The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-02

of my friend, who 7 knew to be be-
yond all human help Git was the last
time / ever looked upon him), and fled
with desperate speed along one of the
highways leading toward the heart of
the Christian quarter.
There was nothing to prevent me, had
1 had only my own safety in mind,
from returning whittier [ had come, or
seeking shelter in some one of the
other numerous gardens within the
walls. True. my own kin We're in dam
ger, for my uncle, with whom l had re-
sided since my parents death, had sew
eral weeks previous gone with his en-
tire family to Beyrout, where he had
business interests, leaving me in charge
of his Damascus baZar. But there was
one to whom it was quite possible
that harm might come, If, as seemed
to be the case, a general massacre OF
the Christians had been precipitated-
one in whom We're bound up all my
hearts hopes, Glauce Nlachos, who
dwelt with her mother and brother
hard by the Greek church.
1t was from this vicinity, or at least
so l fancied, that the sounds came which
Nltelis and / had first heard. In this
quarter dWelt several priests, class
especially obnoxious to the Moham-
medans, and hence ii seemed likely that
it was near to the home of my be-
trothed that the beginning of the out
rage had occurred, a fact which filled
| me with the gravest apprehension the
| more l pondered upon it. | realized,
now that blood has been shed, that
the fanatical Moslems of the city, and
the Druses who had recently come in
| from the HatHan and Lebanon, would
pause at nothing. A crusade of murder
and rapine throughout the whole Chris
| tian section was likely to ensue. |
suspected that even the soldiers would
join in the nillage, and would not hes
itate to avail themselves of an oppor-
| tunity to plunder.
Chaos had indeed come. No tie, nc
spot would be held sacred. My only
| nope was that the disturbance was as
yet confined to the streets, and thai
the furious Moslems had not begun tc
| attack the Christian houses.
While these thoughts We're chasing
through my BRAIN / strained every en-.
ergy in eluding my pursuers. The
street was tortuous, and l feared al
each turn / might encounter Others
hostile to me, but | did not. l was now
approaching a vicinity with which
was perfectly familiar, a quarter wher,
/ knew every dwelling, every lane anC
every blind alley. Suddenly l heard
disturbance directly ahead upon my
left whittier the highway was leadins
me- CARRIED as l was, l knew that t.
advance was to run directly into thu
lions jaw. On my right was a marrow
lane which bent circuitously in tn,
direction of the city walls. Into thi
l dashed. My pursuers We're not il
sight, and hope gave me renewed
speed.
A change of clothing, disguise, tina
was what | must obtain. But how
All! there was Kuria EVander. Madam
EVander, as the French would say
Why had l not thought of her before
Her house communicated with tn
very lane which | was following. Thi
good woman, who had thus providen
TALLY come into my mind, was a widow
with whose husband my uncle had ha
extensive dealings in years past. /
was to Evander, a Greek who ha
lapsed from ORTHODOXY to Islamism
that many Palmyrenes, Druses an
BedOuins disposed of whatever the
had for sale. He acted as kind O
mddleman, and not only purchase
but bartered, going on trading eXpedi
tions into the outlying region far an
near Although he had been s4vere
yearA dead, | knew that his widow
an old acquaintance of my lunt's-
must still have in her possess ion som
of the garments worn by her husban
in his many comings and goings, 70
Evander was wont to dress after III
manner of the people among whom h
traded.
At length l reached doorway in tn
wall, communicating with a passag
which, in turn, gave access to tn
house. l was aware that this entranc