Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-25
NEW SERIES, NO. 229


girls of the regular Congo type, o
overgrown, unwholesome, desper
ately stupid looking white women
A good many, to be sure, were THU
and sickly, and good many YER
/ old and haggard, and all of them
without exception, had a pitiful
forlorn, aimless, hopeless, look
! like poor, miserable, imprisoned
slaves as they are. Their dresses
too, strikingly picturesque in The
first general effect of color and
light, were, when seen in detail, q
very funny mixture of oriental COR.
geousness and cheap European
finery. Stripes are evidently the
mode just now in Cairo, and the
baggy trousers and oyerdress were
made of striped materials OF every
ltexture and color under heaven
crimson and white satin, blue and
| gold, orange, rose color, the most
vivid green, purple, and every pos
sible shade of all ofthem, in velvet,
satin silk, grenadine. game and
calico. The oyerdress is made like
a loose blouse or double gown, and
belted in an easy way round the
waist so as entirely TO hide any
cOmeliness of form there might be.
The walk is nothing but a waddle.
Over this costume, TO give greater
elegance, some of them had put old
fashioned European coats Of the
commonest matelial-cotton velvet
or delaine-and of antideluvian cut
and all of them had perched on top
OF their heads the most abominable
little pork-pie hats of every con-
eeivable color, and covered with
bugles and cotton lace and artificial
flowers and marabou feathers, and
all the tag, rag and bobtail scrapings
OF milliners' finery, which are so
dear to the hearts of factory girls in
America. Nothing could be more
cOmical than the temperance of
these ancient horrors in the inner
most sanetum of an Egyptian |
harem, or than the sight among all
these gewgaws of superb hanging
diamond ornament, for every |
woman in the room had at least one
magnificent jewel somewhere about |
her, a pair of earrings, or a neck
lace, or a tiara. All seemed to fare
exactly alike, white and black, |
homely or not, and to be on pre-
cisely the same footing as far as
costume and jewels were concerned,
except the four special and legiti-
mate wives and theiI daughters.
These were dressed in full European
ball dresses, couture, corsage, fiow-
ers and all, and were handsome,
stylish looking women, overloaded
with superb jewels. One of them,
the mother of the bride, had a really
sweet and interesting face, and was
very active in malIinn-thieaee4,-v VINO
is to be married soon, is hand
some blond, and quite like any girl
of her age at home in dress and
style. " L'''-t ''--,''' 1
We saw nothing more of the
poor Little pale Princess. The band
soon took their station part way
down the staircase as a signal that
it was time to go. So we took our
last look at this extraordinary scene
of barbaric splendor and pathetic
misery, made our way down stairs,
reclaimed our shaWls, and were
handed over once more to the black
gentlemen outside, who marshaled
US down the interminable arcade,
which is as curious and Oriental a
feature as any, and put US into the
carriage. At the hotel We found
the gentlemen of our party, inclnd-
inc the Consul General, who came
over from the Consulate on purpose,
wide awake and eager to hear the
story.
To-day we have been to another
of the palaces to see the last OF the
wedding ceremonies, the procession
of the bride and her attendants
through the streets to the house oil
her husband; for though she has
been four days getting married, she
has not yet exchanged a word with
him, nor has he ever seen her I'M
yelled. We waited three hours, IN
all our fine clothes, on the balcony
of the Prince Royals palace, and
at last they came. First a regiment
of cavalry, then came three OF IN.
fantry. then the harem carriages,
6fty of them in all, filed with the
lovely beings, all closely veiled, only
their eyes, darkened and enlarged
with kohl, and their little hands
| stained with "odors of Paradise
| and flowers of henna," being Wis
| ible. Each carriage had before 1t
| two or more "Sais," graceful foot
runners, in flowing white, wing-hke
sleeves, and each was guarded Dy
| a couple of the great black gentle
men. mounted on Arab horses.
| The brides carriage came last
of all, was drawn by four
horses, and had outriders, besides
the six footmen who ran before, an q
the six great blacks who followed
The rear Of the procession VS.:
closed by more soldiers, some o.
| them in chain armOr, and some will
} GREAT brass shields and helmets, ant
> ali the time the military bands wer'
' playing the wild, tuneless, changln!
r music that we have learned to llk
4 very much, though we can neve
i make head or tail of it. They cam
Q down through the bazaars, passe
Q the palace, under our balcony, an
q wound off toward the river int
e mystery and seelnsion. No on
g knows where the bride is to NV
T and no mortal man has ever see
K her face or known her name.
r E. W. ii.
N A CURIOUS SToRY.--Michigan paPs