Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-03
TOOK THREE Gifts
A Request That Surprised the
Sultan Abdul Hamid.

Many fantastic stories are related o.
Abdul Hamid, the ex-sultan of Tur
key. and his court. The following
however. came to me from a reliable
source. writes n contributor TO Cham
bers' Journal, and once when 1 told
the story in company one of my listen
ers told me that he personally knew il
to be true. 1t is worthy of n place
among Scheherazade's famous tales.
Not far from the sultan's palace lived
a certain Ahmed Rushdi Effendi. one
OF the hundreds of clerks employed al
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 200 piasters (about
| SS per month. If. however, he receiv-
ed this salary six times a 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 cultivatinS the tiny garden
that supplied his family with fruit
and vegetables the whole year round.
Ahmed Enendi. not being ambitious,
was a contented man.
In his peaceful household there was
only one discordant note. The cause
was dwarf peach tree in Ahmeds
garden that bore every year six OF
eight mammoth peaches. Early in his
married life his wife dreamed that her
husband would one day attain emf
nence and that the peaches We're con-
nected with his fortune.
Fifty times each year she urged him
TO take the peaches as an offering to
the sultan. We 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 benefactor of the world"
But Ahmed would reply:
Wife. no good comes to those who
have rela with the palace. /. 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 Illuminator 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 filed with n |
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: II
am the man who brought the peaches!
am the man who brought the
peachesr'
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 thrOwers. including Ahmed.
were brought before the criminal
court. He told his story to the judge
Ind asked that the grand chamberlain
be called to confirm his words. The
Judge granted his request and was
greatly surprised when the dignitary
old of the arrival of Ahmed at the
palace some months ago and of his
mysterious disappearance. The cham
'erlain took the afflicted scribe to his
'wn suit in the palace and went to ex-
'lain matters to the sultan.
The sultan, sincerely sorry for the
lnlucky mistake. commanded the
to promise Ahmed that
ny wish OF his should be fulfilled.
Ahmed replied that he would accept
lot one. but three gifts. and that he
must name them to the sultan per-
onally The sultan was much con-
erned and ordered the scribe ushered
nto his private study
Sire" said Ahmed. II ask for
atchet. the sum OF 200 piasters and I
copy OF the Koran"
Your desire is granted" answered
ne sultan. ION condition that you ex-
lain the meaning OF your singular
equestr {
Sire" replied our hero. with the i
90 piasters ! shall obtain divorce {
'om my wife. the original cause OF {
u my trouble: with the Ratchet in &
md TO cut down my peach tree. and 5
BON the Koran ! wish to swear an '
ith never 10 enter the palace gates
-ain "a long as I live T
Apeiles' Masterpiece n