The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-11-12
In TIE DREAMY EAST

IN THE DREAMY EAST.
Did you ever hear OF my oriental adj
venture?' asked Tom. 'No2 Well, it's
worth hearing. II was when I was ii
/ Damascus. ! was buying a pipe OF orien-
tay style. when a great puffy. bag Of
/ black silk which enveloped a lady paused
near me and squatted down before the
shop of young Jewel merchant for the
I purpose of examining his bracelets.
''Only the eyes Of the figure were visi-
( bic. but they were blacker and more
beautiful than those OF any heroine OF
/ the Arabian Nights entertainments, and
! they lit on me. twice, three times and
sent a sensation through my heart which
I it was happily as yet q stranger.
Behind the figure stood a less careful
( " yelled person of an old female servant.
That it was a young beauty thus hid IN
( ger the silken balloon I had no doubt
The jewel merchant was busy with his
wares. No one but the old woman saw
the beauty make a little sign with her
| exquisite hand, but she did II. The sign
/ seemed 10 say, Wait I waited.
What | waited for 1 hardly knew. My
repertory of gesture is not large l nod
ded Yes. 1t sufficed.
As she went away. guarded by her
old attendant, she repeated the notion
" Wait it said again.
hand. open to the street like all the
! other shops. There 1 squatted on a
cushion and slipped and smoked.
I saw q figure pass, pause, make
sign to me.
1T was the old woman, the servant Of
my mysterious beauty. I flung coin 10
the story teller and followed her
She went on for a long while until I
began to think she would never speak to
m hrrr at -
shadow of the blank plaster walls of a
house in a quiet part of the city, and
suddenly letting down a long wisp of
gray hair took from it a letter, little
crooked thing, written on. bright paper
and prenched with perfume.
I a little English know it began. My
mother she English. 1 wait for you.
Come
Where shall I goT I sked of the old
woman.
She beckoned. Again I followed. We
walked on, she going before, I following,
until she paused before a white plastered
wall, in which was a narrow door. Tn
locking this she mOtioned me to enter.
and, almost treading on my heels in her
haste, instantly slipped in after me and
relOcked it.
L found myself in the most beautiful
garden imagination can depict. Beyond
it was a rose arbor. Obeying the old
woman's motions. 1 entered the door of
this fragrant retreat.
ION the instant two beautiful arms
were cast about my neck and a voice like
that of the nightingale softly breathed
these words:
oh, how long I have waited for you,
JOY Of my sOul!'
1T was the girl whom I had seen at
the bazaar. 1 knew her eyes and her
nands at once and I knew that I had met
my fate. 1 loved her on the instant as
well as she seemed TO love me-"
Bother said Dick.
Il can't make you understand that deli
cious emotion" said Tom signing There
we sat together. talking like lovers who
had been parted for years. She slipped
a ring upon my finger. I gave her one
from mine. 1 vowed to bear her away to
the land where lovers were not the slaves
they were there, and she promised to
meet me at the little garden gate at mid
night"
Going it fast" said Dick
"Suddnly, as we sat there, the old wo-
man rushed into the arbor. She whisper
ed a word to my beautiful lady-live, who
wrung her hands in terror.
Fly for your lifer she said. IF Allah
spares my life 1 will meet you at the
gates at midnight. If not adieu until we
meet in paradise.
AT midnight I sat upon the stone
bench again. clad in a coarse oriental
dress, but with pistol hidden beneath
il. l had resolved to die rather than to
allow her TO be torn from me.
Il waited. The moon arose, round and
yellow in the sky. A strange bird utter
ed shrill cry. A dog barked. heard
steps within the garden and shrank back
into the shadow. They were not the
steps of women
AS 1 listened the gate opened, and four
black slaves, bearing a burden, emerged
therefrom. As the moonlight fell upon
them 1 saw that they held the sides of a
great sack.
'They marched away toward the river
As I watched them, dreading 1 knew not
what. the old woman, with her hair
disheveled. rushed out Of the garden.
and wringling- her hands pointed after
them.
What has happenedY I shrieked.
She threw into my hands a little note
I tore it open and read these words:
'Arieu The caliph has discovered all
I was his wife. The fate Of an unfsith-
ful wife in this land is to be sewed UP
in a bag of lime and cast into the river
Adieu forever. MAZDA.
with shrek. 1 rushed after the re-
treating slaves and--awoke"
Eth? said Dick. "AwokeY'
yes" said Tom. THAT was when 7
when I was down with bad fever three
years ago, and Sam had been showing
me Turkish pipe, and my black haired
cousin Belle had read me TO sleep with
the Howadji. In Syria. and out Of these
things my adventure IN Damascus with
the the beautiful maiden was born
Buffalo Review.