St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-12-22
HER Bit OF WISDOM.
ssITT OMEN N-fools?" said this turbaned
NV degenerate between the phiiosoph-
- ie puffs from his hookah. No,

ssJIT OMEN N-fools?" said this turbaned
NV degenerate between the phliosoph-
w ic putfs from his hookah. No,
sir; she more wise than two serpents, and
| wien The love more gentle than Moham-
l med.s own dove. BissmiIlah! LISTEN" He
should have said watt During the next
few minutes he was silensly engaged in at
tending to his pipe; meantime the full
clear moon shone OH patches OF desert, water
and greenery. We were anchored for the
night jus within the northern end OF the
/ Bitter lakes, and our passenger-ln the en-
| pioy of a skip $, agent at Port Sald-Was
lourneying back from Suez. S.
| There is not much OF interest about the
Butter. lakes, else we would hardly have con-
santed TO Listen to the tale our passenger
seemed aaaous to tell us, But In such .
pla-a, and especially for those whom trav-
elins. by ship 10 this part Of the world 10
no. lsW, any thing that would tend to break
che monotoly aid silence OF the tropical
aicht waa acceptable, and we rather urged
| hifa TO spin the yarn. 1t was some few sec
ends before he spoke again. and we had
about concluded our efforts were to be in
vain, waen he began again.
''l1ten - TEMP years ago one
Fa,s ,slish s.sasner struck one Frerlehman
shere." With the stem of his pipe be indi-
ed the entrance to the canal just anead
OF Us. "Ze French boat was going to sink,
ana za captain run it on shore by ze signal
house. Well" be continued, drop
ping some of his Franchman s style Of speak
| ing English, which came of his better
knowledge of the cross-channel language, de
| men were sent horne; but de officers, en-
gineers and de carpentair was keep By de
| damaged ship, and some came from Port
! Said to mend de broken place. OF course,
| de steamer was here weeks. Well, re French
| signa,nian in de house zair (again point
| ing) "had one servant girl-very hne--what
you call good for ze eyes. All, beautiful
Eyes like ze moon, face same as hour, tall,
and soft to de fingers. Her mother was
Circass;an-slaye, | think; but the master
give his child freedom cause her mother
ask it. 80. Well, she had lover, Mus
| suiman, in Ismailia; but she soon love re
carpentair-he live in tent on shore there
| with his ship,nen. Ze signalman mad one
| fine cowpleptV milk, and Alphonse-de
earpen taiT-go many times to buy milk. He
was young, kind, and pleasing to see.
| II was what you call taxman here, and I
learn ell. :.
| "Well Alphonse and Joyce tJoyce not
her name. but he call her so. and she called
| that today, they meet many times after ze
sun go down-so many that Ben Ali come
| two, three times catch them. OF course, he
| make trouble Love makes re coward brave.
Think. she care? Na4l She speak some
French, and she tell Alphonse that she,
what you call, afianced to Ben Ali. AL
phonse not care. He love her, he say; she
.ove him, she say; SO what for care2
l. A Il p1vs A ~ s1nt h
| then she must 60. Ze signalman and French
people about take sides with Alphanse, and
tell him take Joyce to France. But lovers
wisdom is FOOLS knowledge. They better
know their own business best. !. i.
"The ship was nearly ready, then she go
| to India and come back to Marseilles. One
| night joyce creep out Of Ze signal honse.
First she run by the lake to where it deep;
| there she leave her-her what you call
| dress end shawl, then she go quiet back TO
| re ships small boat-where Alphonsa lie
wait for her Her mothers sister live other
side the lake there, and he was to take her
there till his ship come back, then she
| would 60 with MIN in it to France. OF
| course, de people on zis side de lake was to
think she had Drown herself, cause Ben Ali
making trouble. So was her plan, and We
lover always say his houri's plans are good.
1t would take Alphonse most ze night; but
what care he! She would be out OF Ben
Ais way, and was he not re slave of his
Joyce?
so re boat put of-Jo Joyce lying down,
her great moon-eyes peeping over ze stern
edge at de ship and signal house. Soon she
lift her head and look hard, Then she sit
up and say hot words. Alphonse stop pull,
and ask what re mattair. She make to him
to pull hard and say: Ben Ali, Ben Ali!'
Then she tell Alphonse that she make mis-
take of re night. She sometimes have to see
Ben Ali for keep peace: this was re night
she should see him, and run away on de
next night. Never mind, if ze Mussulman
not see them. But-Joyce said quick words.
Ben Ali had turned frona re shore, and was
making speed after ze ships boat He come
out of ze canal from Ismailia, and was go
ing to re signallnan's landing place, when he
see re uncommon sight OF boat going cross
re lake at night. He miss ze ships boat,
and what you call jealousy sometimes make
men wise. He give chase. His boat was one
old small thing, made Of cane and camel skin,
and he sent it through water Ike steamer
"Joyce begin to feel 'fraid, talk to her
self, and turn about. Ben Ali must catch
them, and Alphonse say he go back and
fight him. No, say Joyce. Then she creep
to her lover, take his knife, kiss him to say
nothing, and ted him to stop pulling two
minutes after she leave him, then go round
back towards ze saip. He know how well
she can swim like fish, and be say no word.
In one minute Joyce slip into ze water, like
re night come down, and swim straight for
BEN Ais boat. Alphonse go on; by and by
him turn, go on again, then sit still. Soon