Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1909-06-03
A SUBLIM
S y Nj NJ O N S
A Story Of Turkey and the Sultan

DR.. Jani was in prison in Stamboul
he did not know why All he had
been able to learn from the guards
was that he was arrested by the or
ders of the sultan, He had protested
innocence of all wrong-dong, but with
out avail. He had begged for time to
put his affairs in order, to write few
notes to friends, to communicate with
the ambassador or with the consul, to
send a telegram. No. all he was to do
was to go with the guards who had
taken him directly to the prison and
locked him up with no hint of why or
wherefore
He could not so much as guess why
he was there. But then there had
been others. He remembered them
we'll. Montinet, the oriental scholar
who had lived in peace for years and
suddenly had been summoned to be
seen no more among his friends nor
even heard of by them There was
Salons who never had returned from
the ride he started out upon one after.
noon, though his household waited
days and weeks and mouths. Then
there was Morelli, the musician, and
little Grigo, whom every one had
loved, whose life had all joy and mer-
riment, but who had vanished like the
others as though changed to air.
Now his turn had come, and why?
He could think of nothing whatever
that could have offended anyone hold
ing authority in STEAMBOAT.
With his elbows ON the rough table
before him, he looked back to the day
when first he saw the Thespian Bos
phorus. He had come for a months
holiday, and the magic scenery, with
its infinity of panoramas. had be
witched him. The one month had
heightened into 10, and the artist in
him had been supremely happy. AS
physician, too, he had been attract.
ed by Stamboul, but from a Very diff.
ferent reason than that which had at.
tracted the artist, namely, the city's
filth. Where there was so much filth
there must be diseases, probably
strange diseases that western Europe
know nothing of. He had stayed on
account of this filth, and his reward
had been ample, as medals and diplo.
mas in his quarters showed
The literature of the east had been
another charm to hold him He had
delighted in it and had translated
much. He also had put some western
| stories into Arabic and had won dis.
| tinction by so doing.
But it was all done now. His lab
| oratory work, his pictures, his studies
| and TRANSACTIONS We're of the time that
| has been. He should never see his
manuscripts or be in his beloved
| studio again. He like those others
whom he had been thinking of had
come to the end. He might have
known it. He had been a fool-but
| why? Why? Why? He asked him.
self with sort of madness over again
and again, why? Why should it be?
What had he done? Was he not use.
| full? Had he not done good? Had he
not saved lives? He had He had
saved many lives. He had taught the
| people how they might save them.
| selves when diseases came He had
been the friend of all, and had never
tered a word about the state.
He pressed his hands to his head
and tried once more to think staring
at the dull blank wall before him
! Then the door of the cell opened and
an officer came in
You are DR. .Iani?" he inquired.
II am. but"
You have been translating a story
from the French, which has been run
ming as serial in the Weekly Ores
cent?"
II have been translating story
from the French, a romance, in which
there is not one word that could give
offense, not a word that
AS before he was interrupted.
Il am commanded by the sultan,
said the officer, that YOU are to re
main here until the translation is fin
ished. His majesty desires to read
the remainder of the story immediate
ly. Whatever you may require fol
the task will be brought here with the
greatest possible dispatch"
And so it happened that all was no
over for DR.. Jani Indeed, so cage
was the sublime porte to have tn,
story that he dispensed with the for
lnality of having the story written out
and had the doctor brought into hi
study, where the translation was fin
ished orally. The sultan had man,
questions to ask the doctor reat
aloud, which the man of medicine. be
ing learned in the literatures both O
the east and of the west, and being
furthermore, an artist, was able to an
swer and to illustrate in a way tina
gave the sultan the iveliest satisfac
ton.
Instead, therefore, of never seeinl
his STEAMBOAT home again, the docto
returned there on the second day afte
his arrest wearing an especial deco
ration and driving in a royal carriag
with an escort. But he was not quit
himself again for many weeks.