Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-28

plain a row OF peasants. fresh from the
fields, Of a critical cast of countenance
and an economical turn of mind, were
leaning gracefully on their tall spades in
their long blue smocks and baggy blu
trousers. Every eye vas turned on the
Dervish in the center, who addressed his
thrilling story now to the men in the
inches and anon to the critics in the
plain.
Save the blue turban on his head and
the green sash about his waist, he was
dressed all in flowing white to the givahs
on his feet. In a voice toned to wiring
pishkesh from IN Armenian or a Greek,
the bearded Dervish rose to the height of
his argument when he fell to r~eciting
Rustum's anguish of soul what time that
terrible man came to recognize his only
son by the seal in guise of a griffin
pricked on Sohrab's arm. The effect on
the audience of this histrionic display
was an eloquent commentary on Persian
character in the a ". The naib Of the
~caravanserai, wrought to loosen the
strings Of his purse, relented slowly of his
non-official generosity and gave the bag
a shake by way of a round of applause ere
he shed a sympathetic tear in tribute to
Sohrab's untimely death. A muleteer.
scarce less moved, putting his hand into
his money bag. drew out a copper coin.
turned it over slowly, eyed the Dervish
with moist eyes, then, restoring the coin
to it's place Of safety, thrust the bag into
his pocket. The other muleteer followed
suit. Then a sigh of relief arose over the
luminous plain. Only the peasants re-
maine calm, greeting the narrative of
Rustum's despair with derisive cries of
"Ajab!' (wonderfuD. Pondering as to
how many signs and tears in a Persian
would go to spell a copper shahi. my
friend and I threw the Dervish a couple
of humans In silver coins. He did not
pick up the money at once. He rather
stayed to relate how Rustum, having
mourned his sons death. laid him in the
fruitful earth, and "heaped a stately
mound above his bones, and planted over
all a far-seen pillar"
Then. STOPPING to the silver coins in the
dust. he rose again in his wrath and fell
on those Persians with the whips of a
righteous indignation that they should
learn a lesson in generosity from the un-
clean Feringhis. whose fathers had been
burned in the lowest hell. The men in
the inches. scattering like chaff in the
breath of the wind, came back laden with
sheets of bread, which they laid at the
feet of the Dervish. But the peasants
murmured and said: "Do we SOW the seed
that thou shouldst reap the g%rain?" And
the Dervish. not a whit appeased by he
Offering, asked for more. BREAD is good"
ne Sdlu, DuC WUuC IS DFedu WIlIOul cSSS,
and what are eggs without tea?" When
these things had been brought to him he
opened his mouth and said: Here, in
deed. is God for one person. but would
We that a father should eat his fill while
his son Wen hungry to bed? What We
have given to me give We in like measure
to my son. who is even now in the cara
vanserai. and then he shall sing to YOU in
a voice so sweet and so alluring that the
very nightingales will cOne and settle on
his head" And the men in the inches
obeyed: after which the son, a mere strip
ling. came out and sang his p~laintive
song in a voice so shrill and SO strident
that the very birds Of the air sought re-
fuge in fight. Then night fell slowly over
the solemn waste. and the Persians, turn
ing their backs On the sun whom their
ancestors had worshipped, fell on their
knees in prayer and bowed their fore
heads to the dust.