The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-10-26
ter 4 narrow way led, between booths


where meat was displayed in tempt
ing cuts: the next showed vegetables:
another showed fruits. apricots,~ null
berries and few belated oranges.
Farther: back, rude rugs and saddle
bags were displayed by strange men
with wild but not unamiable faces,
while barbarous old women sold bead
bracelets and huge earrings, strings OF
coral, silver chains and bandanna
handherchiefs. Plaid cottons, woven In
Trlpoli, in brilliant reds and yellows
-barracans for the poorer class. who
cannot afford the finer white ones
gave attractive suggestion of their
utility as curtains and portieres in
summer houses. But as usual much
conversation on the subject was nee
essary before bargain was made on
the basis of proper price. The sell
ers spoke Arabic to our attendant
the gorgeously impressive cavasse of
the British consulate-who turned
their remarks into modern Greek for
the consuls daughter, she in turn re-
constructing 1t all in French for me-
A row of Arab men made on the
spot the close-ltting white caps worn
under the fez by men, and wild desert
women, hardly degree above four
footed animals, were selling embroid-
cred head coverings for little girls
younger than four years. One Of the
most picturesque groups was COM
posed of desert women seated fiat in
the sand surrounded by the woven
straw covers for the bowls of cus-cus,
universal edible. These covers, like
rather fat yet conical hats, with bril-
liant-colored strips of flannel woven
in them, and of all sizes, were endless
ly attractive, and loaded the cavasse
and my patient donkey with the spoils
won by four languages.
But life in the harems, with the
inner courtyard as its chief theater,
is unique. My first morning spent in
these visits is most memorable. No
moslem young girl in Tripoli goes
into the street after early childhood
until she has been some time married
and then only after the customary
style of barracan shelter And one
or two young girls with whom I talked
evinced a good deal of curiosity about
the outer world, though never for
moment deeming it possible that they
could see it for themselves before
marriage. The coming husband is
distinctly a liberator.
In one house the daughter was max
ing sort Of coarse lace with Gro
Chef needle. Her mother seemed to
be washing some garment in a big
fiat bowl on the tiled floor of the
court, her back bent double as she
leaned, standing, to her task. An
other middle-aged woman was seated
on the floor of room opening on the
courtyard, sitting flour into different
grades Of fineness, preparatory to Gus
Gus. A wizened little old woman
crouched in corner, grinding coffee
in a tiny brass mill, and a few chill
dren seemed to be promiscuously scat
tered about. All the women were
heavily laden with necklaces and
bracelets and huge earrings. The
courts were quite clean, many beauti-
fully lined with Moorish tiles, but
barbarously injured by the omnipres.
ent whitewash. A handsome black
woman from the interior seemed to be
chief hostess in another harem, but a
number of young married women of
different nations lowered about with
babies, pounds of jewelry and tattoo.
One was quite covered with the blue
black symbols-face, hands, arms
and, as she proudly announced, she
had done it all herself, though not
after the usual gunpowder method.
Our shoes were removed, as in
Japan, to go into the inner rooms, and
a white. sheepskin was brought for me
to sit on. In one rather dirty little
patio a forest of thread after dyeing
was hanging overhead to dry in great
skeins of scarlet and yellow and a
pretty young girl was manipulating
reels and bobbins as she sat in the
shade. In another dwelling the chief
apartment was shown-full of fine
gold embroidery, on pillows and cush-
ions and divans, hung on the wall.
spread on the floor. Heavily curtained
beds at each end were piled high with
gorgeous cushions. 1t was still called
the bridal chamber, though the bride
showed her lusty babe OF year with
evident pride, while a second, three
weeks old, lay gurgling and meditat-
ing in cradle close by.
Sounds in Tripoli are almost as pic
turesque as it's sights, and several
times, generally at night, one especial
ly joyous cry echoed through the
streets with a singularly penetrating
vibration. This happy scream some
times announces birth, but it may
be used to proclaim wedding as well.
or other fortunate happening. One
Wednesday evening three genuine car
riages passed, two containing Arab
ladies and the last filled with black