justi-
fable claim. But will candidly admit
that all such airy notions born OF the
new world and of the nineSenth CEN
fury, dwindled rapidly away before the
disdainful composure of those two lord
" Mohammedans. The old primitive
instincts are never wholly eradicated-
only overland with the acquired sentl-
ments of our time and place. l have not
been without my share of self assertion,
but my meekness of spirit in Constanti-
nople, the perfectly natural feeling l
had in being snubbed by two Ignorant
kavasses blazing with gold embroidery,
will always remain one of the salutary
humiliations of my life.-Agnes Rep
plier in Atlantic.