Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1914-01-30
TOOK THREE GIFTS
A Request That Surprised the
Sultan Abdul Hamid.
TALE OF A BADLY USED TURK.

4~fNeA fAAtA AAGtltl4s
TALE OF A BADLY USED TURK.
A Truthful Account Of an Experiences
at the Court Of the "liIunninator Of
the UNIVERSE That Reads Like
Story From the Arabian Nights.
Many fantastic stories are related OF
Abdul Hmid. The ex-sulian Of Tur-
key. and his court The following,
however. cam 10 me from reliable
source. writes contributor to Cham
bers' journal and once when ! told
the story iu company one Or my listen
ers told me that he personally knew 1t
to he true. It is worthy of place
among Scheherazades fampus tales.
Not far from ghe sultan's lmlace lived
a certqiu Ahme- Rushdl HGendi. one
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 salary Of 700 niasters ,about
ssi per month IT, however. he receiv-
ed this salary six times a year he
thought nimself lucky
Compared to many Of his colleagues
In the government Offices. ,lmed was
in comfortable circumstances. He
owned his own house. so he had no
rent to pay. aud be gave his leisure
time to cultivating the tiny garden
that supplied his family with fruit
and vegetables the whole year round.
Ahmed Efendi. not being ambitious,
was a contented man
In his peaeeful household there was
only one discordant note The cause
was 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 emil
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 I'VE are simple people"
she would say. "Such magnificent
peaches are not for us. Carry them. !
pray thee. to the palace and present
them to the henefaet0r Of the world. "
Rut Ahmed would reply
wife. no good comes to those who
have relations with the palace. /. who
have always been discreet. do not wish
to fall under suspicion"
But at last. after twenty years. Ah.
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 llluminator 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.
Il 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: "a
am the man who brought the peaches.
am the man who brought the
peaches
IN prison he soon became known as
the man Of the peaches" and was
looked upon as a harmless lunatic.
After many months the suspected
bomb tlrowers, 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 aud was
greatly surprised when the dignitary
told of the arrival of Ahmed at the
palace sumo months ago and Of his
mysterious disappearance The cham
herlain took the afflicted scribe TO bis
own suit In the palace and went to ex-
plain matters to the sultan
The sultan, sincerely sorry for the
anlucky mistake. commanded the
chamberlain to promise Ahmed thai
any wish of bis should be fulfilled
Ahmed replied that he would accept
not one. but three gifts. and that he
must name them to the sultan per
sonallg The sultan was much con
eerned and ordered the scribe ushered
into bis private study
Sire suit Ahmed. 4 ask for a
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 a divorce
from my wife. the original cause of
all my troubie with the hatchet 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