The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-15
Life I'm a Persian Haren,.

|
| sian governor at Shiraz
| AS we rode into the city every one
| stared at me-the unveiled woman. The
streets of the City of Roses are narrow
and hard to navigate. 1t was with diff
| ficulty that we reached the palace of
| Abdul III Sultan.
| las the gates opened whole flock of
| servants dashed out. They surrounded
me at once and led me along a marvel
GUS alley shaded with cypress trees We
crossed miniature canal whose nmpid
| waters flowed through a channel lined
with blue tiles. Wonderful flowers, from
| peonfeS to irises, bordered it and the
| breath of wild almond filed the air.
Abdul III Sultan received me in
room set apart for women. He poured
a flood of compliments over me like
a rain of flowers.
We walked through a beautiful colon
maze winch connected the palace with
the women's pavilion. This led to a
great room, the roof of which was sup
ported by beautifully sculptured marble
pillars.
The walls were adorned with great
mirrors. and the floor was a mosaic of
| glazed tiles. Here were gathered all
| the women of the harem-Iadies and
slaves alike All were clad In the sable
draperies which Persians still wear in
mourning for Hussein, the son Of Ali,
the founder of the Shiite sect of Mo-
hammedans
The dark stuff threw the fresh rosy
races OF the girls into relief and added
to. their beauty. But the costly jewels
which glittered in their garments seem
ed to me to weigh heavily on them, and
the darkening of their eyebrows with
kohl seemed to me to give their childish
faces hard and obstinate expression.
Only their dark melting eyes, yelled
with long lashes, seemed to me to reflect
their melancholy lives of repression.
I'VE were seated on beautifully cary
ed wooden settles and copper-colored
slaves distributed Persian dainties.
There were ices and sherhet, and in front
machine of silver was placed. These
had models of Persepolis moulded on
them in high relief.
Delicious bonbons were passed
around which left a delicate, faint flavor
of roses on the lips. There were also
splendid purple grapes and pomegran-
ates which seemed to be filled with
rubies when cut. The slaves peeled lit
tie pale yellow oranges for us with their
delicate hands.
"The expression of the Princess face
was of restrained grief. In vain she
tried to control herself and conceal her
agony Tears ran down her cheeks and
mingled with the diamonds in her gown
as she turned her well-like eyes on her
husband.
Later I learned the explanation of
her strange conduct. She had
failed in the chief duty of a Persian
band had determined to take another
wife.
1.-The announcement had been made
to her only that morning, and she knew
that her rival was already chosen, and
only waiting to take her place in her
husbands favor. Even not knowing
the sad story, longed to say word
of comfort to her; but how could 1 in
that throng, with the guardians of the
harem watching Manchester Chroni-
Gle.
Where Animals Beat Men,
Mature taking aside said John
Lover, the zoo keeper. mice won't eat
cleo. 1t is fact. Lay pat of oleo
and a pat of butter side by side, and
in the morning the butter will be gone,
but the oloo will remain untouched.
"Oh, yes, some animals are in
credibly nice about their food. The
otter, when living wild will only eat
one piece, one mouthful, out of each
fish he catches. He will land a beau
tiful trout, but only one bite of it,
from the back, just behind the neck, is
good enough for him. The rest he
losses aside This epicure often kills
q dozen fine, big trout to make one
meal.
"Chimpanzees have very delicate
tastes A banana or a pine apple that
to you seems delicious. to Chin
panzee may be revolving. His taste is
keener. Grapes grown in hothouses
where sulphur fumes are used as an
insecticide taste all right to a man, but
a chimpanzee will have none of them.
1.-THE ichneumon loves eggs. He
can tell a fresh from stale one SIM
ply by tapping the SHE'LL
PardonabIe Exaggeration.
Governor Stokes of New Jersey was
laughing over the report that he had
been mobbed in Trenton for unfairly
umpiring baseball game between New
To- 70 Tee
THAT story" he said. was exag-
gerated. The reporters got excited and
lost sight of the truth little. Excl
ted people often exceed the truths linn
its, but they are not to be much
blamed.
an old veteran talking about war. More
and more excited grew the old man.
His thin, tremulous hands struck the
table resounding whacks. A queer flush
stained his gray and sunken cheeks. His
waggtng white beard was all dtshevel-
led.
Boys he quavered, as the band
PLAYED Dixie boys, AZ years ago to-
day I laid on my chest knee-deep in
water, and waited "a hours for the sun
to rise, and. by lingo, l kin do it agin!
Hurray for Old Glory!"
The Literary Difference.
II. G. Wells said Chicago pub
Usher lis a splendid novelist but he
too much Importance to the
question of style, of finish. and not
enough Importance to the question of
When Mr.. Wells was over
here, I went about with him good
DEAL and one day I showed him a |
mansion that one of our |
leading novelists owns
Literature, 1 said. encouragingly, |
SIS different from what 1t was in DR. |
Johnson's and Nol Goldsrnith's time |
You could live in just such a house as |
that If you'd write as we publishers |
want you to, Mr.. Wells. You could be |
a famous novelist, too. In. fact it is |
easy to be a famous novelist nowadays |
mfr Wells laughed, sourly.
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