The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-08
III.

Eighteen months later I found myself
! attached to the European squadron Our
| ship, the Tepemund, lay off Galata, at the
| mouth of the Golden Horn. OF course,
whenever possible, I got shore leave, and
| Tambled about the fascinating city Of
| Stamboul. Among other things told me
| as GREATNESS secret was that in an old
| rabbit-Warren Of a street, in what seemed
| to be a cellar but was the top of an I'M
! foreground house, there lived an old Turk
| iSh merchant who sold rugs and curios at
| half price One morning, therefore, with
| an Armenian dragoman 1 set out in pur-
suit of the merchant, and, after threading
| many of the older parts of the city, came
| at last to the court in which the merchant
| lived.
I confess that 1 approached the Orient
with all the preconceptions of youth, and
in the light of the Arabian nights"
Throughout the East generally the spirit
and life of that wonderful book are as
| real and fresh today as they were then
centuries ago. But, on the surface, there
Is often a varnish Of French civilization
which makes externals misleading. You
expect more than you have a right to
or that you ever find. The court in which
my old merchant lived, however, was
Oriental enough to please the most en-
thusiastic. 1t smelt to heaven, and the
sun drove into 1t like solid golden lance,
But for some NANCY dogs scavenging
about and a black Water-terrier doing In
the sun, there was very little sign Of life.
1t was getting on towards noon, and the
fierce light in the court made the narrow
i; openings into the shops seem like the
dusky entrances into caves. I was pick
ing my way gingerly along when sudden
~ my name was loudly and joyously pro-
claimed. The voice was that of one of
my country women, and of some one who
was sure Of my identity. stopped in be-
wilderment, and then, from one of the
openings a dragoman rushed forth, all
bows and smiles, and said that a lady
wished to speak to me. Whereupon my
| own impressive Armenian dragoman stared
| at me and sided cautiously off towards
| the middle Of the court. Reaching the
entrance Of the shop designated in the
gloom within, I perceived five feminine
| forms. One Of these advanced with ex-
tended hands and said warmly:
Mr.. Wyncope, knew it was you, and
Just couldn't help sending after youi I
just had to speak to you and shake hands.
| You don't know what comfort 1t Is to
| get sight of familiar American face In
this outiandish place!' and there beamed
upon me Mrs. Lydia Lucretia Foam.
l made my salutations to the lady as
hearty as L could, and she introduced me
to her friends. There were two young
ladies and two middle-aged ones, all con-
Yoyed by the professors widow They
| greeted me so kindly and demonstratively
that L had an inward twinge at not feel
ing an equal satisfaction. 1 did my best,
however, in offering my services
That reminds me-" said Mrs. Foam,
eagerly, IT said something to our drago-
man this morning, and he either didn't or
wouldn't understand me, and hasn't
seemed to recover all his senses yet"
Ventured to suggest that the habits.
customs and traditions Of the OrientaIs
are so different from ours, that 1t is diff
ncult for one of them, at short notice. to
grasp the whole Of Western wishes and
requirements.
are for" she said. ''I thought their busi-
ness was to take you everywhere, and
snow you everything you wanted to see"
But my dear lady, that depends upon
"here you want to go and what you want
TO see" 1 suggested
MRS. roam, however, had come abroad
WIN the IDEA that Europe, but more es-
peclally the East was one vast bazaar.
where everything pertaining to BODY.
rnlnd and spirit Is on exhibition. Thera
were TO be no reserves, seclusions. ex.
| clUsions GA
Il think people will always be glad
10 meet you half way If you only ap-
proach them in the right spirit" said
| this good American; 81 am s,,re neon1o
/
! 1t they only knew how interested T an,
IN them, how I long to let in some true
| Light upon them" q felt that Mrs Foam
! was unconsciously quoting from Tn tba
Faith Of the FlagD, eff they only knew
now 1t strengthens the bonds of fellow
snip ana wldens the bounds OF brother
! mood to come close together in the sprit
| Of neighborly interest and true. cbaIitvE
Why, I'm sure they'd be glad to-to-to-
| let us in, she concluded, with a lonp
| eager sigh. l wondered, with misgiving
where she wanted to go and what she
wanted to see. l looked at her dragoman.
HIS countenance expressed distraction
charged with suspicion In the soft
! gloom, as he caught my gaze, the fellow
thrust his tongue into his cheek: crossed
his eyes until L felt seasick, and wagged
| his head with a significance only posi-
Bile in the East.
My Arabic is next to nothing, but ap-
PREACHING him, L said in French: You
mongrel dog, If you ever look at me
strungr'
l began to feel uneasy I saw that
! Mrs. Foam's guardian angels were we'll
| meaning ignorance and guileless audac-
ity, and, though these may do much.
they cannot do all Moreover, such Amer.
leans are sui generis, and neither to be
| cOmprehended nor appreciated by the rest
W 'ii0 "oiiu nau d rush OIL apprehen-
sion, yet knew not in what particular
thought to work. But Mrs Foam re-
turned to the charge.
OF course, Europe has a great deal to
learn from U.S. she said, "about the
comforts and conveniences of life, and
we ought to influence these people in
other ways, too. And the East, now.
| did want to see more of the real life.
OF course, the half-and-half sort of thing
/ doesn't count-at least the dra ponan
says so-the women who wear French