The Washington times., 1918-08-18
By Aurora Mardiganian
CHAPTER I.
SrTATHER RUPEN will be angry with you,
n Aurora; he will scold dreadfully!"

n Aurora; he will scold dreadfully!"
= My older sister, lausanne, stood in
the doorway of my room on the second floor of
our home. She had caught me standing before
the mirror, patting two big bows of yellow rib
bon had tied on the braids of hair that fell over
my shoulders.
Lusanne always was prim and quiet. She was
often cross with me because of my love for yell
low ribbons. She would say Father Rupen, our
priest, had told her it was not well for girls to
wear too many ribbons until they were married.
But every one in our city, Tchemesh- -Gedzak,
which was built by King Solomon 800 years be-
fore Christ, and was the "Ophir" of Solomon's
mines, was especially happy that Easter Sunday
morning. Turkey had been at war five months
then, and every day news had come to us that
the Sultan was pleased with our Armenian
brothers who had been drafted into his army.
10 our parents that was a sign the Sultan would
surely be grateful to his Christian subjects In
Armenia and let us live forever at peace.
Father Rupen had been greatly worried for
us when the war broke out, and we could no
longer count upon protection from England and
France But gradually he had lost his fear.
So he wanted to make this Easter service great
rejoicing l was sure he would forgive me for
showing my own happiness by wearing the rib
bons l had coaxed my mother into giving me.
! was just about to tell Lusanne that would
wear my ribbons whether Father Rupen scolded
or not when my mother came into the room. She
stopped just inside the door and leaned against
the wall She did not say word-just looked
at me. l started to speak to her-to ask her if
something were wrong but suddenly terrible
fear came over me. didn't know what it was,
but il seemed to be foreboding.
Mother. what is it7'' l cried She did not
answer but silently pointed to the window. Lu-
same and ! ran at once to look down into the
street. There at the gate to our yard were three
Turkish gendarmes. each with a rife, standing
rigidIy on guard. On their arms was the red
band that marked them as personal attendants
of PaSseIt Pacha. military governor of our
district.
turned 10 my mother for an explanation She
bad fallen in a heap on the floor and was crying.
She didn I speak. but pointed with her hand, and
knew that Passelt Pacha had come to our house
and was downstairs. Then my happiness was
gone and |. too, fell to the floor and cried.
Somehow felt that the eud had come-and
was right
For long time the powerful Passelt Pacha.
who was very rich and a friend Of the Sultan
himself had wanted me for his harem. His big
house sat in the midst of beautiful gardens, just
outside the city. There he had gathered more
than score of the prettest Christian girls from
the surrounding towns. In SYRIA and Armenia
the Mutassarif, or Turkish military governor is
an official of great power. He accepts no orders
exceDt those that come direct from the Sultan
and as a rule he is cruel and autocratic.
It is dangerous for an Armenian father to dis
please the Mutassarif When this representative
of the Sultan sees pretty Armenian or Syrian
girl he would like 70 add 10 his harem there are
many ways hr can go about getting her The
~ cba IN lv ocH hpr
father TO sell or give her to him, with veiled
threat that if the father refused he would b. per-
secuted To make the sale of the girl legal and
give the Mutassarf the right TO make her his
concubine it was necessary only for him to torture
her into foreswearing Christ and becoming
MOhamTRedan
Three times PaSSelt Pacha had asked my father
TO give re to him Three times my father had