It is interesting to know that the hero of Archag and Aram is a real person of flesh and blood, and has recently been here in the United States. He came as a member of the Armenian Military Mission to plead with the American Government for help for stricken Armenia, asking for military, financial and economic assistance, that his people might be enabled to help themselves in the future.
An article about Andranick, with a photograph, appeared in the New York Evening Post, November 29, 1919. [↑]
CHAPTER X
THE ARMENIAN NATION
On half-holidays the boys were in the habit of going to town, to shop or to visit their friends, and on a certain Saturday, in the month of February, they had all gone off in various groups, and the college was deserted. Garabed and Archag took advantage of the warm spring sunshine to climb one of the hills which rise above the city toward the south. Here, seated on a tombstone—these hills are covered with graves—they ate their frugal luncheon of bread and cheese and olives, and when they had finished, Garabed wiped his oily fingers, and drew from his zouboun a book wrapped in newspaper.
“What have you got there?” asked Archag.
Archag clapped his hands:
“Oh, Garabed, how splendid! How did you ever get hold of it? I’ve been nearly wild myself, thinking I could never get a chance to read our great Raffi.[1]