The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-08-13
TOOK THREE Gifts
A Request That Surprised the
Sultan Abdul Hamid.
TALE OF A BADLY USED TURK.

~
at the Court of the "lIuminator of
the Universe" That Reads Like
Story From the Arabian Nights.
Many fantastic stories are related of
Abdul Hamid, the ex-sultan of Tur-
key, and his court. The following,
however, came to me from a reliable
source, writes a contributor to Cham
bers' Journal, and once when l told
the story in company one of my listen
ers told me that he personally knew it
to be true. 1t is worthy of place
among Scheherazades famous tales.
Not far from the sutan's palace lived
of the hundreds of clerks employed at
the sublime porte Ahmed's duties
consisted of writing ornate official
communications to provincial COVER
nors. For this he was supposed to re-
ceive a salary of 200 piasters (about
So per month. If, however, he receiv-
ed this salary six times year he
thought himself lucky.
Compared to many of his colleagues
in the government Offices Ahmed was
in comfortable circumstances. He
owned his own house, so he had no
rent to pay, and he gave his leisure
time to cultivating the tiny garden
that supplied his family with fruit
and vegetables the whole year round.
Ahmed Effendi, not being ambitious,
was a contented man.
In his peaceful household there was
only one discordant note. The cause
was q dwarf peach tree in Ahmed's
garden that bore every year six or
eight mammoth peaches. Early in his
married life his wife dreamed that her
husband would one day attain emf
nence and that the peaches were con-
nected with his fortune.
Fifty times each year she urged him
to take the peaches as an offering to
the sultan. 1--WE are simple people"
she would say. "Such magnificent
peaches are not for us. Garry them, l
pray thee, to the palace and present
them to the benefactor of the world
But Ahmed would reply:
"Wife, no good comes to those who
have relations with the palace. l, who
have always been discreet, do not wish
to fall under suspicion"
But at last, after twenty years, All
med yielded to his wife's importantly
and carried the beautiful fruit to the
palace. There he entrusted the peach
es to the grand chamberlain, who,
knowing the sultan's fondness for
fruit, promptly carried them into the
presence of the illumination Of the Uni
verse. The sultan graciously accept
ed the gift and commanded Ahmed to
wait until he was at liberty in order
that he might himself thank the grow
er of such splendid fruit.
1t happened that the reception room
where the scribe awaited the pleasure
of the sovereign was filled with a
band of suspected bomb throwers, and
Ahmed was presently hustled away
to prison with the supposed revolu-
tionaries. He was thoroughly confus.
ed by the rough treatment of the
guards and could only stammer: Il
am the man who brought the peaches!
am the man who brought the
peachesw
In prison he soon became known as
1.-THE man Of the peaches" and was
looked upon as a harmless lunatic
After many months the suspected
bomb throwers, including Ahmed
were brought before the criminal
court. He told his story to the judge
and asked that the grand chamberlain
be called to confirm his words. The
judge granted his request and was
greatly surprised when the dignitary
told of the arrival of Ahmed at the
palace some months ago and Of his
mysterious disappearance. The cham
berlain took the afflicted scribe to his
own suit in the palace and went to ex-
plain matters to the sultan.
The sultan, sincerely sorry for the
unlucky mistake, commanded the
chamberlain to promise Ahmed that
any wish of his should be fulfilled.
Ahmed replied that he would accept
not one, but three gifts, and that he
must name them to the sultan per-
sonally. The sultan was much con-
cerned and ordered the scribe ushered
into his private study.
'Sire," said Ahmed, IL ask for
hatchet, the sum of 200 piasters and
\ copy of the Koran"
''Your desire is granted" answered
the sultan, "on condition that you ex-
plain the meaning of your singular
request"
"Sire," replied our hero. with the
200 piasters / shall obtain divorce
from my wife, the original cause of
all my trouble; with the Ratchet / in.
tend to cut down my peach tree, and
upon the Koran / wish to swear an
oath never to enter the palace gates
again SO long as / i've"
An Anecdote of Renan.
Renan while travelling alighted at
Naples. One morning servant of the
hotel came to him and said that as she
had heard the preacher at the cathe-
dral make use Of his name many
times she would be thankful if he
would choose for her a number in the
lottery about to be drawn. "If you
are q saint" said she, ''the number is
sure to be a good one; if you are a
devil, it will be still better" Renan
smiled and chose number, but he
never knew if the servant was lucky.