Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-09-06
THE RUSE OF
MELEK HANUM
By HELEN d. JENKINS

The heart of fool is in his tongue; the
tongue of d wise man is in his heart
Turkish proVerb.
c ULEIMAN EFFENDI could not get
y along with his wife. No unusual
case. yOu~will say, but uncomfortable,
nevertheless. Melek Hanum had
seemed attractive when he married her
some five years before; she was fat and
white, and made excellent coffee; but
now he hated her and could scarcely re-
strain his irritability when in her pres
ence. He declared to his neighbor Meh-
met. the grocer, that she was a shrew,
scolding continually and never giving
him a moments peace. Mehmet tried
to soothe his irritation but in vain. and
one day he spoke the fatal words of di-
vorce, and Melek Ranum was led weep
ing to her fathers house.
For month Suleiman was gay in his
freedom. and declared himself the hap
piest of men to be relieved of that clack-
ing tongue; but the next month his
wifeless. childless house was lonely, and
he resolved to take a second wife. He
told Mehmet. the grocer. of his inten-
ton and ASKED the services of helmets
wife. Nahseli. in procuring him suit
able one.
When Mehmet told Nasheli Hanum,
she was sad for her friend Melek. VINO
was pining in her fathers small and
crowded house.
"Melek is a good woman. Mashallah!
She was indeed an angels, true to her
hon nd -
Mehmet Effendi shook his head COM
miserately, and continued to draw in his
coffee with noisy lips.
Nahseli Hanum found Suleiman un-
grateful. and went so Tar as to generaliz2
the statement
For five years she has kept his house
clean and his clothes III repair and has
cooked excellent meals for him. | my
self can tell of her luscious dolmas and
rich preserves. And she has given him
no trouble. always going carefully
yelled and looking at no man. Men do
not know when they have good wife"
Nahseli talked to the women of the
neighborhood when they sat on the
sunny hillside on Friday afternoon. and
Mehmet told his friend at the coffee
house of Suleiman's desire for a new
wife. Much sympathy was excited for
Melek. and finally the neighbCrs deter
mined a trick on Suleiman if they could
win Meleks consent and cooperation.
Half a dozen of the neighborhood
called on Melek Hanum, and while the
air was pungent with the smoke of their
cigarettes. proposed their plan to her.
She was to be passed off to Suleiman
as new wife and when he found HIM
self remarked to her-"Eh Allah knows
what will happen, but it may be for the
best Melek was excited. and by turns
coy and eager. but was finally won over.
Suleiman was told that suitable wife
was found for him, one with whom he
would be very happy. widow, so there
need be no grand wedding.
On the morning of day three months
after the divorce. the civil marriage was
celebrated. proxy for the groom de-
clared his willingness to take the wom-
an: proxy for the bride declared her
willingness to become his wife. Mehmet
and Ali the shoemaker, were witnesses,
and Fikret, the inman, read a prayer
from the Koran. Neither Suleiman nor
Melek were present.
In the afternoon Nahseli Hanum and
two other neighbors escorted Melek to
her husbands house. and with many
giggles placed her in the room where
she was to await him. She was dressed
in a shiny white dress. with a gayly
painted handkerchief tied over her hair.
and was heavily perfumed with rose oil.
She was very nervous and little in
clined to be fearful but Nahseli Hanum
babe her take heart, for all would be
we'll
Suleiman dined with his friends at II
o'clock Turkish. and at two o'clock,
when darkness had settled down upon
the evening. he was told he could go in
to his bride. But she had imposed
curious condition; for whole night he
must not light the candle.
When Sleiman's neighbors had left
him. laughing in their sleeves at the
joke. he entered the dark room. A strong
scent of rose and simmer of white
led him to the sedia where Melek sat,
cold and shaking