The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-01-21
A BAG OF JEWELS.

The exclamation came from beneath
the heavy. dropping white mustache of
the pasha--the white pasha-General
| Templeton.
Yes, general, your jewelsl We
want to see them!'
The speaker was lovely girl, quite
creole in her dusky beauty. AS she
spoke she approached tho reclining SOL
dier from behind and placed about his
swarthy neck pair Of arms like col
umns Of smoked ivory.
The doughty general clasped the
| wrists with his sunburned hands, and
| drawing the willowy creature onto his
lap as he swung in tho hammock re-
| piled:
Il am sorry. Verna, but | cannot
show them to you. Your mother asked
to see them yesterday. They are not
here. How did you know had jewels.
| child?"
oh, wo heard so. And the hint was
dropped that you came by them in II
| very romantic way.
Tho snowy head of the veteran was
laid back i'll the hammock and his pierre
ing eyes were fixed upon the full moon.
| just rising over the liquid boulcvards
of Venice. 1t WIS il perfect night The
soundless voices of Il ambition lights, tell
ing of tho great floating citys gran
deur, spoke from all sides. and then an
swered back as they danced in the rip
ping waters Nothing else disturbed
the poetic quiet of the night but the oc-
| casiona splash of a gondolier's sweep
and the sweet laughter of this bevy of
| lovely women who were assembled up
on the portico of tho Palais du Regina.
Tell us all about it, Won It you, I'M
| Gle? Come here. girls! Hear General
Templeton tell us storyr'
| Handsome Vcrna was always leader.
Directly the passengcred hammock
was surrounded by half dozen as
handsome women as ever an Italian
moon shone upon. The SCARED veteran
thus environed drank in the aroma of
animated femininity, smiled admiring-
| ly at the several upturned faces and said:
How much this reminds me of the
very night | received the jewels Vienna
wants to see and hear about And prob
ably it is in association Of ideas that |
find willingness to do what never did
beforo-relate how they came into my
possession. l have an idea, ladies, that
when conclude my narrative you will
feel disappointed, but my story has a
moral, and if you absorb it, and the
point of my experience is not lost upon
you, then will not regret having mado
you my fair confessors.
was in command of the foot forces
OF his majesty, crossing q corner of
IN
tiguing, the outlook dismal and must
confess, soldier as was, / felt very
much discouraged To add to my de-
preston had not heard from my fiancee
in some weeks, and | found my mind
dwelling more anxiously upon her daily.
may indicate the importance of my
mission by adding that while l was
making all possible haste to relieve
Meldon Pasha l had buttoned in my
jacket the entire outline of our cam
paign. which was to deliver to Moldon
III person from the minister of war.
Night came upon MS as we entered
piece of palm forest. We halted and
made camp. Late in the evening a SOL
der came to my tent and informed me
lady desired to speak with me. l was
very weary and utterly detected really
lovesick, | am ashamed to say"
Tho grizzled veteran looked down into
the fair faces about him as he said this,
but they were absorbed in the story and
expressed none of that hurt no imagined
they would Indicate at his last remark.
such thing as visit from lady
III that remote locality aroused my curl
osity, and glad to have chance to talk
with one because she was of the same
sex as my absent love | followed the
soldier to the very outskirts of the
camp, where found an Arabian horse
OF peerless majesty, and standing beside
him Moorish girl, who so closely re-
sembled my affianced uttered cry of
astonishment. This seemed to delight
the little woman greatly. They have
such naive ways about them and are
such clever judges of human nature.
She instantly exclaimed:
! remind the pasha of some one
a the same moment she motioned
me 10 dismiss the soldier.
/ did So.
confess, madam, said your
resemblance to ii dear lady friend in
England Is very pleasing to me.
Then she piled her arts as only the
educated Moor can. Never suggestion,
but snch languishing sweetness and in
toxlcatlng grace and winning articles;
they are indescribable.
NJ Pasha, she said in purest
French, i have come to you upon an
errand OF mercy, for bring you deliv-
GRANGE from this life of deprivation.
You are young man, and / bring you