The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-23

"iHa.'-N 'aa|.INI IIfN NN HHNNNhH NfftNN nIlN
is Is deliberate assassin. SHE Shall die
aua thus aEain are you freed from both
Your wruuECrs.
You attend on me with my SER
penis
Yes"
Her own father is her attendant"
81 shall circumvcut him. ] shall con-
tritc To divert mis- attention FOR few
seconds. I'm those few seconds the ser
penis can be changed
Osman heard no more. He stole away
with CHASTITY face and disordered steps
and at stngth departed unseen. Before
evening he had interviews with Miriam
and her father. And he did not sleep that
night
The evening of the entertainment came
on. At the end of the great garden Of
Amru's house was a sCreened-off platform
in front of which the spectators were
/ cOugregatcd in a crescent. The screen
was thrust apart, and ten glass cases
| with brazen fittings were seen ranged
| five ON each side Of the stage. There was
! the sound of gong from behind the plat
/ form, and Miriam assembled. She was
/ covered with golden armlets and brace
/ let's and necklets. Her father, tall,
/ strong man, who had entered behind her,
raised the lids of the cases to the left.
/ And one after another the
silent, gIiistening SHAKES came
] lOItu ana SWdfIueu ABOUT J0e
! beautiful girl. The stage was lit up
! by the electric light. Miriam was ac-
| companicd by a weird, barbaric, strangely
| seductive music. The small serpents
| gllded amOrOusly around her body and
arms and neck, and curled above her
| head in marvellous ConvOlusions-yet never
| disturbing the adOrnments which so much
resembled themselves she exc
| cuted a wOndrOus, ethereal dance. 1t was
! a Cnppt9rlo still from the al
! most overwhelming grandeur of its envi-
| rOnment. The girl with her superb face
| and figure and limbs, with her great black
| eyes outdaZzling the blaze of gems and
| glittering serpents and silver lights of
| which she was the center; the flower
| beds with their throngOf blooms folded in
! gorgeous Stun Der on all sides; the eX-
| panded heaven afame with innumerabe
! stars the moon rolling streams of pale
! splendOr on the immortal Pyramids to-
! ward the west; the fiery and sOmbre
! desert stretching into the unreasonable
| distance beyOdd-these were surround
| ings which few spectators could have re-
! garded without a certain sense of awe
| Miriam disappeared.
And now there entered a woman wear
! ing crimson mask The electric light
| had been gradually lowered with her ad-
vent, but the astounding wealth of dia-
mOnds and sapphires and rubies worn by
her seemed to supersede the necessity of
other light. With her every movement
! a many-colOred fire seemed to lxindle and
| break out all over her and to grow more
startling and ghostly from the framing of
the darkened platform. This woman
performed in the opinion of many, with
| skill and grace quite equal to Miriams.
The Pasha, at least, seemed to think so
for he sent a special message to her be-
hind the scenes, whence she came, heav-
-, -
! be his congratulations. And during this
interlude the screen was lowered.
On to the platform thus concealed Mir
| JAMS father and Murad now came They
removed the cases and small snakes.
Then they rolled up with difficulty each
case thrice as large as any yet seen. Mu-
rad moved his case to the right; Miri-
ANS father his to the left; and the lat
ter assistant, having done his work, went
unconcernedly away. Murad was left
alone. He looked on all sides No one
was in view. He returned to the cases,
half lifted, half rolled that on the left
across to the right, that on the right to
the left; then he quilted the platform,
still with a complete absence of noise
and disappeared. The next moment a
man rose from amid some drapery behind
the stage. He crept over to where stood
| the case to the left, and, looking into it,
started. Then he retranspOsed the cases
with prOmptitude and secrecy not in
feriOr to Murad's; and in his turn van
ished.
And now Miriam acting by the instruc-
tions of the masked woman, had mixed
| the pasha's drink and handed il to Mu-
rad. Osman, who had previously left his
place near Amru, reappeared from be-
| hind the stage and resumed his chair
And the screen was withdrawn.
1t had been intimated that Miriam and
her mysterious rival, with boa constric-
tors of unusual size around them, would
perform a novel dance. Once more
strange, mOurnful, ineffably sweet music
| penetrated the ear, and Miriam and the
woman with the crimson mask mounted
! the platform together.
Here Amru called by a sign for his
draught. Murad approached with COB
! let. Osman calmly arose and whispered
! to the pasha Amru stared at the cap
tain and, bending his eyes on Murad,
commanded him to taste the drink first
! The servant looked at Armu; then he
| looked at the stage. He started violently
| His eyes dilated. Without hesitation he
raised the goblet to his lips, drained its
contents to the last drop and sank in CON
Vulsions to the ground.
Meanwhile, the serpent of Miriam had
arisen from its case and coied gently
around her In the same moment the
woman with the crimson mask had lifted
/ the lid of her case, and an enormous boa
! had Immediately darted up. The dis
! guised performer staggered back but the
serpent shot forward its neck and rushed
with lightning rapidity around her
! There went up from her a heart-rending
! cry which was instantly smothered in
feeble groans and gasps. For some
! seconds the spectators remained silent,
motionless, appalled,. Then with yells of
rage they arose in a body and swept on
| 10 the platform. With single blow
| from the sword of Amru the serpent's
| head was severed. 1t was hacked and
gashed by countless weapons, and fell TO
! the floor in a hundred writing pieces
But its work was done. The limbs and
| ribs of the artist in the crimson mask had
! been cracked and crushed into utter
shapelessness in the folds of the snake.
| One of the guests tore away the mask,
and through all the distortion caused by
| the horrible torture, knew the face of
Rakiyah.
The bystanders, in presence of a Gala
nifty where coincidence would have al
most seemed mockery, departed in
silence Osman and Miriam went away
together, and Amru saw this without re
greet.
He questioned Miriam's father and his
own servants. and elected enough to de-
sire no further knowledge.
Toward midnight he went back to the
10 eo,.r,, a1ppo Rail- cfil1 low