Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-05-19

not dashed it, not let it trickle, but just
emptied the beautifully chased silver
ever over me with the gentlest of mo-
tions, till it seemed like q caress. Then
soap of bitter almonds was rubbed on
my face, and other of another kind was
rubbed in my hair, all done in that ten
der, caressing way that made it posi-
tive ecstacy; then more perfumed water
till felt drowning in a sea OF all de-
lights, in which / could distinguish per-
fumes, flowers, sweet singing voices aud
forms of heavenly beauty, "a tIl
Time and the outer world were lost in
the delightful trance, and desired moth
ing else in the world to make my life
content forever. To lie there on the
marble and dreamily watch the glorious
white of the living statues, with the long
black hair. and the rich dark eyes; to see
the soft, undulating motions of them
swimming in the warm, delicious water;
to look at the lovely forms stretched at
full leEgth on the diyans and on the
edges OF the fountain, and others laugh
ing. sporting, singing, mingling with
affectionate glances, and wrestling in the
water, or on the marble floor, dripping
from every limb the perfumed water that
glistened on their bodies, and the trick
ling of the fountain, and the rosy, sub
dued light that stole in through the jeal-
ously-guarded windows, were enough to
send one of an imagination like mine
off into the realms OF fancy, and make
one believe it the promised land, and
cause the whole soul to be satisfied with
the picture, which needed no magma
ton to embellish.
My attendant reused me from my
dreams of perfect peace by pointing to
the fountain and signifying that | was
also to get in. Ny four friends then
made their appearance with the ser
wants and our lcncheon, and nobody can
tell OF the comical look of US five sitting
around the baskets eating, and without
any clothes on. | have seen many
sights in my life, but we women around
those baskets, with chicken legs in our
hands and glasses of wine, and other
thipgs, were too perfectly ludicrous for
anything, and laughed till | couldn't
eat And my dreams of a luxurious,
sleepy, sensuous paradise filled with un-
duating figures of transcendent beauty,
we're gone, and was fully possessed Of
tho demon of mirth, and provoked the
others into my own state of mind, and
we we're soon the merriest of the crowd
in the perfumed waters. lg aa'iW oHpl. 2
1t was two full hours before our wild
sport ended, and we slid out of the wa.
ter and sat talking 10 little knots Of four
or five, while the attendants were drying
our hair, and separating it till it stood
out in q light puff all around our heads.
Not q tangle was left in it, and no comb
or brush was used, Then we we're laid
on the same marble divans, though with
a thick bathing towel this time under us,
while the attendants punched and
pulled and rubbed all our joints, and
cracked all our knuckles and elbows and
shoulders, till i thought should be
always even more unsteady than ever.
They don't give you the least chance to
make protest to this sort of thing
They roll you and rub you, up and
down and round and round till you
only want chance to get your hands
free to punch their heads, when all at
once, painting and perspiring, they grin
at you and say pekkey, which means
" all right" and then you can put on your
handsome bathing dress, and have your
towels spread out on the divan about
you. Then the other ladies came about
me like bees around hollyhock, and
proceeded to admire me from head to
foot. to
Then the attendants came in and we
all followed them through a succession
of rooms, resting short time in each,
and drinking lemonade and sherbet, and
eating couserves made of roses aud vio-
lets-or, at least favored with the per.
fume of those flowers. Then we went
into another room cooler STILL where
most Of the ladies smoked while they
chatted of their dresses. husbands, fir
tations, etc. One thing surprises me ::
the perfect freedom with which they tell
each other of their firtations, some of
which 90 somewhat beyond the deco
rum of our American hirtations even.
After the ladies had all finished lsmok-
ing their marghilas and little histories
Of how they had managed to throw dust
into the eunich's eyes, etc. they pro-
ceeded to perform their toilets, some
thingIwonderful to see. | am woman,
and | thought l knew all their little
faults and something of the lntricaeies
of the toilet; but learned more that
day than | ever thought any one knew.
First, an old woman came to each wo.
man or girl, bearing a dressing-case
filled with the most marvellous OF com
pounds for the improvement of the
beauty under their care. Little looking
glasses were given to each woman, and
then commenced the operation. All the
superhuous hairs on the face were re-
moved BY little pincers; then the women
brought out stiff little brushes made Of
brist!es, and after dipping them into a
preparation of arsenic, proceeded to, by
means of pulling the skin of the face
tightly, puncture it with the sharp bris.
ties. which thus leaves an indelible white
beneath the surface, which is perfectly
dazzling in its transpaTence and bril-
liancy.
Next, the eyebrows are carefully
brushed With soft brush, and then the
smoke of frankincense, mixed with the
oil of roses, is laid on while the eye
lashes are dyed with some VEGETABLE dye,
which leaves them brilliant black, and
under the eyelids and on the upper lid
is laid a sort of pale brown, which gives
the whole eve a beauty and languOr