Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-03-05

+ ~ NS~fFS1tts iS5-- SI v
"Aow are you this evening, Mr.
Thauret? I am glad you decided to
come. Mr.. Van Rawlston, Mr.. Thamet
is a friend of Mr.. Mitchel's p"
That sufficed, and Mr.. Van Rawlston
seemed much relieved.
Mr.. Thauret was not in costume, but
he had brought with him a satchel, and
now asked where he might find place
to dress. He was turned over to one of
the hveried boys, who showed him to
one of the rooms set aside for the gen
tlemen. Mr.. Barnes did not enter, for
had he done so without removing his
mask it might have aroused suspicion.
He, however, kept watch near the door,
and soon saw man come out dressed
as Ali Baba This was easily learned,
for the committee had prepared hand
some badges, upon each Of which was
engraved the name Of the character as
sumed. These We're of FURNISHED silver,
the lettering being done in blue enamel
They were worn on the left breast and
| were intended to serve as souvenirs of
the evening. Mr.. Barnes smiled behind
his mask as he looked down at his,
which, to his mind, reminded him of a
| policeman S shield.
The rooms were gorgeously decorated
in oriental splendOr. The .r one
was designated the sultan's re and
was truly regal in its arr,i nent.
There were no chairs, but soft T. gans,
and many hued alluring cushi,. we're
to be found everywhere AROUND the
walls. The floors were covered with rugs
four deep. The walls We're draped with
satin, drawn apart to reveal mirrors
which multiplied the beauty Of every
| thing The ceiling vas hung with gar
lands III which were twined roses of all
kinds, which made the atmosphere redo
lent with perfume. From among these
garlands hundreds Of gilded cages held
singing birds, and electric lights made
the rooms so brilliant that many times
during the evening they warbled in
| chorus, thinking it morning
The smaller room represented Alad-
din's cave. Stalactites, resplendent with
seeming jewels, hung pendent from the
| ceiling. The wslls were made to resem-
| Bile rough stone, and every few inches a
| large precious stone was made fiery by
the tiny electric lamp hidden behind it,
| The floor alone was unlike a cave, being
waxed for dancing. In grottO, up ten
feet above the floor, the musicians play
| ed soft, sensuous music.
The festival opened informally-that
| is, while awaiting the arrival of others,
those already present amused themselves
waltzing, chatting or chatting one anoth-
or. Mr.. Barnes sauntered about, keeping
Ali Baba in sight Scheherezade came
| in on the arm of the sultan. These he
knew to be Miss Remsen and Mr.. Van
| Rawlston. Ali Baba joined them almost
| Immediately, and a few minutes later
| led Scheherezade into Aladdin's cave
| for dance. Mr.. Barnes stood observing
| them. when some one touched him on
the arm, and turning he saw man cos
| TUNED as himself.
"We must be careful or Ali Baba may
! discover our password, Sesame, as he
did in the real story"
~ do not understand you" replied
Mr. Barnes.
The other man looked at him intently
moment through his mask, and with
ont word moved away.
Mr.. Barnes was mystified. He regret
| ted that he had not replied IL some less
candid fashion that he might have heard
| the voice again. But taken by surprise
| as he was, be had lost his self possession
| for moment If he were not mistaken,
the voice was one which he had heard
| before. He racked his memory for some
| minutes, and suddenly started as this
thought entered his mind:
"Were he not sick in Philadelphia
should say that was Mitchell ?" He fol
| lowed across the room after the person,
but he saw him go out into tho hall, and
| by the time that he himself reached
| there, there were at least dozen similar
| costumes in group. He looked them
over carefully, but there was nothing by
which he could pick out the special man
| for whom he was searching. He went
up to one at haphazard and whispered
| to him:
"Sesame.
"Sesa-whatP' 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
Baba. Hurrying back into the ballroom,
he soon found him, though he had part
ed from Scheherezade.
About Il O'Clock blare upon a cor
net attracted the attention of the frol-
| licking throng. A man dressed as a
| genius announced that the time had ar
rived for the entertainment Immedi-
ately every one went into the Aladdin
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 palace.
The sultan lay down upon divan
near the curtains, and Scheherezade sat
| beside him upon a 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 rich back
| ground. Many of the guests, knowing
that their tableau would not be reached
for some time, passed around and stood
| crowding about the doorways Of the
hall, to get a view Of the first pictures.
Soft music was begun, when, at
! 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 a gorgeous ruby
| which she wore in her hair. This he
knew ut once was the same which Mr.
Mitchell had shown to him, and which
Lucette told him had been presented to
his fiancee.
SchehereZade began to reCite the story
Of Sindbad, monOlogEe for the evening
having been prepared which told in a
few words enough to explain the Sc
quence Of tho tableaus. Her voice was
musical and her reading admirable, so
that very soon there was q 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 now pictures.