Her mother and the women who had assembled from the neighborhood, then
set up a terrific shriek, like a funeral wail, "She's lost! she's dead!
wo is me!" It was all pre-arranged. The brother-in-law had been around
to the square to a rendezvous of soldiers, and told them that an attempt
would be made to abduct his sister by force, and if they heard a shriek
from the women, to hasten to his house. The rabble of soldiers wanted no
better pastime than such a melee among the infidels, and promised to
come. When they heard the noise they started on a run. Raheel, having
suspected something of the kind, induced Dr. De Forest to take another
road, and as they turned the corner to enter the mission premises, they
saw the rabble running in hot haste towards her mother's house, only to
find that the bird had flown.
In the following summer she was married to Mr. Bistany, who was for
eight years assistant of Dr. Eli Smith in the work of Bible translation,
and for twenty years Dragoman of the American Consulate. He is now
Principal of a private Boarding School for boys, called the "Medriset el
Wutaniyet" or "Native School," which has about 150 pupils of all sects.
He and his son Selim Effendi are the editors and proprietors also of
three Arabic journals; the _Jenan_, a Monthly Literary Magazine,
illustrated by wood-cuts made by a native artist, and having a
circulation of about 1500; the _Jenneh_, a semi-weekly newspaper
published Tuesday and Friday; and the _Jeneineh_, published Monday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. There is not a more industrious man in
Syria than Mr. Bistany, and he is doing a great work in the
enlightenment of his countrymen.
Raheel's home is one of affection, decorum, and Christian refinement,
and she has fulfilled the highest hopes and prayers of her devoted
foster mother, in discharging the duties of mother, neighbor, church
member, and friend. May every missionary woman be rewarded in seeing
such fruits of her labors!
In January, 1866, Sarah, one of Raheel's daughters, named after Mrs.
Sarah L. Smith, was attacked by typhoid pneumonia. From the first she
was deeply impressed on the subject of religion, and in deep concern
about her soul. She sent for me, and I found her in a very hopeful state
of mind. Day after day I called and conversed and prayed with her, and
her views of her need of Christ were most clear and comforting, and she
wished her testimony to His love to be known among all her young
companions. Her friends from the school gathered at her request to see
her, and she urged them to come to Christ, and several who have since
united with the Church traced their first awakening to her words on her
death-bed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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