Page:Red Rugs of Tarsus.djvu/94

 THE RED RUGS OF TARSUS

of my bridle, looked up at me with a winning smile, and said: "From where you come? From America?" Imagine my surprise. I was delighted to hear my own language away off here in the outskirts of the town. I reached into my coat pocket, pulled out an orange, and gave it to the little fellow. He said "Thank you" most politely. I found afterwards that there is a mission school in the quarter of Tar- sus nearest where these people live. The child was evidently a pupil. But was n't it cute of him to spot me for an American!

To-day my rooms are getting an extra house- cleaning, and I have two boys hard at work. One is washing three of my rugs. He has, as little Cousin Myers used to say, "his bare feet on." He jumps up and down on the wet, soapy rugs; then pounds them with a big flat stick that looks like a cricket-bat. They are certainly getting clean though I doubt whether you and I should adopt that method if we had the job. The boys are trying to talk [74]

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