Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-09-06

He took her hand and welcomed her
to his house; she replied by monosylla-
bles. thus showing herself a modest
woman, not over free with her tongue
AS the night advanced Suleiman fell
into sentimental mood, and rehearsed
with much self-pity his trials with his
first wife.
Il assure you. Hanum,'' he said, "sha
was quite impossible to live with, so
cross and annoying; with you will al
ways be tender, but with her / was
forced to be rough. Allah! how she
| bored mei-talk, talk, talk! Truly it is
said that one word provoketh another,
and often 1 answered her sharply, but
| could never put her down. It is good
advice to a woman: Open your eyes.
but not your mouth" And so he maun-
derad on about his past troubles.
Melek said nothing, but he felt her
sympathy SO powerfully that he grew
eloquent in abuse of his poor first wife,
ali the time assuring her of his devotion
to this amiable woman at his side
With the passing hours he grew more
expansive, and told his wife tales that
he would never have confessed in rhe
light. As he had detested Melek he had
not thought it necessary to be loyal 20
her; no with cruel triumph he told his
bride how he had deceived the other
woman as often as he could He had
made eyes at the inman's wife, and had
one day kissed the housemaid of the
pasta who lived in the great house; he
had lifted the veil OF the girl who came
to draw water at the fountain. He re-
counted his unfaithfulness with pride
For Hanum Effendi. such a woman
could expect nothing else from her hus-
band. She was not so bad looking" he
! rejected. but as our prOverb runs,
Without she is doll. within devil )"
Poor Melek was as still as any doll
now, scarce daring to breathe, for fear
of pouring out sObs and grief.
At length Suleiman noticed her 81
lence, and felt sudden strong desire to
see this quiet, plump creature to whom
he had been unbosoming himself
"Hanum." he begged. Il know you
are as beautiful as you are sweet, to you
! | will ever be true and loving husband;
| but let me see your face, light but once
| the candle and let me see the counte-
nance Of her whom l swear to cherish as
the apple of my eye
Melek could endure no more; she has
| tily struck match ard lit it to the
candle, revealing to the amazed Sulei-
man the woebegone face of the wife ne
| had been abusing.
Suleiman was filled with horror at
his cruelty. The pale. tear-stained face
of his wife cut him to the heart; he
| thought with distress of all he had said
| to her. In the candle light she looked
pretty and lovable. and he had hurt her.
He fell upon his knees and kissed her
feet, pressing them to his breast, he
begged her in piercing tones to forgive
him, and trust him for the future. He
called himself brute, and her his angel
returned to him. In short. he made his
| peace with the patient wife, who was all
too ready to listen to his pleading.
Both Suleiman Effendi and Melel1
Hanum learned lessons from this ex-
! perience. and after it understood each
others needs and peculiarities better
| than before. Remorse kept the hus-
band true to his wife. and the sharp eX-
perierce curbed her somewhat FESTIVE
| tongue. Thus it came about that Sulei-
man and Melek lived together until old
age iii harmony.
*''MPlek'' is Turkish for "anoo1