The National tribune., 1896-05-21

little of the showman's rigmarole; but these
names pleased his fancy, delighted his ear
kadja, Biskra, the Emir and the desert !"
He felt stirred by wonder and interest as
when he read rOmances or listened to the
legends of old YAM the Shepherd.
Walk in! walk in follow the crowd T"
Pierre elbowed his way through the
people and entered. After seating himself
he looked about him and felt dazzled. 1t
seemed TO him that he had slipped into one
of those grottOS where spirits assemble in
their beauty and vanish when approached.
There, on narrow little stage lit by
malod0rOus lamps two women and man
stared ut the audience with weary eyes
mixed audience il was where peasants and
fiSherfolk of Ille-et-Vilaine sat beside Pa
rsians and other fashiOnably dressed 30
lOurners who had come for the sea bathng.
A musician, wearing a turban, sat half
asleep before an old piano waiting for the
performance to begin and while the specta-
tors-among the tourist element of which
could be heard some stifled laUghter-gazed
at these creatures dressed III tag-ends of
silk and tinsel, they, poor things, cTouched
quietly on their Karamania cushions tired
out, PERHAPS, or overcome by a sort of bestial
stupidity. One of the women, coarse and
fe1vy, wrapped in Algerian stuffs, slowly
moved her large cOw-like eyes from one
corner of the theater to another. The man
was an enormous Soudan negro, dressed i'll
whit, who had mouth like hlppnpota-
mus and showed his long white teeth in a
lent, silly laugh. And between these two
creatures, one stupid the other ferociOus, as
though crushed by the weight of the big
woman and threatened by the canine fangs
of The Moor, sat the prettest girl imagina-
be. delicate being with velvety eyes, lips
PAL ted very red, while the cheeks were
pale. Below silken Golf fell her dark,
glossy hair. and the exquisite juvenile bosom
was half revealed where the yellow vest was
parted
Ab! Pierre Pomerio saw this ravishing
Rad dja-daughter of an Emr! the instant
he entered. And hiseeyes fastened OIL her
like the eyes of a madman, flashing out blue
sparks under the commonplace lamplight.
He sat half bent, bare headed, with his hands
on hi' knees, staring nj this beauty with
this steady shining gaze. From head to
foot, from the thick black hair to the tiny
red-spangled slippers the lad devoured
Kadia with his eyes, until she noticed him
amid the throng aud slowly turned her
shapely, dsdainfgl head in his direction
On! but she was loyely, lovely as dream,
lovely as the fairy of S int Cast, with her
garland of sea-weed. Pierre felt his head
turning, but remembered Vans warning:
! ou must never presume to touch fairy;
for they are not tame, You know"
The man who had invited the people in,
now entered the little theateG, aud, with his
piping voice, announced that the perform
ance would begin,
Aicha," ladies and gentlemen, "'.the noble
Algerian Lady AicEa, will first show you
the Tunis steps, after which the handsome
Ali will perform the great dance of the
Kabyles Of Zaatcha. and then Mile. Kadja,
the daughter of the Emir, will charm you
by her graceful performance Of the dance of
the Aimelis of Tangiers!"
Everybody was staring at the pretty
KahjI, while the impre sario was talking,
and they continued to gaze at her while, to
the wheeling sound of the worn-out piuno,
the :" noble Aicha" twisted herself about
like very heavy elephant, grunting the
while gutteral incantaion and dandling
her venerable head from side to side Some
OF the tourists from Dinard and Parame who
had dropped in there by chance, were highly
and The old woman glared at them
with her wrinkled, faded eyes, which had,
once been fine.
NOW lot the handsome All. Come on, |
Ali, give rs the dance of the DESERT"
Poor Aicha fell back like great bundle
on her cushions, and the African writhed !
rolled the hites Of his ewes and |
grinned lill he looked like the irightful
nightmare OF a dentists sign. The women
Oh the audience hid their laughter behind |
their fans but Pierre Pomerio saw nothing |
OF Ais comical cOntortions, nor the annoy
ance of the impresario and pianist over the !
mocklng humOr of he crowd. He saw |
nothing but Kadja, pretty Kadja whose soft |
eyes now rested on him fixediy, while an in |
dulgent smile parted her lips. The simple |
fellow felt his heart beating wildly, his ears |
were filled with rushing sound like the |
thunder OF the angry waves, he almost |
shouted aloud in his excitement, and could |
not repress an All" which made several |
people turn and look at him, when Kadja in |
her turn quilted her cushions and arose tall, |
slender, delicate as the stem of flower, |
shaking back her unbound hair as though |
the weight were too great for her.
In her left hand, above her head. she held |
4 little tambOurine, which she occasionally |
struck with her right hand, accompanying |
her slow, graceful movements by a strange.
chant, Aicha and Ali marking |
The rhythm by clapping their hands and |
,rying shrilIy:
'Kddjd! Radja! HI Kadja!"
Lutte by little this plaintive air entered |