The Newark journal., 1905-10-06
THE RUSE OF MELEK HANUM
By HELEN D. JENKINS

The heart of a fool is in his tongue; the tongue of a wise man is in his heart l Turkish proverb
 l CN ULEIMAN EFFENDI could not get hO along with his wife No unusual case. you will say, but uncomfortable, l 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 Ter and could scarcely re- strain his irritability when in her pres ence. He declared to his neighbor, 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. and one day he spoke the fatal words of di- 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 hap piest of men to be relieved of that claek- 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- tion. and asked the services of Helmets wife. NahseH. in procuring him suit able one.
 When Mehmet told Nasheli Hanum. she was sad for her friend Melek who was pining in her fathers small and crowded house.
 "Melek is a good woman. Mashallah! She was indeed an angel*, true to her husband. and a sweet creature.
 Mehmet Effendi shook his head com- miserately and continued to draw III hls coffee with noisy lips.
 NahseI Hanum found Suleiman un- grateful. and went so far as to generallze the statement.
 For five years she has kept his house clean and his clothes in repair, and has cooked excellent meals for him. my self can tell of her luscious dolmas and rich preserves. And she has given him TO trouble always going carefully yelled and looking at no man. Men do not know when they have good wife. NahseIi talked to the women of the i neighborhood when they sat on the sunny hillside on Friday afternoon. and Mehmet told his friend at the coffee house of Suleimans desire for a new wife Much sympathy was excited for Melek. and finally the neighbors deter mined a trick on Suleiman if they could win Melek's consent and cooperation. l 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. 1 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
 GOV and eager. but was finally won over l 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 wee i@%.
 On the morning of Ga, three months
 after the divorce. the civil marriage was celebrated. 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. Mehmet and Ali the shoemaker. were witnesses, and Fikret the inman. read 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 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