Middletown transcript., 1896-12-19

SATURDAY. DECEMBER l9
scores of brave women who had pre-.
ferred death to slow torture and devil
. ish indignities.
An hour later all was strangely still
burning ruins smoldering with the dull
glow of expiring embers marked the
graves of hundreds, and the spot on
which but a short time before smiled
happiness and home. But beautiful
Zillah was not dead. She had fallen
on the soft bodies of the slain, had
much to her surprise found herself but
little hurt, and had craWled off into
the narrow wooded paths which
threaded the mountain fastenesses near
all familiar to her. She sought refuge
in mountain shepherds cave, who at
morn visited the village in search for
survivors but found none. The gerce
Kurd had made sure work of their
bloody task.
A few weeks later Zillah, through
many hardships, found her way to the
seaside, and thence to America: COM
ing to great western metropolis with
other Armenian refugees, where she
found shelter with the Armenian col
ony, which did what it could for these
unf0rtunates, human remnants saved
from the furnaces of affliction which
consumed so many noble lives in dark
ened Armenia. Mourning for those
she loved, almost despairing, she strug-
gled bravely with her lot, and the
sweet faced girl found friends and favor |
among the free aeople who pitied her
woes and appreciated her faithful work |
Patiently she toiled, but her pillow was |
wet with the tears of sorrow and her |
heart bled under the stabs of piercing |
grief. Brave and noble grill How
many like her, pieces of driftwood from
the wrecks wrought by Turkish cruelty |
and fanaticism, have been stranded
upon our kindlier shores. Zillah turned
in prayer toward the God of her fathers
and sought at His feet the consolation
earth denied. Even prayer cannot heal
a broken heart; it can but console and
slightly assuage such grief as here.
Christmas eve in the little Armen-
ian colony occupying corner of for
eign section of the great western city.
The hall was decorated for the occasion
with the usual evergreens, and oriental
hangings served to recall in this mod
ern land the familiar belongings of lost
homes among the Armenian mount
aims. There was subdued cheerful
ness among the people present, trib-
ute to Christmas, but they could not
rejoice loudly with aching voids in SO
many stricken hearts and the Moslems
still depressing the Christians among
the far-off Armenian hills. They sang
however, Christmas carols strangely
sweet which recalled pictures of unfor-
gotten homes, and hymns in which
sad minor chords seemed to vibrate
with unshed tears. What wonder that
real tears welled up from tortured
hearts, and that they sparkled in pretty
Zillah's mournful eyesp Good will to
men these exiles could know and feel,
but peace on earth was not for them,
even at Christmas, while Turkish
scimetars still flashed forth the light
nings of fanatic hates, and innocent
blood Redeemed the soil of far Armenia.
There was to be a new arrival of Ar
menians tonight, and they were to re-
cite at this gathering Of their compa-
triots the story of The ir adventures and
their wrongs. Similar tales had been
often repeated by similar refugees, but
the stories had tragic interest ever
new, while they recounted renewed
horrors and the constantly recurring
tragedies which added to the list of the
lost, and the grand army of sorrowing
survivors. As the coming of the visi-
tors was announced the music ceased
and all arose to receive them, the hum
of the great city without family heard
in the hush of expectancy within, and .
the Christmas chimes from an Ameri-
can church near by ringing cheerily,
though soft and subdued, through the
frosty air.
The door opened and there marched !,
in the little band who came from the
valley of the shadow of death, and first
among them Abanazer and Akthar,
the father and lover SO long listed
among the dead. You should have
seen Zillah's beautiful face, transfig-
ured the love-light in her large brown
heard the musically glad little t
cry with which she sprang into their i
arms, smuggling close at last with her
plump arms about Aktkar's neck and o
bis stalwart arm encircling her shapely il
waist. What is ordinary Christmas v
happiness to such joy as hers, measure
less as infinity deep as the sea? Does
noti love fill even the vast spaces Of a
Heaven2 And the men were as deeply !,
moved as the maid, for they had been
as certain of her death as she of theirs.
Precious indeed are these gifts :
which fate, stern and unrelenting at !.
times, seems to snatch from The dead :
20 reward the love of the living. Never
since angels sang at Bethlehem had o.
Christmas seemed gladder to any hu- u
nan soul, than was this memorable