The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-07
King Sisauath and HIS lundred Dancing Girls
Theirs u Tradition That Dates Back : thousand
Years to Period Of Light and Sweetness whose
Bsgtnnings Are Lost II tho SMists Of the Ages.

like their elbows. their hips like their
shoulders and their knees like their
hips. They would be contortionists
like the world has never seen-did
they not deem contortion stunts too
vulgar.
They can use their toes as other
persons use ,their flngers-not one,
trick nike that Of the armless letter.
writer Of 1.-THE dime museums-but to
pick up from the floor, to play the
mandolin, to fan their rosy faces, to,
tie bows in ribbons. TO reach for their
powder puff or rouge stick, or to hold
their mirror while they do their hair
with their two hands. And all with
utter unconscious modesty.
Indeed, their rosy brown toes are
Sjust so many fingers. bearing rings
with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, to-
PAGES, carbulcles. tourmalines and
sapphires. Their ten little toenails
are so beautifully manicured that
King Sisavath calls them his little
jewels.
Their minds are cultured with a
special erudition.~ Classic poems in
the old court language run into the
thousands of verses. The recount the
adventures of ancient Asiatic knights
and demigods; the hierarchy of
Brahmin deities, their attributes, rela-
tonships and works, their love affairs
and 5e9lousies; the lives and conquests
Of old kings. the sorrows and the rap
lures OF young princesses and sons of
kings.
All these they know by heart They
reel them of by the hour.
Their f11cfi0n ia ,norfocf Thoir
voices, naturally as soft as the cooling
of doves, take on the old classical
high-pitched artificial sassy manner of
expression as finicky as the pronun-
citation of French at the Theater Fran
cais-when they start to tearoff few
thousand verses. ~ ~
They sing. 1t Is kind of hymn
tune, very gentle, on the rhythm of the
BONES praying in the evening at the
Pajoda. Their Joined hands open and
shut in the form Of the unfolding lotus
flower. Their arms describe grace
full curves. Their shoulders move in
throbs
T Or two GIRLS will rise and stand
gracefully, to show that they are
ready.
One of the eunuchs brings center
table.
The two girls, rising on their toes,
seat themselves gracefully upon it.
There Is not room for the two of them;
and seated thus, they will act in pan
tomime scenes from rolhances q thou
sand years old.
Costumed as prince and princess of
the shadowy Khmer Empire, their
brocades are actually stir with Jewels.
There are Jewels on their fingers and
Jewels on their toes, in their and in
their cas- and round their necks and ON
their arms and legs and round their
waists! What each girl wears-and
she calls them her own is worth
princely fortune!
Gracefully seated on the center
table, watch them act scene of jeal-
ousy-or see the Prince declare his
unrequited love with all the drawing
tradedy that follows. It is all done
with the bust, the head, the face and
the hands. Yet it gives an intense
impression Of life-of love, hope, hesi-
tation, doubt, painful reverie, .discov-
cry, desolation, repugnance, duty,
hypocrisy, sacrifice,> revolt and black
despair or comical acceptance of the
world and all its stupidity that makes
the Western spectator wonder.
When they dance their legs are as
strong as those of ballet-star of
Paris or Vienna. Their points" are