The times., 1897-08-01
AN AMERICAN GIRL IN CAIRO.
A Lively Glimpse of Places. People
and Things.

A Lively Glimpse OF fidStrs Sok,iS
and Things.
Cairo is an endless feast for the eyes,
even IL one goes no farther than shep-
heard-s terrace. Everything goes Dys
from the relocated Tommy Atkins 10
The splendid officer in full uniform anu
white helmet; magnificent dragomen, In
golden embroidery, belonging TO some
princely family, witheTed black monk on
his donkey; beautiful bronZed runners.
Ike some gay-plgmsg ged birds, who fly
before the carriages of the nobility, cah-
ing out and hitting every one out Of the
way with their long canes; solemn, white
bearded. r-hite-turhaned Arabs who stand
in dienified silence 10 let The crowd push
by; and in an out in the thick OF the crowd
q woman drives four or five turkeys with
a stack, and tLey get nextricably mixed
60 with the legs Of tie heavily necklaced
6onkeys OF those OF tie runners, on The
soldiers. and at last Neiled woman, with
her naked baby on her shoulders, comes
10 the rescue and helps the old woman TO
gel them together again All the While,
overhead, IN the thick trees which over
hang the terrace, some very fat magpies
walk ahost, talk 10 each other, and lead
queer, pryiHg lives, regaT Tdless OF every
thing that goes on below
After while we got tired OF this endless
crowd and confusion and moved over TO
the GhezirCh Palace Hotel. and here we
have had an entirely different set Of
pictures IL is On an island opposite Bou-
lax. You drive out through tlensely shaded
roads, and cross the long bridge over the
Nile in fifteen minutes, OF you can take a
trolley (yes, trolley iii Cairo to a point
on the river where little ST eamboat fer
rIes you over in three minutes to the foot
of the marble stairs leading into the hotel
gardens And 0, what garden; what
endless delight it is 10 wander through il
or to sit in its cc0i, green retreats witt
the NIle and all the lateen sails in View.
Thefashi0na bic drive is around tins island
Every afternoon the baud plays in the al
Joining caFino, and ali Cairo drives out 70
take tea in the gardens.
On the other side Of the road is the
Khediya1 Sporting Club, with its polo
e-rouncs. race track, tennis and coif fields
The Interior of the hotel is superb; il il
what a khedive would plan, and it was
built to entertain and astonish Louis Ma
poleon and EuEenie at the opening Of thu
6ueZ Canal. The great central hall, wher'
everybody gathers in the evening afte
dinner TO takecoffee.i is screenedoff from the
dining room by al exquisite Moorish screel
OF carved Wood, pierced with numeron,
doors, and it must be at least fifty feet
In length. The hall itsef is all of white
marble Iu the rear is wonderful stair
case OF carved marble, which divides ant
crosses and turns upward with it's W wealtl
- Rr-.-
untl il reaches the tremendous height O
tie ceiling. All this height and breadth ant
maEnificeDce has TO be paid for by end
lessly long journeys down corridors e
ones bedroom, and sometimes the effeci
Is nOt SO charming. I had been listening Il
stories OF eastern tyranny and cruelty
Of strange disappeaTa noes of political
Characters even in this very house, when
IT was royal residence, and, having {,
so TO my room in the dark, / was conscious
OF two turbaned figures which seemed tc
be following me noiselessly. I hasteneC
my steps and reached nay door al asst in q
bneathiess state. but they We're close be
hind me. and Then one Of them, in low
whispered tones. informed me that they
had come for nay wash.
On Some night, when dances are given
iB the ad5oiaiag casino. the society people
FROM Cairo come out and dine here fu their
ban dresses. We swarm there with Eng.
iish Officers 10 short red Jackets, and
Egyptian officials ia fez caps. The small
flosTer-dec5ed tables in the immense dining
room are literally ai5laze with Jewels.
Sometimes # is q fancy ban, and then the
gay scene is fantastic beyond words. and
han and garden are a mass of color. and
queer figures fit in and Qua There is a
very large contingent OF interesting English
people ~ hom we are never tired Of watch
Ing They al belong to different sets.
never mix with each other, and present
different phases or English social life
We have Lady Douglass. W no Hrearsher hair
cIIt short and dresses like a man. with the
exception Of the skirt. She can take the
rcins over four horses with admira hle
GOODNESS. Then there is Dorothy. mar
chioness Of .Ailesbury. and her beautiful
daughter, Miss Wynter
They and a lot Of Others make nm one set.
These sn dress beautifully, have wonder.
ful tumCuts, and are very jolly; but tney
act as If they were alone in the hotel
Then there is another rich set, composed OF
conmoners. They lave 8 dahabevah rDort
Aokbcp shAA NOE Odibes Shlfu iilbl never mix
with an yone else Besides thess. there are
military sets, diplomatic sets andthe PASS
ing crowd from India or elsewhere. Thai
much-talked-of couple, Sir Charles and
Lady BeTesford are among the notable.
here. He is Que OF thu handsonlest men In
England, and gets himself UP as English.
men do when they travel, in the most pic
turesaCe faslliun. He wears a soft-crownet
hat, aroun which Istwlsteda scarf OF rnans
cclcrs. highly becoming, especially when
his ioTdship is awheeI
Ills lady wife rides a tricycle. and wears
most extraordinary garment. with nc
sleeves and long flowing skirts Her usual
costume st all times is a princess robe
She wears green velvet one for dinner
iow-necked and eIaborately y trimmed with
gold lace and one or blue silk by day. with
three different kinds Of lace on II, as If she
had had difficulty in matching IL. She ss
rouged 70 her eyes, has her hair dyed, and
Is altogether one OF the most remarkable
personalities among the many stran 20 ones