Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-12-06
OD6loy State1sjrlllllallnl. III
AN EASTERN LOVE-sTORY.
CHAPTER I.

-|E"''" JN CHAPTER I. g -iJHL -DCl
The first years of nv married life were
' spent in beautiful Moorish city on the
4 Mediterranean, where gained respecta-
BILE livelihood as Judiciary interpreter. So
fond was of Arabic and Of the Arabs in
those days that the only marvel is l did
not return to Europe a good Mahometan
| aud the husband of two or three wives.
But never changed either my religion or
my habits of living except In those out
ward matters which are as easily laid aside
as ones clothes. ,rtra, I.fa..f ..,,.+.....
We lived in the prettiest little Moorish
house in the world, having court open to
| the sky, with a light gallery running
| round, and a fountain overhung by banana
trees in the midst. The walls we're white
as snow, and the pavements OF tiles painted
| with all sorts of flowers and arabesques,
| and the sitting rooms were furnished with
| divans and carpets from Tunis, and gay
lamps surmounted by silver cresoents.
| We had nice, good tempered negress,
named Zerah, to cook for US, and pretty
| little Arab boy, named AliX, to run on
| errands. What more could any reasonable
| people desire? The only drawback to my
| wife's happiness was that my daily atten-
| dance to the court of assize left her much
| alone. therefore, tried my uttermost to
find some pleasant people with whom she
could spend her time, whether French or
Arab. OF course this task had little difficult
ty about it, My wife's sweet face and
gracious ways soon endeared her TO all
those whose affection we cared for, tand,
by-and by, she became as enthusiastic a
lover OF the Arabs as myself ."-'a lt
Our kindest and most intimate friends
were the family Of rich, cultivated, and
most amable Arab gentleman, whom will
call Sdi Hanan ben -Abdmahman. Ofhis
wife feel hardly able to speak, since, after
an intercourse of years, my only recollec-
tion of her Is pair of black eyes, peering
over white muslin veil, and shake of fat
friendly fingers, deeply dyed, with henna
But the children were charming, especially
Hanyfa, whom L knew from the time size
ran about unveiled, a dark-eyed, lively lit
tie sprite of five years, till she became the
bride OF my young friend, Ahmed BEN
Zontia. .
Hanyfa was just fourteen when brought
my wife from her quiet home in Brittany
to the unchanged land of the Thousand and
One Nights. OF transparent pearly COM
pleXion, with soft, dark, almond-shaped
eyes, and mouth of wonderful sweetness,
this young Moorish girl seemed to us like
some beautiful princess, of whom Scheher-
azade had told us in our childhood. Of
schooner still unveiled; but European,
especially European of five-and-thirty, is
considered different sort of animal alto
gether from marriageable young Moor of
fifteen, and, dare say, l knew Hanyfa's
features better than any man related to her,
except her father and brothers. How often,
ah, how often, when talking to Sidi Hanan
or his sons, a sound of musical, girlish
laughter has come across the open court,
and, looking up, have caught glimpses of
dainty little fairy, dressed in crimson bro
cade and white gauze, playing with her
little negress or feeding her gold-fishes!
Hanyfa's brothers were handsome boys
of all ages, who learned French of me, be-
sides receiving comprehensive and pol
ished education at the public Arab school
in the city. They spoke French with sim
| gular purity of accent, and delighted in
the books my wife lent them from time to
time, such as the stories of Emile Souvestre
/ and Lamartine. The elder, Omar, a grace
| fnl youth of sixteen, was soon to be sent to
| Paris, to study for the bar, and the younger
ones wereialike growing up With ambitions
to see the world and make men of them
selves. Nothing could be prettier sight
than to see Sdi Hanan surrounded by his
boys. They always stood in his presence,
though each talked quite unres ralnedly,
from Omar down. to little Mustapha, who
were still in the nursery, and whose little
dimpled hands and feet were dyed with
| henna. i1' .Ju .H. ~ lI. .uilsi J-a .9-.'
| We had been settled in our little Moorish
home about six months when rumOrs of
Hanyfa's approaching marriage reached our
ears; my wife was soon informed of this
by Madame Eanan herself, who not only
invited her to the wedding, but graciously
permitted her to see the preparations for IL.
If French or English wedding is a terri
Bile affair, what will be said to7a Moorish
one? Marie, my wife, who liked weddings
and all kinds OF rejoicings in general, came
| home more than once in tears at the mar
tyrdOm poor little Hanyfa had to undergo.
"Would you believe it?i she said, on the
eve OF the wedding, ''for two whole days.
Hanyta has had to sit like statue, dressed
up till, what with chains, silk paper, and
| paint, you can hardly see her eyes, aud she
won't be out of purgatory till tomorrow
evening. | wonder Sidi Hanan allows itm
sYOu forget that Sidi Hanan only does
as all the world does, my dear;5 Hanyfa
doesn't consider herself a martyr, depend
on It," gus. ~ moIJ -...3 9g.sua an
."Oh, she does, though. She owned to me
Yesterday that she had much rather see her
| betrothed before marrying him, though she
has perfect trust in her fathers choice.p.sg
The next day the wedding took 9place,
and late in the evening Marie and her
negress came home, the former laden with
sweetmeats and cakes and deaiened with
music that had attended the ceremony.
| She had herself danced, and was thoroughly
tired, though not too tired to tell the par
| ticulars of the day from beginning to end,
| dwelling most womanlike, on the toilettes
| OF the ladies. .I % ..I EJ0.l' % oV
Alas! by reason of my sex / was not
| fated to witness that gorgeous pageantry
| Marie described so well, otherwise could
better tell how the ladies of the family ar
| rayed themselves in vests of crimson and
purple silk, heavy with gold lace; in gar
| ments of linen, finer than gosSamer; in
| slippers of pink and yellow kid, embroider-
| ed with silver; in necklaces and bracelets OF
| gold, of amber, and of all sorts of Jewels,
| and how they feasted and danced together,
| and how the bride walked to her apart
| ments attended by her mother and friends
| and q baud of music, and how the bride
and bridegroom drank water from each
| others palms, and were sOlemnly united
in the name of Allah. All these things are
| nothing written down, but seen in a Moor
ish house, exquisitely proportioned and
fitted up, and under. a brilliant Southern
| sky, turn at once into another story added
! in later times to the Thousand and One.
The marriage promised to bea very hap
| py one, The girl-wife and her boy-hus-
band were to live with Sidi Hanan9 for the
| present, who seemed as If life had no more
| to give. Hanyfa had ever been the apple OF
| his eye, the crowning joy Of his existence
and, having chosen for her husband In
= IL Lfvl |fnrr