, 1906-01-17

MililnS Ii 10 tail upoH her shoulders.
HalGet saw Il beautiful face full of
sympathy Inc Indignation. unconscious
of its loneliness and that it was OBJ
served. Ii Il Moor can love, and that at
first sight. IIanet loved the girl before
him. At any rate, he never forgot the
picSlre of loveliness he was permitted
to look upon, contrary TO Moorish law.
Tie girl turned and, seeing that her
face was exposed to the gaze of a
handsome young man looking at her
with Il lovers gaze, blushed, quickly
covered Up her face and went on. A
moment later she was joined by an at
tendant and the two disappeared be-
hind the hillside.
When we consider that the girl was
affected similarly To the man we might
expect the affair to terminate in a hap
Ply marriage. But in Morocco court
ship is unknown. Il betrothed pair new
er seeing eaeh other till after they
have been married.
IIamet was already embarked in the
preliminaries of marriage. Negotia-
tons were in progress for a union with
the daughter of Il wealthy MAJ from
the interior who had just settled in
Tangier. OF course Hamet and the girl
had never met and would not be permit
ted to meet till after marriage. Hamet
had been satisfied until he had seen
the girl on the fortress. After that his
dissatisfaction was intense. As for the
girl, one of her sisters had committed
suicide rather than marry Il man she
lnl nnt.n, .Nn,, lnit,r II, lnxra with an
other. Hamet's fiancee was carefully
watched by her parents for fear of a
similar catastrophe, but as 1t did not
appear hat she had II lover 1t was as
suned there would be no trouble. \
contract of marriage was signed be-
tween Hamet el Zagel and Zoraga Has
san and preparations were made for
the wedding.
Moorish brides are carried to their
husbands at night. On the evening of
Hamet's md Zoraga's marriage, it be-
ing n marriage in high life, the streets
along which Zoraga is to be taken are
crowded with people. Presently her
fathers slaves come along scattering
sherbets, sweetmeats and coins Then
comes n Enthusiastically dressed negress
leading IA white mule. On the mules
back is fixed IA sort of cage. When the
wedding procession reaches the house
of the brides father the negress takes
the cage and carries it into the house.
From within lamentations are heard,
Indicating that the bride is taking leave
of those she has loved from infancy to
go into the possession of a man she has
never seen.
If Zoraga's costume indicated that
she was Il bride, her countenance did
not. In her eye was a faraway look, a
look of regret. She reminded those
about her of a maiden going to the sac
rifice. Her mother looked at her visit
fully, anXiously. and asked her to say
if there was any one she loved. TIT
loss of one daughter admonished the
parent that she might lose another
from the same cause. But Zoraga
made no reply to the question. She
chung about her mothers neck till her
father reminded her that her husband
was waiting.
On the street the old woman reap
peared, staggering under the weight of
the box which now contained the bride.
Box and bride We're placed on the
mule, and the negress led them. Her
aided by music, friends coming out of
houses to offer congratulations, they at
last came to the house of the groom.
Here the woman took the bride from
the box, smoothed her dress and led
her into the house. Bidding her good
by, the nurse left the room to the
mother-in-law. who approached to Lave
a look ut her sons wife,
Considering that Zoraga's sister had
taken her life rather than be the wife
of a man she did not love, this brides
parents were remiss in not searching
her before she left her home. Her
nurse had scarcely left her when she
drew a little curved knife, a miniature
scimiter, from her bosom and was
about to plunge it into her breast when
her mother-in-law caught her arm and
took the knife away from her.
There was nothing now to do but
meet the groom. As the mother left
the room he entered. Zoraga, accord
ing to custom, threw herself at his feet.
She did not look up at him, for she did
not wish to see him. He raised her
with trembling hands and averted
eyes, thinking of the girl he loved.
Suddenly their eyes met. Both start
ed. A flood of joy welled in the heart
of each, appearing on Hamet's face in
every feature, on Zoraga's in a blush