The progress., 1904-05-21
: The PRINCESS AND THE
X JEWEL DOCTOR. X
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by LEONORA HALLOwELL.



BY LEONORA HALLOwELL. \
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IN st. Petersburg society there may
l be met at the present time a GER
tain Russian princess, who is noted
for her beauty, for an ugly defect
she has lost the forefinger Of her left
hand-and for her extraordinary at
tachment to the city of Tunis, where
she has spent at least three months
Of each year since 1890-the year in
which she suffered the accident tina,
deprived her of finger. What that
accident was, and why she is SO pas
sionately attached to Tunis, nobody
in Russia seems to know, not even her
doting husband, who bows to all her
caprices. But two persons could ex-
plain the matter-a Tunisian guide
named Abdul. and mysterious indi-
vidual who follows humble calling
in the little Rue Ben-Ziad, close to the
Tunis bazaars. This latter is the
princess personal attendant during
her yearly visit to Tunis. He accom-
panies her everywhere, may be seen
in the hall of her hotel when she is at
home, on the box of her carriage when
she drives out, close behind her when
she is walking. He is her shadow in
Africa. Only when she goes back to
Russia does he return to his profess
sion in the Rue Ben-Ziad.
This is the exact history of the ac-
cident which befell the princess in
1890. In the spring Of that year she
arrived one night at Tunis. She had
not long been married to an honorable
man whom she adored. She was rich,
pretty and popular. Yet her life was
clouded by great fear that sometimes
made the darkness of night almost in
tolerable to her. She dreaded lest the
darkness of blindness should come
upon her. Both her mother, now dead,
and her grandfather had labored under
this defect. They had been born with
sight and had become totally blind ere
they reached the age of 40. Princess
.sDanischeif-as we may call her f1r the
purpose of this story-shuddered when
she thought of their fate andfthat it
might be hers. Certain books that she
read, certain conversations on the SUBJ
ject of heredity that she heard in st.
Petersburg society fed her terror. Oc-
casionally, too, when she stood under
strong light she felt slight pain in
her eyes. She never spoke of her fear,
but she fell into condition of nervous
exhaustion that alarmed her husband
and her physician. The latter recon-
mended foreign travel as tonic. The
former, who was detained in the cap
'ital by political affairs, reluctantly
agreed to separation from his wife.
And thus it came about that, late one
night of Spring, the princess and her
companion, the elderly countess de
Rosnikoff, arrived in Tunis at the close
of tour in Algeria and put up at the
Hotel Royal.
The bazaars of Tunis are among the
best that exist in the world of bazaars,
and, on the morning after her arrival,
the princess was anxious to explore
them with her companion. But Nine.
de Rosnikoff was fatigued by her jour-
ney from Constantine. She begged the
princess to go without her, desiring
earnestly to be left in her bedroom
with cup of weak tea and French
novel. The princess, therefore, or
dered a guide and set forth to the
bazaars.
The guides name was Abdul. He
was a talkative young eastern, and as
he turned with the princess into the
network of tiny alleys that spreads
from the Bab-el-bahar to the bazaars
he poured forth a flood of informa-
tion about the marvels Of his native
city. The .stincess listened idly. That
morning she was cruelty preoccupied.
As she. stepped out of the hotel into
the bright sunshine she had felt
sharp pain in her eyes, and now,
though she held over her head large
green parasol, the pain continued. She
looked at the light and thought of the
darkness that might be coming upon
her, and the chatter of Abdul sounded
vdSu Suc III nCt CdlS. IiCoChtiss nOWCFCAt
she was forced to attend to him, for
he asked her a direct question:
To-day they sell Jewels by auction
.sear the Mosquee Djama-ez-Zitouna,"
he said "Would the gracious princess
like to see the market of the jewels?"
The princess put her hand to her
eyes and assented in low voice. Abb
dul turned out of the sunshine into a
narrow alley covered with a wooden
roof 1t was full of shadows and Of
squatting men, who held out brown
hands to the princess as she passed.
But she was staring at the shadows
and did not see the merchants Of Cob
len market. Leaving this alley Alb
dul led her abruptly into dense crowd
of Arabs, who were all talking. gestic-
ulating and moving hither and thither,
apparently under the influence of ex-
treme excitement. Many of them held
rings, bracelets or brooches between
their fingers. and some extended palms
upon which lay quantities Of uncut
sapphires and en-
eralds. At q little distance a grave
man was noting down something in a
book. But the princess scarcely OBJ
served the progress of the jewel auc-
ton. Her attention had been attracted
by an extraordinary figure that stood |
near her. This was an immensely tall
Arab, dressed In a dingy brown robe,
and wearing upon his shaven head. |
which narrowed almost to . point at |
the back, q red fez with q large black |
fassel His claw-like hands were COW
cred with rings and his bony wrists |
with bracelets But the attention of |
the princess was riveted by his eyes
They were small and bright. and
squinted horribly, 90 horribly that II |
was impossible to tell ct what he was
looking. These eyes gave to his face
an expression q diabolic and ruthless
visilaacs and sunnins- He seemed at ]