The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-05-14

name ~Sigismund. whose acquaintance L
made In Cairo. four years ago. In what
this siugularity consisted. and how &c
fashioned his career. will be apparent when
trapseribe portions of conversations
which had with him occasionally during
the short ume We were together. But. IN
order that those who are at the trouble to
read these pages may form some picture of
the man, physically, 1 will describe the
effect be produced upon me the first tim
We met.
IL was in q low cafe, where 1 had been
drawn from the street 10y curiosity TO
~watch-rather than listen to-a recitation.
half song. half poem. accompanied by 3
monstrous twsnging and scraping OF In
struments. the chief performer being a
humorous fellow, whose facial expression
and gestures evinced q dramatic capacity
which had its reward In the low Rurgie OF
laughter and the frequent applause where
with his narrative was greeted.
IL was a curious s~ieht-that mass of tar
bouches and turbans, with the upturned
olive faces beneath them, the dim light
from q sin gle oil lamp flashing now and
again on their white teeth and cleaning
eyes, the fiery ends of the cigarettes each
man held between his lips burning ike SO
many stars through the thick atmosphere or
tho room. There was but one European lat
least | took him for suchl IN the place. ana
he SAT- beside me. he was u fair man. IN.
Ginning to redness: his hair closely cropped,
his mustache long and bushy; his face
wise clean shaved. In repose. MS me
profile and stone-blue eyes-whicb, found
later. became like blue diamonds when lac
was excIted-his curious bitter-sweetsniie,
exploding into q thunderous laugh. now
and again. i'm pressed me- greatly, and re-
minded me OF = certain portrait by Titan.
in the Pitt Palace, full of wonderful pOssl-
bilities-a portrait that has always aroused
my curiosity. What manner OF maj was
thisi Evidently he understood every word
that fell from the Arab tale-teiler. anu en-
joyed II. Presently he drew a pencil from
his pocket, and some letters. on the back OF
one of which he began hurriedly to sketch
the head and action of the performer. In
doing this my eve caught the word "Es-
qulrer on the letter. It confirmed my sus-
pIcion as TO the owners nationality.
The first part of the tale ended inst
then or il may have been one short tale.
completes: aud the applause was succeeded
by q lull. Some went out; but saw my
neighbor had no intention o. moving. L
turned to him and sald:
lyon follow this Arabic story perfe ~,
sir Is it amusingf'
He looked me full In the face and re-
Piled, 1T ls."
OIU a AAas o1A4 W.
mind telling me what 1t Is oil aboutf'
You would probably not understand II
i did. There are things which none but
an Eastern-or one who is almost al East
ern, can comprehend"
HIS tone was less ehurlish than his
words, OF L suppose this would have shut
me M. He had thrown away the end OF
his cigareftee. and drew out his case as he
spoke. Loi 1t was empty.
May | offer you onef' | held out my
own case. They are very good. | COM
prenend q cigarette. if i cannot Arab Wit"
Again he looked at me. astonished. but
lees coidly. The thirst for tobacco was
strong-stronger even than his desire to
repuise an obtruslve stranger. He took the
cigarette. and thanked me.
You are not like most of your country
men," he said. with the first CLEAN of q
smile he had vouchsafed me.
lou country men, surely3 You are
Engishf"
al belong to nc country"
How IL thatf"
Il am more at home on the banks of the
Tigris than on the Mississippi. or the
Thames. i hate politics. white ties. and
small talk. l travel all the year round.
but abjure European oities and the haunts
OF fashionable folk i live among the
people. l am OF the people,, wherever i
may be-"
ZIP To a certain point j can understand
this" l replied. but do you never feel the
want of congenial compsnIonshipp
Never. People bore mellow they bore
mei-with their platitudes and their con-
entioDa lities. Hafiz and Firdusl are CON-
partnership enough for me. L prefer them
TO Martin Farquhar Upper
4 laughed. 1T Is easy TO see you do not
NOV . with the age. The reign of platitude
is past-the reign of paradox. of lawless-
ness. has begun. Everything 10 acceptable
now. hut the accepted"
"New-fsngled PHILOSOPHERS have no inter-
est for me" he replied carelessly. "Omar
~ haa fnraafalIaA thar, oil ~
Personal contact with humanity is bet
ter than constantly pOrlng over the utter.
ances OF the wisest man that ever lived
even shakespeare. who has more flesh and
blood IN him than all your OLD Persians."
"l on are beating the air like the preach
ers." he returned. with a smile. Il have
plenty of contact with humanity only it
10 not of your sort. l don't want TO hear.
secondhand. what the modern peddlers
oiier for sale. as new; still less do / care TO
listen 10 the false enthusiasms. ana explos-
i've rubbish your travelling spinsters and
u~nspeakaole widows pour out TO ne,
when We meet az table az hotes.v
II give you up Ia BILE d hotes. But In GER
tain societies there are men. aye, and
women. too. who VIII give you. L hesi-
tated.
New lamps for oldf" Here he laughed
for the first time since he had conversed.
swell. | prefer the old Mine. like Alad-
ci's. has q magical power the new
don't possess. All these people, who have
90 little changed In thousands OF years.
never tire OF studying them. Their poetry,
their written wisdom. interest me as moth
ing else does
shall | tell you what believe TO be the
secret OF this! You have mastered their
tongues. which comparatively few Euro
peans know. Excuse me. If i say that
vanity has something To dO with 10. You
feel as If you had a prescriptive right to
their wisdom and poetry ana you exalt the
value OF them. as we are apt to do things
which are an exclusive possession"
Perhaps a shade OF a~nnoy ance crossed his
face. hut IL was gone in a moment. as be
said:
u care for nc mans opinion; therefore
how can vanity have anything TO say 10 itg
i tell you that In America and Europe
everything has been said that can be- said
lit Is all like a sucked orange. | find more
juice ana navor In these Easterns than in
all the W %esterns put together. whose fash
ions OF thinking change like their clothes.
biHhoninetsns are the only tr1e conserva-
tives"
They are conservative of prejudice and
1apacity. 1 said. hotiy. but if they were
endowed with every virtue under the sun,
that would not affect my argument. You
must live. virtually alone, among people
with whom-say what you wIll-you can
have but little In common. What good
can you do them. or they yous We are not
put here 10 live for ourselves alone. Or
subscribe TO that" he interrupt
ed. Il live Tor myself-a purely selhsh
life. and / lind IL perfectly satisfactory. [
want nothing from any man; mother do |
~gIvr-except the miserable CON care
nothing ab0ut- That which | do care
about. my society. ! am not prodigal Of"
Here the story teller took np his parahie
again. and nay new acquaintance turned
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