The Washington times., 1905-04-09

the pure air, delicate, sometimes |
child that bends women to kisses and
nonsense words We had passed through
the sandstorm, Safti and 1, over the
wastes of saltpeter, and come into
land of palm gardens where there was
almost breathless calm. The feet of the
camels padded over the soft brown
earth of the narrow alleys between the
brown earth walls, and we looked down
to right and left into the shady inclosed
spaces, scanned with water rills, dotted
with little pools of pale yellow water,
and saw always giant palms, with
wrinkled trunks and tufted deep-green
foliage. brooding in their squadrons over
the dimness they had made. The activity
OF man might be discerned here, in the
regularity OF the artificial riilS, the or
dered placing of the trees, each of
which too stood on it's oval hump. But
no man was seen No fat-roofed huts
appeared No robe, pale blue or white,
fluttereG among the shadows. No dog
blinked in the gold patches OF the suii-
Only the sound of the flute came to US
from some hidden place ceaselessly, wild
and romantic, full of an Dad coquetry,
and of an absurdity that was both un-
civilized and touching.
/ stopped to listen, and looked round,
searching the vistas between the palms
Where does it come from?' / asked
of Safti
His one eye bIinked languidly.
From some gardener among the trees
All who dwell in Stdi-Amrane are gar
| oeners.
The persistent flute gave forth show
! er of notes that were like drops of water
| flung softly in our faces.
He is in love-" added Saft, with
slight yawn.
How do you know?"
| When the African is in love he plays
| upon the pipe. That Is what they say in
the Sahara"
and you think he is alone under some
palm tree playing for; himself?"
Yes: he is quite aiuac If he is much
in 'ove he will play all day, and per-
haps all night, too
But she cannot hear him"
That does not matter. II plays for
his own heart, and his owr heart can
hear
t. I listened Since Safti had spoken the
| music meant more to me. l tried to
read the players heart in the endless
song it made. lTrills. twitterings, grace
notes, little runs upward. ending il the
air: surely it was a boys heart, and not
unhappy.
1T is coming nearer" I said.
" esi All. it is Smaini''
| Sa it's one eye is sharp. | had seen
no one. But as he spoke a tall youth In
a single white garment glided into my
| view, his eyes bent down, his brown
firsers futtering on long reed flute
covered with red arabesques. His feet
| were bare, and he moved slowly.
4 safti hailed him witt. the accen ed
violence peculiar to the Arabs. He
stopped playing, looked. and smiled al
over his young face. In a moment ne
was on our side of the earth wall ano
talking busily, staring at me the while
with unabashed curiosity, for few stran-
gers come to Sidi-Amrane, and Smair
had never wandered far.
What does he say?" / asked of Safti
Il tell him we shall be at Tougour1
tomorrow night, and shall stay there {
week He answers that his heart is
there with Oreida.'
What! Does his lady love live al
Tougourt?"
Yes; she is a dancer"
| Smain smiled He did not understand
| French, but he knew we were speaking
of his love affair, and he was not af-
} ficted with shyness. AS he accom-
! panied US TO the village he played again,
and | read his nature in the soft sounds
..ol his flute -.----.---,--------
All that day ne stayed with US, and
: nearly all that day he played Ever
when he guided me through the village
where, between terraced houses. pretty
chilliren-the girls in deep purple, with
yellow flowers stuck in their left nos
trils the boys in white-danced with {
boisterous grace round brushwood fires
his flute was at his lips and his finger:
fiuttered ceaselessly. And as nigh
: drew on the music was surely mor'
q amorous. and I seemed to see Oreids
drawing near over the sand.
Smain was but sixteen, tall an'
slim as reed, with a poetic face an'
a lustrous eyes. I imagined Oreida
o child too-one of those flowers of tn
s desert that blossomed early and fad
: ere noontide comes. Sometimes sdcl
s flowers are very beautiful AS | hear'
, the flute of Smain in the pale yelloy
o twilight / knew that Oreida was beau
: tiful-with one of those exquisite. ith
nSOreS whose movements iiithf>N = SIC
:, with long, narrow dark eyes. Inyster
- ious pools of light and shadow, Wit
thick hair falling loosely round low
broad forehead, and perfect little hand
$ made for the dance Of the hands ina
e the Bedouin loves so well.
All this / knew from the sound o
G Smain's flute l told it TO Safu, an
bade him ask Smain if it were not true
- SIuain's reply was:
= She is more beautiful than that Sn
It is like the young gazelle. and ike IN
first day after the Fast OF Ramadan-
Then he played once more while IN
moon rose over the palm gardens an
: Safti lighting his pipe of keef with ten
Ger deliberateness. remarked placloly:
e He would like to come with MS U
le Tougourt and to die there at oreioa
IS feet. but his father. Said-Ben- kouldaf
'e wishes him to remain at Sidi-An1ran
1t a..a to pack dates. He is young am
d must obey. Therefore he Is sad.
The smoke rose up in cloud roun
6 Smatn and his flute. and now l though
: that. indeed. there was wild patho
lie in the music The moon went up tn
if skv and threw silver on the palms. IT
l. CAV cries from the village died down
n The gardeners lay upon the earth divan