San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-06-17
AN EGYPTIAN BRIDE.
She Was in an Ordinary Wedding Pro-
cession in the streets of Cairo.

She Was in an Ordinary Wedding Pro-
cession in the streets of Cairo.
1t was in the Barrage, that famous
bridge or double weir, the eastern part
spanning the Damiettaand the western the
Rosetta br. u,h of the Nile. It was there
that the late khediye iuiit lovely pal
ace and still more lovely garden, which he
perhaps praced with his presence once in
his life and left to decay, just as all Egyp-
tiauS have done since the world begun,
never renewing, never reviviug, but build.
ing as a child would b.lild toy house, to
pull down and begin another. An Ameri-
can engineer one OF The half dozen retained
in Office, has charge of the bridge, and it
is he who walks under the shadow of the
palms and gathers the wild roses and eats
the golden oranges that whether or no
blossom and bear fruit in the deserted gar
den.
1t was from the balcony of his house, a
part of the old palace, looking out on the
beautiful blooming country, the green
fields, the lovely, mysterious river, that we
saw cavalcade approaching and heard
the sound of the lutte and pipe. at is Il
fantasia" exclaimed our host; a fantasia
meaning any fete or fiesta. Down the long
white road they came, procession OF
hOrsemeu ON white Arabian steeds, the
last man dressed in handsome raiment and
bearing himself with the proud air of one
upon whom all eyes were fixed.
Next him strobe d groom and caparisoned
camel, with a rich blanket and embroidered
saddle, and after this another camel with
even more gorgeous trappings, who bore
rich palanquin curtained on every side
with gold and crimson haugings. Within
sat the bride. Following the bride were
three other cauels, on which were seated
YELLED women, and then came Il train car.
rying household furniture, bedding, stutfs,
chests, pots ana pans, and all the various
dppurtenances essential to housekeeping
and furnishing in an oriental country
1t was the brides coming to- the hus.
bands house, the last day of the wedding,
and the conclusion of the seven days
feasting. In a few hours he would for the
Irst time lift the veil to see whether in.
deed, what his mother has told him is
true; whether she is Acknowledged and
rosy-cheeked, and supple of limb and
graceful of form; whether she has a voice
like the cooling of a dove. and is learned in
the making of bread and dakkah, for not
one glimpse of her face, not one word from
her lips, has ever been vouchsafed him.
Poor fellow: do those brilliant curtains
shroud loveliness or deformity?
Has tie mother been won over by the
pile of stuifs and the earrings and brace
lets to fancy beauty where there are only
riches; IL has Happened so in other lands
But the briiy-have uJ plying words for
the bride, wno also is supposed to be ignor
ant of the iiIaainru;s of her husband? The
bride is a won;,n; there are windows,
though latticed windows, in her house in
0he village over the plain, and the brown
eyes were never darkened when, yelled
and shrOuded she went to the mosque OF
we'll. We may be sure the bride has seen
him many IA day and oft, and loved or hated
him after the fashion of women who,
heaven De praised, do not need century
Of contemplation to make up their minds
whether they ike u thing or not.-Cor.
Hartford CUurdnt.