Year: 1870

The following old Turkish legend has
recently been revived in Paris, and is said
to point to some circumstances which have
just occurred in Constantinople. /, GER
tainly is worth telling as curious picture
of the life of Turkish Arabian or Asia
Minor countries:


There was in one Of poorest quarters Of
Constan.inorlc an old Greek potter AL
though he was a Giaour. and lived in a
purely Moslem neighborhood, he was pop
ular because his honesty was proverbial
He was a widower. He had only one
child a daughter, who was marvellously
beautiful. Her name was Helle. She
was the housekecper. maid-of-all-work.
and cook of the howell in which her father
and she lived She went to the Moslem
houses to sell to the Turkish women the
carthenware her father made. When che
entered n harem it was a festival to all
the inmates; her presence was like sun
beam entering dungeon. The women
would scream: All. here comes beauti-
full Helle, the potter's daughter Love
ly as she was, nobody was jealous OF her.
for she did not seem at all proud of her
beauty. One day the Sul,an's fayoriie
son took it into his head to lounge about
town. He was on horseback, and several
habitual companions of his pleasure were
with him. The van-couriers ran ahead
Of them with silver headed canes in hands
with which they struck right and left, be-
laboring the people, in order to open a
passage for the Sultan's son. Men and
women. children and old people screamed
as they took to their heels. Two or three
children fell and came near being tram
pied on bythe horses. just at tha. mo-
ment Hellc came out of her fathers house
She went straigheon, bearing on her head
a tray which contained the carthcnware
her father had made. One of the COM
panions of the Sultan's son bent toward
him, whispering and pointed to the love-
ly creature. One of the yan-couriers.
who was about to strike her, was petri6ed
by admiration, the uplifted stick fell not
but he gave her sudden push, and the
tray and its contents fell from her head
and all the earthenware was broken into
shapeless fragments. just at this instant
the horse of the Sulta,'s son stood in front
Of her; he refined in the horse, looked at
the tears, which streamed from her eyes,
smiled and rode on. Next day Helle had
disappeared from the neighborhood The
poor potter ran about everywhere begging
some intelligence of his daughter He
was almost besides himself with grief
A woman who had witnessed the scene
described to him what she had seem He
understood all its import. lie went in
front of the palace and stood there all day
long. day after day. waiting the hour
when the Sultan's son should again sally
forth to lounge through the street The
hour came. The old potter ran to the
horses side and asked the rider for his
daughter. No one heard the words ex-
changed. Suddenly the Sultan's son drew
his scime,ar, and the head Of the old pot
ter rolled on the ground. As the Sultan 5
son had passed on some distance, the peo-
pie picked up the corpse and carried il to
the potter house As he had no kindred
they placed it in his shop, and there left
it. There was great excitement in the
ncighhorhood, and such throngs of people
stood in front of the house as TO block up
The street. The Sultan himself saw from
a distance the throngs. and asked their
origin. lie was told by the Grand Vi
xier. lie at once issued orders that trum-
peters should 60 through each quarter o.
the city and make proclamation that he
himself should sec justice done. and the
assassin of the poor potter punished The
following day he rode down toward the
potter's house. His son was beside him.
An unusual number Of janissaries sur
rounded them. There was larger crowd
than had yet assembled in front of the
potter's house The Sultan ordered the
corpse to be brought out of the house and
placed in the centre of the neighboring
square. He bade his son dismount. stand
at the corpsc's feet, and gaze on it. The
sight was horrible. for, despite NIL the
pains taken, the corpse was in putrid
state. The Sulian's son stood gazing on
the decayiDg mass. He was as pale as
death, and the smile he tried to force upon
his face did but make his anxiety the more
visible. This scene lasted for n quarter
o: an hour. There was not word spoken.
At the end Of fifteen minutes the Sultan
drew his scime,ar. and his sons head roll
led on the ground The Sultan said
BURY them both together and let truu-
peters announce throughout all the town
tha, justice hath been wrought. Allah
only is great -