The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-07-09

| willing thus to violate Turkish hospitality
we would not have dared allow him to
| take the risk of invading the precincts
of harem, which no Turk would pre-
| sumo to do under possible penalty of
death. Our harem was in the ancient
town of Scutari, On the Asiatic side of
| the Bosporous. We came to great
| double iron gate Of formidable proper
lions. and, on pulling a tirgling bell, one
side slowly opened, carefully held by a
! man in the picturesque costume of the
| Crcats. These CToats are strong, power
| ruiiy built men, fearless and ferocious
| when occasion demands, and are the
| trusted gatekeepers and guards of banks,
| pubic buildings and private great houses
| In ConStantinople. Passing through the
| gateway, we found ourselves in a beau
| tl1uI garden. carefully laid out In pretty
walks among trees ard flowers. The
waters OF the Bosporus, dotted with boats
ana sails and all the strange craft that
ply between the Black sea and Marmora,
We're spread out before us, tapping the
toCt of the garden.
| On one side Of the grouds was the win
ter house. On the other was the summer
KIOSK. Both houses seemed all windows,
an fnvariable feature of Turkish homes,
| winch are built with SO many windows
that there seems scarcely framework
enough left between to support the stories
| ABOVE or to hold the structure together
| II the character of the Turk Is, as usually
| conceived, dark and impenetrable, his
| nome presents the anomaly of being in
| direct contrast, for that is as light and
prlght as 1t can be made by windows and
| balconies.
turning from the lovely view before us
with one of the sultan's marble palaces
and the tall minarets of a white MOSQUE
OIL the opposite shore cleaning in he aft
ernoon sun. we glazed up and saw a
| son of the family at one Of the unbarred
| windows. The windows of the haremiIk
are always provided with latticed screens.
! which distinguish them from the seIamlfk
Met by black eunuch below, we were
| conducted up long stairway, at the top
| OF which he struck the wall with his oven
| palm' announcing the approach of visi-
| TORS. VolceIessly uShered into Turkish
salon hung with bright-colored draperies
| ana with broad, low divans running part
OF the way around the room, we Just had
Cme 10 glance out over the incompara Bile
| BoSporus through the latticed windows
| and for one brief moment imagine orr
selves Turkish women, hid away from the
| world behind the bars of such a building.
light step was heard, and the next
instant we were greeted by a beautiful
| creature. dressed in a gown of modern
cut and fashion, who met us with all the
case and grace of woman of society in a
european metropolis. Her dark hair was
arranged In Psyche knot, and her soft
Drown eyes were shaded with long Iashes,
which fringed the most delicately curved
and dropping lids imaginable.
her clear, olive complexion, with onIv
a mint OF color, was evidently natural, and
not the result of Turkish art usually
manifest even through the "yashmak'' of
most Turkish women when driving in
their carriages. She was SO beautiful,
ana had such sweet dignified manner
Dr6ttV S0nilp T5ybaT Lo,
closed a row of perfect teeth that
scarcely took my eyes off her face the
whole hour and half Of our visit.
mere was no trace. Of embarrassment
at meeting strangers, and no evidence
that she had not been educated in a fash
lohaole boarding school. She had all the
ease OF belle of an aristocratic set ex-
cept when she sat down on the edge of
her chalr. l wondered then If it could be
possible mat she ever sat cross-Iegged on
the moor or could prefer rug to a rock
en-. TWO sisters, a cousin and their
rIeucn goVerness entered the room and
greeted us with delicate cordiality. Then
the TWO young sons Of the family in mill
Iary uniform came, and with unhesitatine
step walked straight to us. making a
graceIul bow to each, and taking us bv
| the hand as would any welI-bred Euro-
pean boy. A bright and sprightIy CONVEX
sation IN perfect French was carried on
a q naT 11ro 11vy
| as In a French salon.
The mother, who is thorouehlv rr,,rl,,sI,
unaffected by European customs or
| language, speaking only her ne+iva
tongue, and dressing In the costume of
the country, was spending the afternoon
at the path. The Turkish bath Is me
most allur1ng of all the tame excitemenrz
dlo hilIu olsslpauons of the native WON
| Ell, VINO spend half a day there sinnir q,
coHee and smoking cigarettes with theiI.
| Arlenos, Iounging on the low broad H.
vans after the hour or more spent In the
stearslng hot rooms at the marble and
alabaster basins. This mother and her
husband, we are told by their friends.
were slngularly happy and 10 orlike.
When her liege lord, the old pac,la, re-
turned from the city and his militay dI-
ties In the evening, they at once went
Tor walk In the garden, and actually
seemed to be In love with each other.
The eldest daughter was eng .ged to q
young hey In the army. She talked 11nre-
servedly Of her fiance, whom she had new
er seen, and whom she expressed no de-
sire, not even curiosity to see. She
showed US his photograph which was
that of f1ne-lool1ing fellow in 1aiIftarv
dress, decorated With numerous orders
and whom she seemed to regard with an.
solute Indifference, as though he were q
stranger from another world. She told
|
pc Mighty improper gift before maria ge
we afterWard learned from a member M
the household that he was by no means
unaware of the beauty of her who wa
to be his wife, and for whom he had nar-
sistently sued. We also learned that a
has been forbidden Turkish women TO he
Photographed In order that their pictures
should not come under profane gaze
At the Sweet Waters of Asia wbaro
In the summer afternoons the T1rlrIsb
women float about in their caioucs tbair
beauty half concealed, half revealed u
and always enhanced by the becorIno
white gauZe of their "yashmalxs ,, ne
young Bey had seen the beautiful Assig
After the first glimpse of the lovely oves
and fair face through the serni-+rans'
parency Of the white covering. In who's
soft folds his heart had been hopeIessIv
entrapped, he Logan his suit wiz the
parents for their daughter. The youno
couple are to be married in a ro1tb
and their house was being furnishes fo,
them at the time of my visit. Str9ngast
of all, she had not seen 1t and vo,,Id
not until her wedding day, when kbe
would be brought there for the final cere.
monies She talked unreservedly Of AZ
the arrangements for the wedding ar
of her new home, and [ wondered If she
did not have a little bit Of sentiment
hid away somewhere behind that era.
cious but Indifferent exterior. I honed
she had.
The religion Of hospitality is universal
among Mahometans, and no ons eve,
crosses their threshold without rartekino
of food and drink. During the CONVEX.
satlon servant entered the room oar.
rying a large tray covered with gIas
and spoons and a dish of preserved
Strawberries. Hanging from the tray