The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-03-22
BY WALTER WILLIAMS.

anu, more lOfLunaue Jnan most Jrdn-
sient visitors, we saw a wedding, a
funeral and circumcision procession.
1t was after ten O'Clock and, like good
Christians, we had crawled into our
little couches, adjusted the mosquito
bars and pulled up the feather-bed
covering. A knock at the door. It.
was Cheattah Hassan. .sThe boys
have found a wedding +" And they
had. And we went invited guests
to an aristocratic wedding in the fash
ionable Arabian quarter. We rode
on donkeys-0h, the memory of that
wild ride through the narrow, un-
lighted streets of Cairo and of the
bowling procession in which we pa
raded. There was only one other
foreigner invited beside the Missouri
ians he, by the way, was the Irish
English landlord whose large holdings
of land in Bates county caused the
Missouri legislature to pass an alien
land law. We were given seats Of
honor on long bench in the street in
front of the house-for Arab weddings
are in the streets. The streets from
the house of the groom to the house
of the bride were decorated with flags,
at every corner rope being stretched
across and streamcrs of red and white
hung from it. There were probably
a thousand guests at the wedding 1t
was evidently great affair and cost,
our dragoman declared, $500. The
grooms father, a dignihed, patriar-
archal Arab, came out to bid us
welcome. He shook our right hand,
then placed his right hand on his
heart, raised it to his head and bowed
most grayely. .My house is thy
house, he said in Arabic We did
not know the proper reply but went
through the same performance our
host did whereat the whole company
rose and bowed. Our dragoman as
sured us we had done "the proper
thing" bat we made a bad break
little later. The groom came
over TO greet us. He wore a
green satin dress with long lowing
sleeves, was about II years of age aud
had a remarkably intelligent couute-
nance. He went through the same
performance as his father and we
bowed and patted our foreheads
again. We wished him well 10 the
best American Arabic at our disposal
all the time wondering how lie could
walk with that long, green satin pet
ticoat clinging about his heels We
inquired his name. 1t was MuLufa
Sulelman And then we made our
bad break. We inquired after the
brde-what was her name and was
she as pretty as all brides are or ought
to be. A sad silence fell upon the
company. We had committed the
unpardopable sin. The dragOmau
whispered something TO the master
OF ceremonies. This we learned af
terwards was an explanation OF oul
strange conduct. We were Americans
Christian dogs, and our Ignorance
and baIbarism must excuse us. Fo
as we were gravely told by Cheattah
no Moslem permits any inquiry abou
the women of his household ever
from his closest friends. AS for thl
bride the groom had never seen her
In America the bride is the who'll
/. show at a wedding The groom !
merely necessary evil. In the land
Of Islam the bride is OF small conse
quence. We looked around Not
woman was at the wedding. Il
America all the end seats in TN
church are occupied by the womel
; but here we're only men. From tn
harem windows alcng The street
, moving shadows betokened that evel
Arabian women are curious, and a
one, the rounded outline Of fac
. could be seen, But that was all
81 codce, prepared Ia Turque, wa
passed OF conrsew we partook. Som
a time later, obout II O'Clock, The pro
] cession started for the home Of tn
: bride band OF music at leas
y they called it music went ahead
I with drums and gongs and ofhe
racket-makius instruments NV
camels gaily caparlsoned followed
Upon one was the groom ou the seC
oud was the place for the bride. The
Z followed ln motley confusion ffleud
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