The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-17
GULNARE'S RUSE.

with a dashing young gallant of % be
tween, again ensued, with the usual con-
sequences. Poor Gulnare was locked up
In her harem and guarded by her tyrant
with jealous care.
One day AbdaIlah-i bn -Jusuf brought
homie a fine watermelon wherewith to re-
gale himself and his fair bride and then
returned to his business, whatever it light
be. In the meantime Gulnare sat at her
lattice window, her "jalousie," and pinned
for the gallant her soul adored. As she
sat thinking and pining and longing,
cry of Fish from the lakei Fish. o
lady!'' struck upen her ear, and, gazing
down below, she beheld a fisher boy with a
basket of little fish for sale.
An idsa-a sublime idea-struck the
lovesick Gulnare, and, calling the fisher
boy, she let down q basket and bought a
dozen of his wares. With the greatest care
she then made as many incisions in the
melon, and, carefully inserting the fish in
the hollows, nicely closed up the apertures
with the light green rind. With height
ened color and in a perfect fever of excite
ment Gulnars awaited the arrival of her
spouse. At last he came, and, gresting
him with feigned admiration worthy of
her sex, she set the melon before him.
Taking his knife, A bdalIah, the son of
Joseph, proceeded to open the fruit, when,
to his infinite surprise, he found a fish i'm
The second cut discovere another, and SO
on, each incision bringing a fresh one to
light.
"God is great! Behold, o Gu1naro!"
cried Abdallah. 'Some strife has been at
work here. What is to be done? Let US
send for Hadji Osman, the dervish, to ex-
oroise the fruit. Those fish are the IL
demons of Tanja that were bound by Sol
onion, the king, and if we touch them we
shall be ruined and they set free
''Nonsensel' said Gulnare. "The melon
grew near the lake, and the fish have eaten
their way into it. Dost thou think, o son
of Joseph, that tE1ou alone hast liking
for fish? Quiet thy mind and thank Allah
that he enabled thee to make double bar
gain with thy money. Quiet thy mind, o
my lord, and I will prepare thee a supper
of fish such as thou never hast enjoyed,
and hold, thy ket shall afterward be as
the first hour in paradise amid the 20
hours Allah will give thee"
Thereupon, like dutiful spouse, she
proceeded to cook the miraculous fish with
her own fair bands. After remaining alb
sent some little time she returned with
perfectly innocent air, saying:
"Sorry am /. 0 my lord, to have de-
tanned you with my toilet. Let us now
enjoy the fruit your bounty has provided"
''Bat where are the fish?"
"Fish? What 6shf"
"Fish in the watermeloni Allah akbar,
what does my life mean?'
"Why, did we not find 10 little fish in
the melon I brought from the bazaarf
Didst thou not say myself they had eaten
their way into iti''
"Allah, have mercy upon mel Amani
Amani Now think my lord is wander
ing in hIa mind. Whoever heard of fish
living in u watermelon"
fScOff1no danOhfAr of an fFnpr0nar nAr-
son. replied the irats Abdallah, 'tcease
thy foolish talk and bring me the fish, or
by the beard of the prophet will chastise
thee for thy impertinence.
'Fish in a watermelonI Ha, ha, hal
Pray to the prophet, old gray beard, that
he preserve thy sensesI V'Allah (by AL
lah), fear me thou art possessedI''
This was too much for A bdallah to bear,
and, Selling his wife by the shoulders, he
gave her a sound box on the ear.
"Thou madmanl'' shrieked Gulnare.
s'Thou are possessed of demonI Helpi
Helpl Murderr'
Gulnare shrieked. AbdaIlah stormed
and raved, till at last, breaking from
her husbands grasp, Gulnare rushed into
the street and wendell her steps to her
mothers house. Here she explained how
her husband had suddenly gone mad and
described to them the whole scene that
had just passed. Abdallah himself soon
appeared in a towering fury to bring his
wife back, but on being asked whether
he really had believed and said there were
fish in the melon, and answering in the
affirmative, his wife's relatives thought it
high time they should be separated, and
all the disputaDts adjourned to the
"shum's'' to hear his decision.
Here A bdallah stated his case, having
faith, accepted the wager of a fine steed
which the perfdious Gulnare had offered
him, and related all that had passed be-
tween him and his wife.
"And dost thou really affirm that thy
melon contained these 10 fishes thou
speakest about?"
"V'Allahl VALIANT I am speaking
the truthr'
Thereupon followed a long discussion,
some arguing for possibility of the mir
acle, others denying it in toto, asserting
that it was an optical delusion-a kind of
mirage, in fact-till at length one wise
man pronounced his opinion that this was
a minor question, because If the man in
the first instance had suffered from de-
fusion he was still laboring under one and
was therefore of unsound mind. If, on
the other hand, he really believed in what
was evident impossibility, he was a luna
tic all the more. Lastly, supposing, for
the sake of argument, there had been these
IL fish, these transformed afrites, what
could have become of themf 1t was clear
there had never been any fish in the melon.
Abdallah thereupOn began to vociferate
still more loudly than before and swore
in his senile rage that he would be avenged
on the woman who thus dared to trihe
with him.
may, then, Abdallah, son of Joseph,
we cannot allow thee to vent thy mad ire
on an innocent woman. 1t is clear thou
art possessed. Thy suit is granted, o
woman, surnamed Gulnare, and thou art
divorced from the husband of a tainted
mind. Go in peace, for the law hath
spoken
And thus it was decreed. Abdallah was
circumvented and Gulnare set free by her