The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-25
MISS STONES COMPANION.
stormy and Charitable Life of MINIS.
Tsiiia. the Bulgarian Brigands'

America are wondering who Is the
companion of Miss Stone in captivity
and peril. The name of Mime. Tsilka
has become familiar enough, but de-
tails of her life, and character are
not generally known. =
Though married to a Bulgarian, she
is a Macedonian by birth Her maiden
name was Katerine Demetria Step
anode. Her father was a priest of the
Orthodox Greek Church in the village
of Bansko, Macedonia
The childhood of little katherine In
cluded some romantic experiences, and
her life has been one of strange and
exciting episodes in quick succession.
Nine. Tsilka might write a very SEN
sational biographical record, Her
rather was not priest of the commons
place ignorant. superstitious order.
Early in life his little daughter felt
the passion for knowledge stirred with
IN her soul. In the next village was
school whose teacher had been trained
In an American mission. There girls
were as welcome as boys.
OF this school little katherine Step
anode had often heard. She wished TO
learn but her father did not dare TO
apply himself for his childs admission
lie knew what trouble there would be
IN store for him were he to take any
such step. Not only were all the con-
Nerts of the missions despised by the
members of the Orthodox Greek com
munion, but parents were strictly for
hidden TO send their children to any
schools connected in any way with
those foreign religious institutions
One day katherine found her way to
the school whose teacher was known
10 be one of the students from the mis-
sion college. But the poor child was
AFRAID to go in. She stood outside
longing to enter, but unable to over
come her natural hesitation. The
superintendent, being told that a
strange little girl was standing out
sue, came out to her and affection
ately invited her in.
Heaven ON Earth.
The girl said afterward: 1T seemed
me heaven IN that school Everybody
was KIND and loving" The end Of the
session came all too soon But at the
end OF the day she dared not confess
what she had done.
she was afraid to let her narenta
KNOW which school she had attended
without saying a word she quietly
went the next morning to the place she
had enjoyed so much When at length
she acknowledged the step she had
Nt-NNh 'AAN ~ itSl anu his WIG We're fer
rlbly alarmed. They stringently pro
hibited her future attendance at the
school whose teacher had incurred the
displeasure of the orthodox ecclesiastl-
cal authorities.
But the perplexed parents at once
discovered that they had to encounter
in their child a will stronger than their
own. Though only years of age, she
declared: IF cannot go to that school
| kkft 10 =
TO do with her. She refused to rise.
would not eat and for two days would
not touch morsel of food The priest
knew that he had himself awakened
in his little daughters mind the thirst
for learning, and at last he gave way
A much more serious test few years
later proves the striking independence
of this extraordinary Macedonian girls
mind. She quietly and happily studied
on for five years, and then, at the age
of IL, her father arranged for her mar
riage.
Her strength of Character.
She herself, of course, was not in
any way consulted. II never occurred
to the parental mind that she would
again assert her individuality of char
acter, especially in relation to such a
matter as this. But they experienced
a strange awakening. The bridegroom
was selected. All seemed to be smooth
and regular. The elaborate arrange
ments for the marriage ceremony had
been completed. But to the amaze
ment of all parties the bride disap-
peared.
When she was at length discovered
she firmly refused to conform either
to the wishes of her parents or to the
customs of her land
She bravely declared that whenever
she might be married It would be to a
husband of her own choice. Fortu-
nately for her. her teachers had won
the respect and confidence of her pa
rents, and therefore they were ready
to listen when the kind instructors
came to reinforce her by pleading her
cause, evolutionary though her con.
duct was in the community
After this the clever Balkan maiden
went straight on to cut out for herself
a noble career. She graduated with
high honors at the American College
al Samakov, but was not yet satisfied,
feeling that she was not yet qualified
for the work she desired to do. With
indomitable enterprise lof spirit she
set out all alone FOR America. and ar
rived in New York with little money
and with very vague plans.
But she soon found warm friends
The late Mr.. Dwight l.. Moody received
her cordially at his famous North
field College. Massachusetts,. and gave
her a valua bic two years course. Then
she went back to New York and stud
led kindergarten methods. But all the
time her mind ran on her homeland
and her compatriots
Learning 10 Nurse.
She reflected on their absolute desti-
tuition of real medical skill. She knew
that In all that radius of thirty Mac
edonian villages there was not one
qualified physician, nor even single
skilled nurse. Determined to equip her
self with the necessary diploma, the
indomitable girl passed through the
school for nurses at the New York
Presbyterian Hospital. She then for
a time supported herself by practic-
Ing her profession, until she had saved
money enough TO pay her passage back
to Turkey.
But then came trying delay, just
as her plans were complete. When
ready to sail she was called to attend
to dear friend who was sick in the
Adirondacks. With characteristic
unsehshness she responded, and she
received an unexpected reward.
Another romance Of the young ladys
life ensued. She met In the Adirondacks
young Macedonian gentleman. NJ
Tsilka who had been one OF her little
friends and fellow students as a boy
He had come over TO America for |
study also In a very short time the |
two were married, and thus katherine |
at last carried our the purpose she had |
announced to her friends, never to |
marry but by her own will. She was |
now the wife OF a young missionary |