Year: 1873

LONDON, June q, 1873.
After delivering the Shah at the gates Of that
unsightly pile Of dreary grandeur known as Buck
ingham Palace I cast all responsibility for him
aside, for the time being, and experienced sense
OF relief and likewise an honest pride in my sue
cess such as no man can feel who has not had a
Shah at nurse $50 to speak, for three days.


CARPET STORY.


II is said by those who ought to know that
when Buckingham Palace was being fitted up as
home for the Shah one Of the chief rooms was
adorned with q rich carpet which had been
designed and manufactured especially to charm
the eye Of His Majesty. The story goes on 10 say
that couple OF the Persian suite came here .
week ago to see that all things were in readiness
and nothing overlooked, and that when they
reached that particular room and glanced at the
lovely combination Of green figures and white ones
in that carpet they gathered their robes carefully
up about their knees and then went eaborately
tiptOeing about the noor with the aspect and
anxiety OF q couple Of cats hunting for dry ground
In wet country, and they stepped only on the
white figures and almost tainted whenever they
came near touching q green one 1t is said
that the explanation s that these visiting Per-
SLAMS are all Mohammedans, and green being
color sacred to the descendants Of tie Prophet,
and none OF these people beng SO descended, it
would be dreadful PROCLAMATION for them to


DEFILE THE HOLY COLOR


with their feet. And the general result OF 1t all
was that that carpet had to be taken up, and Is
dead loss.


Man ls a singular sort of human being, after all,
and his religion does not always adorn him. Now,
our religion is the right one, and has fewer odd
and striking features than any other; and yet my
ancestors used to roast Catholics and witches and
warm their hands by the fire; but they would
have blanched with horror at the bare
thought OF breaking the Sabbath. And here is q
Persian monarch, who never sees any improprety
In chopping subjects head OFF for the mere mis-
demeanor OF calling him too early for breakfast,
and yet would be consumed with pious remorse II
his unheeding loot were TO chance TO step upon
snything


80 GREEN AS you OR I, MY READER.


Oriental peoples say that women have no souls to
save, and, almost without my memory, many Amer-
can Protestants said the same OF babies. thought
there was a wide gulf between the Persians and
ourselves, but begin to feel that they are really
our brothers after all.


FRIENDLY CALL UPON THE QUEEN.


After days rest the Shah went to Windsor Cas-
tie and called on the Queen. What that suggests
70 the readers mind Is this THAT the Shah took
hand satchel and an umbrella calleda cab and said
he wanted to 60 to the Paddngton station; that
when he arrived there the driver charged him six
pence too much, and he paid 1t rather than have
trouble; that he tried to buy ticket, and was
answered BY ticket seller as surly as hotel clerk
that he was not selling tickets for that train yet
that he finally got his ticket and was 5eguiled of
his satchel BY railway porter at once who put 1t
into nrst class carriage and got sixpence, which
the company forbds him to receive; that presently
when the guarl for conductor) OF the tram
came along the Shah slipped shilling into
his hand and said he wanted to smoke,
ana straishtwsy the guard sgnined that it was all
right; that when the shah arrived ct Windsor Cas-
Tie he rung the bell and vhen the girl came to the
door


asked nn II TIE QUEEN WAS AT HOME,
and she Iefs him standing IN the hall and went to
sss; that By and BY she returned and said would
10 please mt down In the front room and Mrs-