The New York herald., 1922-06-11
6ho Stru1qQ1 Experience 9eAmo1
Traveller Along The Bosphorus1
By LOUIS DE WOLF.

TN almost every part Of the Balkans
these days one runs across romance
and tragedy at every street corner.
1t was for example, in Constantinople
met "The Princess waiting table.
dancing and being generally agreeable
to such guests as wished to have an in
spiration for their toasts. And it was in
Jerusalem met ''The Colonel" who was
my dragoman.
How these two were associated before
the war was the romance; their station
now Is the tragedy, and because the story
is true 1t is remarkable illustration of
the condition of things in the less trav-
eled highways of after war Europe.
The whole range of services are per-
formed by many exiled members of the old
Russian nobility One sees them in Pera.
in the Muscovite-the men, bootblacks,
public porters and walters; the women,
peddlers of handmade Russian dolls, sec
ond hand furs and both rare and tawdry
trinkets. In the Muscovite saw others
of these Russian ladies as mattresses.
They are wan women now, and may or
may not have been lovely-but THE
Princess
Among her people her story must be
a not uncommon one, / knew. but Just
what was the truth about her-the truth
that would outrival fiction in its strange
ness?
There she was, sitting at table with
some guests, drinking coffee. That was
her custom, travellers who had fire.
quented the restaurant before told me.
And over cup of coffee she would tell
her name-Sophie, and that she was an
artistocrat a species now not counte-
nanced in Russia. To one she had men,
toned a son, IA years old, at school back
home. Yes, she hoped to return some
day.
That evening she drank coffee with me.
but told me no more. So was left mus
Ing the mystery in that curiously Co.'S
mopolitan resort. The Muscovite is
housed in building Russian in its style
of architecture. There is always some
thing Of the Oriental in Russian design,
but the Muscovite adds to this blend
many Moorish characteristics which seem
: to predominant in the interior dec
orations. The whole then resembles
Moorish palace. The rounded Z
larchways are hung with inexpen-
sive but gloriousiy colored draperies
of blue and gold. The walls are
dark red, pleasingly and dimly
lighted by the small power electric
bulbs. Rows of tables of varied
size line the walls, leaving an open
space in the center for dancing. M
Our standards brand this second M
rate; in Constantinople it is quite
the particularly since the N
advent Of jazz. The tourist rarely
gets away from jazz. It's cacaphon-
GUS strains seem to have made X
world conquest. Nor has the Mus II
covite in Constantinople escaped
BY midnight the place Is noisy
with jazz and life seems to move
furiously. Rush hour begins at
about IL and brings on more of the for
mer Russian nobility as walters and
hostesses. The latter wear semi-evening
dress and, IL you are without a partner,
will dance with you gladly and join you
at your table later. They are gracious
companions and they seem to have grown
accustomed to this manner of living, so
different from the traditions of their
birth. Yet you wonder-what is the
story each Of these delicately nurtured
and too privileged women has to tell?
What, especially, of THE Princess? That
seemed the particular mystery sand the
key, perhaps. to the rest.
had this sense Of mysterious, exotic
things when my ship passed through the
Dapdanelles, that narrow waterway that
contracts in places to less than two miles
and runs on for thirty-five miles. empty
ing into the Sea of Marmora. Then the
ship must sail 110 miles further before
coming to Constantinople. AS in that
central city so too in the Dardanelles is
visible the aftermath of a great conflict.
In the narrower parts Of the waterway
lie the wrecks of British cruisers and
other vessels used in the Gallipoli cam
paign in the fruitless and fatal effort to
force passage.
The peace terms, however, give Eng
land virtual control of Constantinople.
The British Gen. Harrington heads the
Allied Military Commission as COM
mander in chief of 10000 men-English,
French and Italian troops. British con-
troll facilitates travel in Constantinople.