The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-04
BY MAUD WADDELL

an. have been an inmate Of Turkish
harem. In--but not of it. The master
of that haren, was Abdul Mediid. sue
eessor to the last Of the sultans OF the
Ottoman Empire. as Caliph of all the
Musselmans of the world.
A few weeks ago. the aMster of the
Faithful ruled and dreamed his dreams
of destiny in the great white marble
palace on the Bosphorus. Today Abdul
Mediid is an exile. At the Grand hotel
in Territet, with his four wives. his
two eunuches and the other members
Of the imperial family, he has held his
first taste Of real luxury.
To those who have been brought up
in the Arabian Nights tradition, my
story will seem incredible. 1t was not
because life was full of glamour, dan
ger, mystery, that my stay in the pal
ace was such strange and unexpected
ordeal. 1t was because one by one my
Illusions were stripped from me. The
exterior grandeur was only shell,
beautiful screen hiding a life of sordid
dreariness.
was sitting at tea in London one
afternoon when the maid brought me
a letter from Constantinoplea offer
of a post as companion to the wife Of
Abdul Medjid and governess to his
daughter" A friend gave reassuring
particulars. Abdul AIedjid was entire
~ European in his ideas and way of
living and the chaplain from the Brit
isl embassy went once week to give
His Highness an English lesson. When
my friend said there was an English
housekeeper in the palace my family
was treasured. signed contract for
six months.
Don't Cross Your Legs"
My parting injunctions about my be-
hayior were Don't cross your legs.
Wait to be dismissed from the imperial
presence. And above all maintain the
prestige of the British, for many watch
full eyes will be upon YOU
In five days stepped from the ORR
emit Express at STEAMBOAT. An official
advanced: Ekrem Bey. He had an
automobile. In few minutes / caught
my first glimpse of the palace. II Law
beside the blue Bosphorus, an immense
structure of marble and stucco, daz-
zling white. A colossal wall shut il
off from the street for a quarter of a
mile.
Instead of spacious lawns and gar.
deHs behind the inner wall j found n
yard with turkeys and chickens and
sheep. Scattered about were xrounx of
negroes. They were. the tallest lone
est leanest looking men 1 have ever
seen. In their black frock coats and
red fezzes they looked curiously as
though they had been put into a stretch
ing machine and pulled out. 1t did
not occur to me that 1 was looking
upon the eunuchs, those traditional
guardians of the harem, withoutswbom
that dying institution could never have
existed. They looked cufiousIy Ar me
In time their curiosity turned IN "a.
sentiment. ! was the only woman in
tne harem over whom they had no con.
troll twenty minutes on the threahoId
OF new experience may seem lono
Time. had been sitting for what 7
thought was an hour, in snInnJ;d,.
giided and ornate state room -, tIs
llrst floor OF Abdul Medjids palace.
wnen the door suddenly opened and
nkrem Bey announced that Her High.
me. " ieeelFe
Ekrem Bey paused in kind Of awe
oerore door, then opened it \ few
lncnes. Through the crack he ba.tilv
sald few words in Turkish and
nptionmg me to enter, he bolted
was on the threshold of the haremI;l,
I! was In no mans Iand-no man. that
y 10 say, except the prince himself
Scarf RAaahAa .FEss, n. -
Beside long green braize table stood
q large lady, silent, statuesone AMI
alone. She was robed entirely n white
over ner head was a broad emhro;J'
ered white silk scarf, reaching To hsr
teeI. It fitted SO closely round her
race that what there was 10 ia seq,
aooAeo oval and narrow. Her chpsTs,
we're pale, her nose curved, and her
eyes rather remarkable greenish al al
or. She did not fit NV prec so1,r. ~
iaea OF eastern royalty. Yet She NIGH
We talked awkwardly. Two l;..,.
girls shyiy entered. She introd,,caS
.nem as her daughter, and her Tisra
! reailzed that was in the nresanca
OF her Imperial Highness.
Inc Little Princess might have haa,
any pretty little girl of 10 anvwhars
She was dressed in a sailor sniff ami
net eyes, large and round and hIns
We're full Of questions. A''
FormaHties over, / was led 70
snorg dark passage opening into 4 mar.
sCM ioity gloomy chamber facing north
some mistake? Surely the. 'EnSi;sb
nousekeeper would have prepared )
room suitable for fellow countrywo;;n'
an. Almost no light penetrated throncbs
t 'I WINDOWS. They were double win
LIVE ana the outer pane was Of frosted
glass. 5eyond this was closely WOW.
eu WOODEN lattice. / did not know
e1ae TINS was the unmistakable sign
~ TUG naremhk the grille that shuts
tne woman from the outside gaze.
Househecper Is A Myth
With signs tried to make tba ohsl
dren understand that 1 wanted n 81
the English housekeeper. They sca
pered away and left me to take stool
% the. room. found a stopnerIess
oasin, a waterless tap and a sheefIess
Ded. Heavy red plush curtains hung
AZ tne windows and, above, festoons
OF fringed red plush.
Ihen IN burst of courage / decided
70 LOOK for the housekeeper mgseH
N lhe dark passage 1 found several
women talking excitedly.
what do you want to see her forp'
came strangely familiar voice. / rec
osnlzea the princess, looking now to-
tally different without her veil
felt taken aback that I sbould
nave dared to make my trivial wishes
known to royalty.
Write down what you need" she
sad. and walked majestically away.
Inc housekeeper, then, was myth.
| was quite alone, Excent for az ~,
Princess. who knew French there wa,
no other woman in all the harem d