Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1905-10-05
THE RUSE OF
MELEK HANUM
BY HELEN d. JENKINS

The heart Of q fool Ia In his tongue; the
tongue OF q wise man Is in his heart
Turkish proverh.
q ULEIMAN EFFENDI could not get
along with his wife. No unusual
case, you viii say, but uncomfortable,
nevertheless. Melek Hanum hao
seemed attractive when he married her
some 1--WE years before; she was rat ana
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 nsighbor, Meh-
met, the grocer, that she was shrew'
scolding continually and never giving
him a moments peace. Mehmet tried
to soothe his irritation. but In vain, ana
one day he spoke the fatal words OF d.
vorce. and Melek Hanum was led weep
ing to her fathers house,
For a month Suleiman was gay IN his
freedom, and declared himself the nap
piest of men to be relieved Of that clack-
ing tongue; but the next month MS
wifeless. childless house was lonely, and
he resolved to take second wife. He
told Mehmet, the grocer, Of his lnten-
ton and asked the services Of helmets
wife Nahseli, in procuring him suit
able one.
When Mshmet told Nasheli Hanum'
she was sad for her friend Melek, VINO
was pining In her fathers small anu
crowded house.
"Melek is a good woman, MashalIan!
She was indeed an angels, true TO her
husband, and q sweet creature"
Mehnet 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 far as to generaiize
the statement.
For five years she has kept his house
clean and his clothes in repair, and mas
cooked excellent meals for him. my
sslf can tell of her luscious dolmss 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 new
wife. Much sympathy was excited for
Melek. and finally the neighbors deter
mined a trick on Suleiman II they coulo
win Melek's consent and cooperation.
Half a dozen of the neighborhood
called on Melek Hanum, and while the
air YVES pungent with the smoke OF their
cigarettes. proposed their plan to her,
She was to be passed of to Suleiman
as a new wife, and when ne found HIM
self remarked to her-"Ih Allah knows
what will happen, but 1t may be for the
BEST" Melek was excited, and by turns
GOV and eager, but was finally won over.
Suleiman was told that suitable wife
was found for him, one with whom ne
would be very happy, widow, so there
need be no grand wedding.
On the morning of a day three months
after the divorce, the civil marriage was
celebrated. A proxy for the groom de-
clared his willingness to take the wom-
an; a proxy for the bride declared her
willingness to become his wife, Menmet
and Ali the shoemaker, were witnesses
and Fikret, the inman, read prayer
from the Koran. Neither suieiman nor
Nelek 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 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