The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-11-30

When we went into the harem think
DAD was going to insist on having the
women dance for him, while he sat on
a throne and threw kisses at the most
beautiful women in all the world but
before we had got around all the box
stalls | think if any of them had start
ed to dance dad would have stampeded
in body.
We finally got back to the great mar
| bic room where the sultan was seeping
| in a stuffed chair, surrounded by his
stan. and one of them woke him up. and
he asked dad what he thought of the
home life of a crowned head, and dad
said it beat anything he had ever seen
and he should recommend to his govern.
men that the harem system be adopted
IN America, and actually the sultan
seemed pleased. He said as an evidence
OF his love for America he wanted tn
present to the president, through dad, so
or his wives and if dad would Indicate
where he wanted them delivered, they
would be there. Johnny on the SPOT. or
words to that effect.
At first thought dad would faint
away, but | whispered to him that il
would be diSc0urteous to decline pres.
ent. after giving the sultan a gold mine,
and that may be the old man would be
so mad, if he declined the wives. that he
would tie stones to our legs and sink
us in the Bosphorous. so dad rallied and
said on behalf of his government. he
would accept the kindly and thoughtful
git or his highness, and that he would |
cable for war vessel to take the wives
to his own America, and he would notify
the sultan when to round them I'D and
load them on the vessel.
Well. Sir. do not know what possessed
me TO make scene, before we got out
OF the presence of the sultan, but It all
came to me sudden, like an inspiration
comes to poet. had been eating some
1rult that bought in paper bag, and
when had eaten the last of it, | WON
dered what would do with the bag. and
then | thought what fun it would be to
blow the bag up, and suddenly burst it,
when all was still. So blowed up the
bag, SO 1t was as hard as bladder, and
lied string around the neck, and
waited. | did not think how afraid
everybody in these old countries Is of
bombs, or l never would have done IT,
honestly.
The sultan was signing some papers
and looking out of the corners of bis
Eyes, to see If anybody was present who
was suspicious, and dad was getting
ready to make a salam, and back out
If the presence of the ruler of Turkey,
when got behind some of the officials
who were watching the sultan, and | laid
ny paper bag on the marble floor, and
was as still as death, and all YOU
'ould hear was the scratching of the
zen, when | jumped up in the air "a
hough | had fit, and yelled allah"
nd came down with my whole weight
N the paper bag, and of all the STAN.
edes you ever saw, that was the worst
You know what O noise it makes 10
ust a paper bag. Well, this was the
oughest old bag | ever busted, and II
ounded like cannon fired down cellar
and the air was full of dust,
nd before could get up the sultan had
lpped over the table and run yelling ,
lto another room, praying to Allah" !
nd all the staff had lit out for tall tim
er. and there was nobody left but dad
nd the unique and myself, and the 1
nique took dad by the arm and started l
'r the door, and we were fired out.
AS | went out of the room looked = =
round, and there was a Turks head :
licking out of every door, to see how
any had been killed by the bomb, and
we got out doors, dad said: Now we
aye to get out of Turkey before night, or
die. Me for Egypt, boy, if we can n
Itch boat before we are drawn and g
lartered." So here goes for Cairo. 4
gypt. Your only. -
HENNERY. a.