The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-11-21


tuaI capacities were not to be measured by
the standard Of his talk with his wire
Loving, intelligent, and gentle as she was,
the imperfcction Of her education cut Hanyfa .
off from any but domestic sympathy with her
husband and while no one could talk in
freer and Iiyeier strain with other people, ne
cessity compelled him to be dull to her. Yet
they loved each other and were happy. Her
character was undoubtedly influenced by his,
and Marie assured me that She was capable Of
earnest words and by no means the fairy-like
princess l imagined her. Pretty, pretty sIIa-
nyfa as | think Of her and her young hus-
band in their Eastern home, her story seems
a fairy tale indeed of which | have dreamed
only
CHAPTER II.
A few months after the marriage of Hanyfa
and Ahmed, was sent to a small town on the
coast, two hundred miles off. 1t was not with
out regret chat we steamed out of the beauti-
full bay we had grown to love SO well and as
the white domes and mnarets Of The Moorish
city faded from our eyes, Marie grew quite
sad. We were going among strangers, she
said, and farther than ever from our beloved
France how unlikely it was that we should
i find such abundance Of friends, such pretty
apartments, such nice bazaafs, such cheap
provisions in the little out-of-the- town
whittier we were bound.
T But consultations soon came in the shape Of
some very pleasant French people-oficers
and their wiyes-who went with us all the
way, and became our neighbors when we set
lied down in our destination. It was now
summer time. The sea and the hills lying
along the coast were yelled in a heavy cop
perish mist. The sirocco blew from time to
time like fiery blast Every speck Of YER
dure was withered as if by fire, and the chief
business and pleasure Of life was to keep one s
self cool.
Spite Of the heat, however, and the monot-
ony Of life and scenery engendered by it, we
found our appointed three months very quick
y come to an end. AS our ship glided back
into the harbor we had left with such regret a
short time since, we could hardly believe that
a season had come and gone since then We
talked Of Hanyla and Ahmed as we walked
on deck, and Of other friends, for whom we
had bought some tride by way Of souvenir
quaint scarf, a pair Of slippers, basket OF
pomegranates, or bit Of embroidery.
For Sid Hanan had bought a curious and
costly ivory pen, embellished with crescent>
and stars in color and gold I knew him tc
be a dexlerous writer (for writing Arabic i
almost as much of an art as drawing) and
; dainty in his tools and materials. However
gladly INDUCED in little extravaganza to give
: him pleasure, for not only had he showed me
: many useful kindnesses, but he had testified
personal affection, which l valued far more
: The day after our instalment at home, we Sc
D ont for sd H5shan's house
] We shall find everybody and everything
$ as we left them" [ said, as we approached
: the house. People live slowly out Of Eu
rope"
e We found the street door partly opened
: the outer court empty; so, climbing the mar
b row stone staircase, we entered the beautiful
, inner court, unannounced. All was unchanged
e The fountain rppIed in the sunshine Hany
| la's gold and silver fishes danced hither ant
thither the orange trees were loaded Will
5 fruit and flowers; and little Mustapha plaveC
t boisterously with a young negress outside hi
mothers apartment The child seemed t
e have forgotten US and bid his head shyIy be
i hind bis nurses apron, at which Marie play
{ fully initiated him, hiding her head behinC
: me- Then little Mustapha laughed aloud ant
! was himself again. Marie kissed him, asking
: impatentIy, Where is Hanyfa Where i
! Hanyfa ?" but being thus ntemogated, III,
! boy burst ont crying and ran away
Fl The child's action, and the unwonted silence
{ of the house, struck me with sudden appre
i, tension | turned to the nurse, about to in
terrogate her, when a well-known voice uttered
my name, and, looking up, l beheld Sid
] Hanan.
1t was lie, my dear friend and kind patron
! but oh, how changed His fine form wa
bent, as if under the weight Of some insup
portable trouble. His noble brow was trou
bled, his lips trembied, 50 that they coulC
hardly frame word.
"Salamalek, " blessing be OH you, he said
: then, having raised his right hand to his lips
held it out to US both, and invited us to take
coffee il his room. We sat down, longing tc
ask for Hanyfa, yet lacking the courage. Al
last I said, in Arabic, for | always find that i
you want mans confidence you must use his
language as a Key to it, "Oh, sir, is it well
with your house and your family?"
at is well, he said
Marie, who did not understand the Scrip
tural Specification Of this phrase in the mouth
of a Mussulman, at once jumped to joyful
conclusions, and began talking Of Hanyfa.
Where was she? Where was Ahmed and a
dozen more questions were on her lips, when
I pIucked her sleeve.
Two large tears gathered in Sid Hanan's
eyes, and rolled down his pale checks. Ha-
nyfa is dead" be said my child is dead
Tie will Of Allah be fulfilled. He is the pow
erful and the compassionate. His resigna-
ton overwhelmed US, and we sat BY unable to
proffer word Of sympathy. Marie hid her
face in her hands and wePt. turned aside to
hide my own emotions.
Our host looked kindly at US, but gave no
other signs of grief, and when coffee was
brought up, served Us with his usual grace
and Hospitality. Byand-by he related what
had happened to turn this happy home into
house Of desoIation and mourning. Hanyfa
had become a mother, and all was peace and
promise, when an accession Of fever set in and
both mother and child were carried off in q
day. Just as the sorrowful story was COM
pleted, the young widower came in. He
looked very sad-heart broken almost-but