The log cabin Democrat., 1909-05-08
A SUBLIME 5 U M M o N $ A Story of Turkey and the Sultan

ueTS Ol tHe SuIldH. Tie Ddu pTOleSteu innocence of all wrong-doing, 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 telegram. No, all he was to do 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 well. 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 months. Then 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 Stamboul.
 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 it's intinity of panoramas, had be- witched him. The one month had heightened into 12, and the artist in him had been supremely happy. AS a physician. too, he had been attract ed by Stamboul, but from 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 1t 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 translations were 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 fool-but why? Why? Why? He asked him. self with a 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 so much as thought of politics or ut tered 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 pr Jani?" he inquired.
 'I am, but"
 You have been translating a story from the French. which has been run pip ia1 in cent?"
 T have been transating story from the French, romance, in which there is not one word that could give offense, not a word that"
 As before he was interrupted
 "I 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 for the task will be brought here with the greatest possible dispatch"
 And so it happened that all was not over for Dr. Jani. Indeed, so eager was the sublime porte to have the story that he dispensed with the for mality of having the story written out, and had the doctor brought into his study, where the translation was fin ished orally The sultan had many questions to ask the doctor read aloud, which the man of medicine, be ing learned in the literatures both of the east and of the west, and being furthermore, an artist, was able to an swer and to illustrate in way thai gave the sultan the liveliest satisfac tion
 Instead, therefore, of never seeing his Stamboul home again, the doctor returned there on the second day after his arrest wearing an especial deco. ration and driving in royal carriage with an escort. But he was not quite