The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-01-01
THE CROSS AND
THE CRESCENT
A Story OF the Balkan War
By F. A. mitchell

placed Arthur Andrews, an American
living in Servia, in a condition calcu-
lated to drive him mad. A few years
before, having come of age and in
heriting a fortune, he went abroad to
travel for pleasure. The Balkan penin-
sula attracted him owing to its rugged
scenery, the gay costumes of its peo-
pie and its general oriental appearance.
The inhabitants of Turkey in Eu-
rope are a mixture of the white and
Turkish races. Christians and Moham-
medans. Andrews was at an impress
sible, reckless age, an age to fall vio-
lently in love and. being in love, not to
consider the consequences of an Ill as
sorted marriage. \ young turkish
girl to whom he was introduced car
ried him clean off his feet, and he be-
came so violently in love with her that,
throwing caution to the winds, he beg
ged her to marry him.
The lady. Zaide, the daughter of
pasha, born in the highest Turkish cir
cles, did not consider Andrews her So
cial equal, but her heart was enlisted
as well as his own, and she consented
that he should ask her father for her
hand. The pasha, being an admirer of
western civilization, looked favorably
on his suit and at last consented, pro-
vided he would embrace the faith of
Islam. The young man declared that
he would embrace any faith on the
face of the globe if he might be
permitted to embrace the pasha's
daughter. The marriage was celebrat-
ed, and the groom, realizing that his
and his wife's religion would be out of
place in America, remained in Turkey.
Andrews Mohammedism, being skin
deep, wore off with the first freshness
of love. Indeed, the more he saw of
the Turks the deeper he sympathized
with those who would be glad to see
the crescent driven back into Asia,
from which it had emerged many cen
turies before to make it's European con-
quests. Born a Christian, it CALLED him
that the Turks should occupy Chris
tian ground, that their capital should
have been founded by the first Chris
tian Roman emperor or that the church
of st. Sophia should be a mosque.
When the Montenegrins, in order to
forestaIl an order from the powers,
broke, sword in hand, into Turkish ter
ritory and Servia was preparing to do
her part in the war, a crisis came in
the affairs of Andrews and his wife.
Her father was not only devoted to
the cause of Islam, but was an officer
high in the service of the sultan. The
young wife declared that she would
stand by her father, her countrymen
and her religion. Andrews asserted
that he would join the Servian forces
and aid in banishing the crescent to
Asia, where it belonged. They parted,
though their hearts were welded,
agreeing that after the struggle they
would fly again to each other.
During those first few weeks when
the allied forces were winning victory
after victory and driving their enc
my before them there were some tenn
porary setbacks to the allies. In one
of these Andrews, who commanded a
squadron of cavalry in the Servian
army, was wounded and captured. He
and those taken with him were hur-
ried to the rear to a reserve corps,
which it happened was under the COM
mand of Rustom Pasha, his father-in-
law.
Zaide, who was a woman of strong
character, had while living with her
husband become much interested in
many European institutions, among
others the Red Cross. She had no
sooner Joined her father than she pro-
ceeded to organize a similar corps as
an auxiliary to her fathers command
One day upon passing hurriedly down
between two rows of cots in a hospi-
tai her eye fell upon a face which
Notwithstanding its pallOr she recog-
nized at once as her husband She
was about to fly to his embrace when
the horror of the situation rushed
upon her. Andrews had professed to
be a disciple of Mohammed and had
drawn his sword against the prophet
SO long as he was unrecognized as a
MOhammedan he would be treated as
prisoner of war, but if he We're
known to be or have been of the faith
nothing could save him.
LhC SidhSCS VI the Two met ana JDlS
same thought occurred to both. There
was a momentary lighting of each
pair of eyes. Then the wife with
drew hers, and she passed on down
the aisle and left the room.
The hospital, though in the Turkish
rear, was not considered permanent,
for the allies were pressing forward,
lighting like tigers. But for one day
and night the sick were undisturbed.
During the evening Mrs. Andrews,
though worn out with the distressing
work of the day, went in among the
sick, ostensibly to cheer them, but real
~ to steal brief interview with her
husband. Taking the precaution to
btop and speak with a number of suf-
ferers before reaching the bed he oc-
cupied, she at last came to his and
said in the Turkish tongue and a voice