The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-12-21
TOMis STORY.

venture I! said Tom, pcrching himself
upon the counting house desk.
Your oriental adventure 2 asked Ned,
amazed
well, it's worth hearing said Tom,
If it did happen to mo 1t was when
was in Damascus, a mere attachc of a
grave diplomatic party, a boy of twenty
who might as well have been left at
home, | suppose
Il should say so,' said Ned When
go" belonged to diplomatic party, and
were in Damascus. You-well?
Il was in bazaar,' said Tom. Eng.
lishmen always hunt bazaars when they
are in Damascus
Oh said Ned, do they!'
4 had bought cigar cases and smok.
Ing caps and tobacco bags, and all sorts
of thugs, said Tom. Il had slippers
and scaris aud shawl for my mother,
aud garment Of red silk and gold
thread of which / did not know the
name. Aud | was buying pipe of
oriental style, with a long stem, and
water bottle for the smoke to pass
through, when great puffy bag of black
silk enveloped lady paused near me,
and squltted down before the shop Of II
young jewel merchant, for the purpose
Of examining his brac, let's
'Only the eyes of this figure were
visible, but they were bhcker and more
beau,iiulsthan those uf any heroine of
the Arabian Nights Entertainments,
and they sent sensation through NY
heart to which it was happily as yc. a
stranger.
'Behiud the figure stood the less care
fully vailed person Of an old female SER
want. S"me gray hair struggled over
wriuklcd forehead; and the Vail even
rcvonicd the upper part Of her high nose.
She was the guardian OF the young
beauty probably. That it #as young
beauty thus hid uudrr tho siikct, ,brl
loon | had no doubt. 1t was like an
oriental tale.
The jewel merchant was busy with
his wares. The merchant of hubble.
bubbles with his and my money. No
one but the old woman saw the beauty
make me little sign with her exquisite
hand; but she didit The sigu seemed
to say, Wait | waited.
What l waited for l hardly knew.
understood the customs Of the country
we'll enough to DC aware that I cou
not speak to this danisel; or be addressed
by her, in the open streets; but un
derstood young women Well enough to
know that something was in store for m
in the way of an adventure. My roper.
toirc of gesture is not large. No Eng
lishman's is. L nodded Yes 1t
sufficed. AS she went away, guarded
by her old attcudsmt, she repeated the
li'otion.
W alt, lt SAID again.
YES replied my nod.
There was cotFee-liouso close at
hand, open TO the street like all the
other sheps. There, with my hubble
bubbles in my hand, | squattcd on
cushion. and slipped and smoked al
SO ate something. 1t may have been
Flhe conserve of pomegranates without
pepper, of which we read in the A, abiau
Nights. 1t was sweet it melted on the
palate. 1t left behind delicious taste
and fragrance. 1t was oriental to the
last degree.
Near me, one smoked something
stronger than lacco-hasheesh per.
haps-that sent him, by and by, into
strange sort of sleep, his eyes half
opened, his hands dropped on their
backs, half shut, against the cushions,
the pipe still between his lips
within the cofcc.shop, story teller
threw down a little fiat basket for con
tributions, a nd began his narrative with.
In the name of Allah ?
1T was about the genii but had
little comprehension of the tale, my
knowledge of the language being so
poor
'IG' its midst I saw figure pass
pause snake sign to me.
1T was the old woman, the servant Of
my mysterious beauty. / flung coin
to the story.teller, and followed her.
'Shc went on for long while, until |
began to think that SHE would never
speak to me; but at last she paused
under the shadow IF tha hIonk ,ubito