Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-01-29

which he could pick ont the special man
for whom he was searching. He went
up to one at haphazard and whispered
to him:
Sesame.
"Sesa-whatr' came the reply in .
strange tone.
Don't you know our password"
asked the detective.
Password? Rats! We are not real
thieves" And with laugh he turned
away. Mr.. Barnes felt himself power
less, and besides recalled the fact that
while he followed this will-o' the wisp
he was not keeping an eye upon Ali
Bahia. Hurrying back into the ballroom,
he soon found him, though he had part
ed from Scheherezade.
About IL O'Clock blare upon q cor
net attracted the attention of the frol-
licking throng. A man dressed as q
genius announced that the time had ar
rived for the entertainment Immedi-
ately every one went into the Aladdin's
cave room except Scheherezade and the
sultan, and heavy pair of satin cur
tains were dropped, so that they hid the
cave from the sultan's palace.
The sultan lay down upon q divan
near the curtains, and Scheherezade sat
beside him upon o satin cushion on the
floor. Behind the curtains the commit
tee busted themselves forming tableau,
those not needed being hidden from
view behind still another pair of cur
tains. which were of gloriously beau
tiful blue and served as q rich back.
ground. Many of the guests, knowing
that their tableau would not be reached
for some time, passed around and stood
crowdlng about the dOorways of the
hall, to get q view Of the first pictures.
Soft music was begun, when, at a
signal, the electric lights in the palace
room were extinguished, and the front
pair Of yellow satin curtains were
drawn aside, showing a tableau of Sind
bad the Sailor. Mr.. Barnes, peeping
from behind the red curtain, noticed
that as Scheherezade sat on her low
cushion in the now darkened palace
room the rays of an electric light in
the cave just touched q gorgeous ruby
which she were in her hair. This he
knew at once was the same which Mr..
Mitchell had shown to him, and which
Lucette told him had been presented to
his iiancee.
Scheherezade began to recite the story
of Sindbad, monologue for the evening
having been prepared which told in q
few words enough to explain the Sc
quence of the tableaus. Her voice was
musical and her reading admirable, SO
that very soon there was silence as of
| death, save as it was broken by her
words. As she reached various parts of
her tale she would clap her hands, and
at once others entered the scene, group
| ing themselves to form new pictures.
Thus Sindbad was followed along his
| various travels, till at the end the cur
tains were dropped for moment, to be
parted again, showing all who had taken
| q character.
Then followed pretty ceremonial
Sindbad passed out of the cave room
and approached the sultan and Schehere-
zade. Reaching them he stopped, made
a salaam, bowling low with his arms up
raised in front of him, and then passing
on, taking u place in the room and SO
becoming part of the audience for the
succeeding pictures. Each of the charac-
tiers followed his example, until all had
passed out, when the next set of tableaus
was at once quickly arranged. Again
SchehereZade renewed her recitation.
Thus fable after fable was told and
acted, the audience in the palace room
growing larger after each, SO that soon
the we'll managed pictures received gen.
erous applause.
At last the committee announced that
the fable Of "Ali Bahia and the Forty
Thieves" would be the next on the pro-
gramme. Tho parts to be acted by each
were quickly explained, and all was
ready. As the Forty Thieves were prac-
tically like supernumeraries in spec
tacular play, Mr.. Barnes thought that
he would take any position which he
should choose, and SO stood through all
the scenes as near to Ali Bahia as posi-
BILE. At las: the recitation was ended,
and the signal given for them to form q
line to do obeisance to the sultan. Mr..
Barnes attempted to stand Immediately
behind Ali Bahia, and was surprised to
find two other men try for the same
place coincidently. There was a moment
Of confusion, and then Mr.. Barnes found
himself in line just between the two
other aspirants for second place behind
the leader
| That what next occurred may be thor
ough1y understood it will be well to
call accurate attention to the position Of
the various actors. The palace room waf
practically dark, though light from the
cave room lessened the gloom SO much
that the figures could be distinguished
enough to know whether a man VI wO.
man We're crossing the floor.
The sultan, Mr.. Van Rawlston, lay on
q divan, not far from the cave room and
facing it. Scheherezade-Miss Emily
Remsen-sat Oh 4 cushion beside him.
Both Of them faced; the tableaus. and il
will lie seen at once that from gazing
toward tile light if either turned toward
the darkness blindness would result foz
few moments. Ali Bahia, heading the
line of Forty Thieves, came toward the
divan. Here he storped, made a salaam.
bowling low, bringing his arms up above
the head Outstretched in front Of him,
| then pavti.o t,eu, with a cwaviuo