The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-10-15

We are permitted through the kindness OF
Mrs. Q. b. Radford to give extracts from q
letter written by Miss Hess from Marash,
Turkey, under date of Sept. Sd, 1897.
ut is week since came down from the
mountains, and think must tell you
about 1t. The weather had been very cold.
told you we were right in the clouds, you
know. 1 wore my thickest fannels, my
thickest dress and coat and shawl and sat
by the bonfire wondering when l ever
would get dry again. Even my quinine
pills were widowed. and all my shoes
looked like green velvet. 1 finished up
with bad attack of neuralgia and so l was
willing to make an excuse to get down
early. You may think had horrid time,
but, as a matter of fact so many other
things went to make up good time that we
had most enjoyable summer so far as
companionship and surroundings can do it.
1t would have been really delightful
time, but was worried about school affairs.
and, after all. relief partially has come in
most unexpected way. Do you remember
wrote you from Beylan, last year, where
got stranded on my way to the mountains?
was with DR.. and Mrs. Piper, young
missionaries who work among the Jews ip
Alleppo. He went to Zeitoon to help there.
1t happens that nearly all our missionaries
have seen them, and all have become as
fond Of them as they seem to be of us. They
came to Eybez this summer and brought
her sister with them, and / guess she's
coming to teach for us this year; note has
been signed by all the members of our station
and 1t would be a queer proceeding IL the
other stations did not vote it so. Her com.
ing Is all but certain. 1 kept my eye on
her all summer and decided that she would
more than do" for the place. Her name is
Ethel Wilson; she Is sensible and mature
and what the English themselves would
call "well Bred" o, what will it not mean
to me to have her here!
DR.. Shepard insisted on coming with me,
but he has not had minutes rest this sum-
mer and is going into hard years work, so
told him l would wait and go to Aintab
with him and come from there; but he
knew my heart was set on coming straight
up the plain, so he got two Christian breth-
rem, of Eybez, to come as my muleteers and
engaged Zaptieh to come with me. ca
Zaptieh is a military policeman.) The lat
ter was most astonishing specimen of a
Moslem. They are quite above doing any
thing for a person usually, except to ride
along and carry an arsenal Of curious wea-
pons, but this one just laid himself out to be
nice. He said he knew Mrs. Marden; that
she was beautiful woman, and had lovely
flowers in her yard and played the piano
and had gold teeth. We started at half
past four in the morning and rode until
about half-past twelve, when we stopped
under great tree and they pat up my road
bed and lay down three or four hours and
the z. and men kept absolutely silent and
drove away everyone who came near. Then
we rode four or five hours to village but
found 1t entirely deserted, as the people had
all gone off to their harvest fields for the
season, so we camped by stream few
hours to rest the horses and rode the rest of
the night. About three o'clock in the morning
though. should fall from my horse, but
did not like saying anything, because in
the night was riding right behind the u.
and he asked one of the men to have me
come in front between the load and himself.
L thought it just business until 1 heard
some calls in the distance, and on asking
what it meant. was told they were Circas-
slams. l asked whether there were many
in that region and was told that the plain
was full of them. Now, Circassian and
probable robber are synonymous terms, as
and said, We'll, what of it p The z. said
with an equally successful (?) attempt at
carelessness, Let them come If they choose
but l noticed that he had taken his gun
from his back, where 1t was strapped, and
was holding 1t over the pummel. OF course
nothing happend, but long time after,
when had forgotten 1t, said that my
horse was hard at that gait and If we could
pace on for a short time and wait for the
loads 1t would be restful. He replied:
Leave these loads FIVE minutes and there'll
be trouble Someway the clang of his
scabbard against his metal stirrup did not
sound half so ridiculous as 1t did in the day
light. As l said, did not feel like saying
anything about stopping, but presently the
younger Of the Armenians coming with me
gave out and they decided to stop at GER
tain place. was asleep five seconds after
l touched the ground and half an hour later
felt like going on. In the course of the
morning we reached another village where
the horses were to be fed, but found every
soul of to the harvest. / don't know how
the men managed, but slept two hours
and then we got into Marash at 8 p. m.
was not so utterly tired out as have been
when have ridden six hours before this.
1t was called good three days journey.
We passed through small, dirty village