Omaha daily bee., 1893-09-17

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the mouth and with this inscription:
Better that a sword be thrust
through thy mouth than that thou
utter q word against Him who
ruleth ON high" Not far off are the
barracks OF the Amazons, the women's
hall Of justice, and the dungeons, where
female judges daily administer justice
TO the inhabitants of this woman's city.
There is also a temple, a gymnasium
and a theater, where the great ladies
assemble in the afternoon to gossip,
play games or watch the dancing girls.
In this city live also the mechanical
slaves who ply their trades for the bene-
fit OF their mistresses. 1t is, in fact, a
city, it has its own laws, its judges,
police, guards, prisons, teachers and
mechanics. Every function is exercised
by women, and by women only.
The women of the harem amuse them
selves in the early and late hours of the
day by gathering flowers in the palace
gardens, feeding the birds and gold
fishes, twining garlands for the heads
OF the children, listening to reading by
slaves, and especially in bathing. When
the heat is not oppressive they plunge
into the the pretty, retired lakes, swim
ming and diving like nocks of brown
water fowl. They play at chess, cards
and dice, and some of them are decid-
edly skillful.
Mrs. Leonowens describes a trial for
~witchcraft which occurred while she
was at the palace. 1t seems that dur
ing the kings absence u beautiful
princess disappeared from the harem,
and in her place remained only u leaf
and dumb slave girl. The day of the
trial three women half stupefied by the
foul air of the damp cell in which they
| had been imnrisnnpl tyncp rpn6nptn6 tn
the great court hall of the temple,
where the trial for wichcraft was to
take place. A procession of royal
astrologers, wizards and witches, who
receive handsome salaries from the
king, filed into the temple and took
their places. Then came the chief
judge of the supreme court and his
secretary to report the trial to the king.
The prisoners when brought in proved
to be May-Peah, who was the deal and
dumb changing, and the two hand
guarded by fifty Amazons. The crowd,
who looked upon May-Peah as a verit-
able witch, was breathless with expec-
tation. Conch shells were now blown
to ummon the holy man of the woods,
who soon appeared on the opposite bank
of the river, plunged into it and came
and took his place beside the prisoners.
This strange mortal, who lived the life
OF an o~rang-outang, had q remarkably
fine, sensitive face and was always
called to aid The court il. it's spiritual
examinations At the command of the
Judge the two Amazons, who we're on
duty the night of the abduction, testified
that "a tall, dark figure, with a dagger
in one hand and a ponderous bunch of
keys in the other, had entered the hall.
They saw her go to the cell of the
princess, open it with one of the mystic
rious keys, and lead her forth. AS they
were paralyzed and unable to move from
the spot, the strange figure r~eappeared,
passed by them quickly into the cell,
and closed the door. TO the questions
of the wizards May-Peah returned no
answer. AT a signal an alarm gong was
struck Immediately behind her, and,
being aiken by surprise, she turned to
see whence The sound came. The willy
Judges then shouted, SIT is plain that
you can speak, for you are not deaf !"
She was forthwith condemned to all the
torchers of the rack. The holy man of
the woods on hearing this uttered a
wild cry of Yah" (forbear), and de-
clared that she was powerless to speak
because under the influence of witch
craft. One of the wise women suggested
that some magic water should be poured
into her mouth. On opening it they
fell back with horror and cried:
"Brahma. Brahma! an evil fiend has
torn out her tongue" Immediately the
unhappy woman became the object of
pity, and even of alteration. The cere-
mony OF eXorcism was one through,
and she her companions were fully
acquitted OF any completely with the
devil, each receiving a sum of mohey
and being set at liberty. May-Peah's
friends afterward told Mrs. Leonowens
that it was she who had terrified the
Amazons, released the princess and led
her to Il BOAT in which were the lover
prince and two friends. AS there was
not room for all May-Peah refused to
leave the companions of her beloved
mistress, and full of terror lest by dread
full torture which she knew awaited her,
she might be forced to betray those who
were dearcr to her han her life, she
with one stroke of her dagger deprived
herself of the power of ever utterlng an
Ineligible sound.
w
A whispered prophesy was ~vOuchsafed
the other day by a certain hair dresser.
He Is not one OF the busting, talkative
variety, but is pompous and of few
words, carrying an atmosphere of deep
knowledge about him. His utterances
are SO weighty that they seem to strike
the very bottom of the we'll where sits
Truth. Still, the best of men and the
wisest of hair dressers err, so this one
may be in error.
He said, however, that the signs of
the times point to a revival of another
n of the fashions of 1880 or there
about. He said, in short. that the locks
of the Beau Brummells of '94 will form
Il most intimate acquaintance with the
curling iron. Have they not been grow
ing steadily longer? he says, and what
more natural sequence, therefore, than
u desire to relieve the monotony of undi-
versiied length? Hence, the curling
iron. Hence, too, possibly, a state of af-
fairs such as Walter Besant claims ex-
listed IN polite society some fifty years
ago.
The desirable ~ayes and gloss were
then impaired to hair not prone to curls
by II liberal use of hair oil. OF course
the bellies of the period had to nave their
ringlets also. but a delicate distinction
was always preserved between the limp
and slender spirals for feminine adorn-
ment and the aggressive and virile curls
consistent with manly beauty.
But, alasl heat and hair oil and
pomatum and persistence can never
equal that one touch of nature which
makes the whole hair curl. Therefore
every ballroom had its barber. All
night long, in an adjacent room, he and