Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-01-16

me | have the house to look after, and
my own clothes to look after; so what
can | do? | really never have a mo-
ment to my SELF
| Are you one Of the sirdar's wives?'
! | asked rather shyly. l was afraid
might be making some grave mistake,
yet l was dying to know.
Me? Why, OF course; don't you
know? | am enc of his head wives. [
used to be head of all,'' she said, and
then she sighed.
How many married wives has he?"
| ventured again
How many married Wives?" she
said laughing, and putting her head
down until it almost rested on her
lap. This was evidently delicate
question. Ask him. she said sudden
| ly. Perhaps he knows"
And he has slave wives besides?"
l questioned.
slave wives?" She took me to the
| window. There were women washing,
woman hanging up clothes to dry,
women sitting on the various door
steps sewing, and women nursing
babies, and women laughing and talk
| ing, cracking nuts and eating melons.
See there are some of the sirdar's
| SldfS WIGS, SHC Sttlu Al III 81 L
thought she must be jC-ing, and |
| tried to joke too, but it seemed to fall
little fat. Somehow we westerns
! lin the vest talk very airily about
harems. but when you come in con-
tact with the genuine article, as | did
that day, it is revolving and degrading
to the men as we'll as to the women,
and disgusting to boot
hi ~
OWN" I asked seriously. l felt that
!: this was another delicate question.
| (For Mohammedan woman to have
no offspring is-well, not a disgrace,
but a distinct slur, and l thought it
might be want OF children that had
cost my hostess her place as head
wife.)
"Oh, have had three she said,
sadly, slight moisture gathering in
her eyes, but they are all dead"
l thought of the child with dis
eased elbow joints, and then looked
cut at numbers Of little children lying
about OF playing in the enclosure, and
l felt l knew why they had died: zig
norance and neglect" These words
were written in capital letters all over
the place. She followed my eyes out
into the court, and imagining, doubt
less, that | was still thinking with awe
and wonder of the sirdar's wives and
children, she said, "Ah, but you must
see the rest; yes, you must go now, OF
the others will be angry
| So | was taken through a doorway
and down a dark passage, at the end
! of which was another door leading into
4 much smaller court yard. The sirdar
! il ci oh IF on
"Hah or jor?" (that means, are you
well?), girl who was, I feel sure, a
slave, called cut "Bechir" (be happy,
! | said, condescendingly. That was
greeting enough for her.
You must come in and see my
bibi," she said; and | went in ana
found a woman in bed, and by her side
/ in tiny cradle, tiny infant in swad-
ding clothes. l felt rather shocked.
| was sure she hau done wrong in
bringing me in there, and was just go
ing out again into the court yard, but
| she would not hear OF it, and, Selling
me round the waist, she half dragged,
half pushed me through another door,
and so on through other rooms, all
occupied, into another subdivision Of
| this great house. See, here is an
other Of the sirdar's children; ah dr.
sah;b, give him something for his
cough" and she picked the little tod
dler up off the ground. "He has such
BAD cough, especially at night, he's
getting quite thin, aren't you, my pref
" one?"
l looked at it. 1t was miserable
little creature, and feeling rather dis
gusted l turned aside The girl seem
ed in no wise surprised at nv want Of
humanity, but just said: "All right,
come on; yes, certainly, come on,
Bib Gul will be expecting you; she
will be waiting for you
And who is Bib Gul?" I asked.
ooh, don't you know? Fancy not
knowing Bib Gull! Why, she is the
| sirdar's head wife. a Mohammedan
granddaughter of the great ameer.
Why. l thought every one knew Bib
Gull"
AS she spoke she threw open a door
that led into a really pretty garden;
a flower they call Jasmine" but
which is like our lilac in appearance,
was in full bloom, and the whole at
mosphere was laden with its delicious
perfume. Gaily dressed women were
standing about in clusters, laughing
! and talking. There was a Well-tO-dO
air about the whole place. After the
last house ! had visited this one was
a palace. and compared with the last
women | had seen, these seemed like
princesses, as, indeed, some of them
| were.
A very handsome. gracious lady, in
a rich salmon-colored brocade. came
| forward and addressed me. She treat
| ed me with the usual eastern courtesy,
/ but the harsh Mohammedzai voice be-
trayed her. and knew her to be Bib
! Gull
! The usual questions regarding health
1 and happiness were interchanged, and
then l was taken into q large room to
! have my tea. There I found the sdar at
/ last. comfortably ensconced among cush-
! ions ard pillows. l told him l had already
/ been 10 two houses, but as far as | knew
| l had not yet seen the child the ameer
| had sent me to examine. Both he and his
! wife laughed. and l now saw quite clear
/ ~ what l had already begun to suspect,
/ viz, that ! had been taken to this estab-
! lishment to be looked at. and that the sick