The times., 1898-07-10
who were won by her remarkable tai

VINO were won Dy her renarkSSee tsi-
ents.'.
Her good looks had no share In the con-
quest. She was a Nubian-full-b -blooded
as was proved by her coal-black skin
and wOolly hair-broad of shoulder and
long of linz. Her gown of dark blue
cloth was girdled loosely with GRIM
son sash. and fell In easy folds TO her
feet She looked like what was called
"a field hand From every side of the
great hall arose a wild clamor of beaten
drums and Changing cymbals shaken
tambourines and clapping hands, an ac-
compartment that was nor intermitted
through what followed. The 'Nubian
smiled widely upon her admirers, squat
ted upon the mat and began to batter
small drum furiously, rocking from
side to side then back and forth. rolling
up her eyes and showing a double row
of white teeth in a grimace of cumula-
tive ecstacy. Bounding suddenly 10 her
full height by one surprising effort of her
supple body. not touching the floor with
her hands, she entered upon a series of
spiral exercises, keeping her feet per-
feetly still pivotal center. and swing
ing outward from them. The tabret was
pounded madIy all the time.
This dizzy exhibition ended she drew
white handkerchief from her bosom
wrapped 1t about her left arm and went
through the motions of dandling and
hushing a child to sleep grooming a fan
tastic, tuneless lullaby, and shuffiing her
feet in time with it,
Waking the baby with a genuine negro
''ki-yi'' and shaking the hnndkerchief into
/ the air, she danced to a more lively meas
ure, throwing herself forward then back
ward, further and further each time until
a topple and fall seemed inevitable In
one of the forward incIinations she dex-
I -.
| the floor, and in another picked il up
with her teeth. a feat that elected deafen-
ing applause. A final figure OF the So
called dance bore some resemblance, as
1 was told afterwards, TO the objection
able danse de ventre. In comfortable ig-
norance of the circumstance we looked
on unmoved and unsympathetic. while
the assembly. lined up three deep against
! the walls of the central hall, vented their
| delight in louder and faster drummings
and clapping of hands.
1 A laugh. smothered by politeness as
! soon as 1t was born. rippled through the
/ group of unseen lookers-on as the hand
! some Hercules in the doorway turned 10
/ say, sOttO voce, but energetically, while
/ the Nubian was in the thick of her tri-
! umphs:
by Jove. what fool King Herod must
/ have been"
of departure, curiosity had given place tC
1 ennui. and ennui deepened into boredom
/ Of a pronounced type. We were glad "a
make our exit with the same pretense OF
/ stealth that had attended our entrance
+ The cool, delicious dampness of a Syrian
! Winter night that met US without made
us comprehend what the atmosphere had
/ been within. The consuTs wife told us
/ on the way home, that the scene we were
/ hab rAd all hot he
/ Syrian woman ever knows of a 'revel. -
J She never speaks TO man until she is
( married. unless he De her near kinsman
( After marriage even stricter laws govern
/ her association with the other sex.
They have no dancing or converse tior
! or dinner parties. where men and WON
en- meei on equal and pleasant socia
| terms no libraries and no clubs. where
| women can acquire knowledge and ex.
change views upon higher topics thar
| the details of their dull, eventless lives
The fifty-odd women We had left sitting
! cross-legged on the mattings. their backs
| against the wall. their tabrets on tbs
floor In front of them. just as we haC
found them three hours before, would
talk Of this evening of dissipation fol
weeks to come.
THE evening has been full of disillu
sions," he lamented. And I'm afraiC
! If the truth could be known we should
| learn that the women who came out
/ singing and dancing, to NEE, King Sau
with tabrets and other instruments. ans
answered one another as they played
ratified off; 'Saul-hath-slain-h -his-thOu
sands-and-D David Observation-Disclosures
h-h.' just as those girls said thei
pieces The East is a changeless land
you know-more's the pity"
AT noon on the morrow we sent a not
| brought back word that she was not ye
out Of bed. The fun % had ragged OF
until o'clock a. m. and the gracious
| mistress of ceremonies was ''sOmewha
fatigued. Marian Harland. in Harper
! Bazaar.