The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-12


 accompanied by a small boy, now ap- peared on the platform. They drew up chairs and gravely sat down side by side in the front of the stage. After short delay the man began to play a droning. monotonous air. which he re- peated over and over again; the boy, meanwhile. remaining motionless. whispered Hester.
 You win soon hear something
 For what seemed ages, the man with the guitar continued to thrum It's tire- some tune; then suddenly loud pierc- Ing wall broke from the lips of the boy-oh, such a weird, barbaric. melan- cnoiy chant Now the notes were pitched loud and high, then they fell as if carried away on a sobbinE wind Again they rose, shrilIer and wilder, to sink In sigh of despair. This song, lament, or Reclamation, was totally diff Ierent from anything Hester had ever heard; 1t gave her no pleasure; 1t seem- ca harsh. savage, and defiant; but when the last long-drawn cadence had ceased, there was a hushed, delighted silence, followed by an outburst of frantic applause. sife glanced at Cap tain Tudor--oh yes, he was bored to death. Her eyes wandered to Paul. how his handsome head stood out among the crowd! His expression de- noted complete enjoyment, and turning 10 her he said
 The Zarzuela, dare say, may strike you as ugly and unmusical, but 1t is beautiful to me and, as you see, to most of the audience; 1t Is our legacy rom the Saracens: the Prayer Song ap- l peals to us. and we respond to 1t, be- cause we all have Moorish blood in our veins"
 'ReallyL. T. should not have guessed it" said Hester.
 Yes. and I am proud of my ances- tors Mos1em knights, who were ceie- orated for piety. va1or, courtesy, and marvellous skill with horse and lance" The lady made no remark, but her eyes shone. ]s@ -F . You know that Cordoya was once the metropolis of Caliphate7" What awful rot this fellow is talk ihg, said Captain Tudor to. himself; put Hester replied-,e. "oh. yes, I have read about 1t. I have always been interested in Spain!" Thank you, Mademoiselle." he mur- 1 niured in a low voice.
 The boy, encored to the echo, was once again breeding beside his &C., | companist, preparing when the spirit moved him to burst into his wild orien- tai chant.
 Tt IS exactly like the drone of native of India" remarked Captain Tudor. leaning over to Hester-"the sort of things he sings to keep off devils when he Is Frightened and travels the Jungle alone. I can't say that I appreciate 1t. do you? If he is encored again, believe I shall clear" Yet, when the boy was encored d | third time, Captain Tudor merely made a gesture of agony, but did not carry out his threat He had resolved that he was not going to let the Spanish fellow have 1t all his own way, and submitted to the inflietion with an air of angry endurance.
 The Moorish song was succeeded by the Andalusian dancers, six women and two men. all with castanets. The women were young and handsome, and wore flounced skirts and white man tillas or the ever-popular manilla shawl, with long silk fringe The music. was supplied by guitars, cas- tanets, and a piano. At first they danced in couples. man and a | woman. then a woman alone. Their movements were light, swift. and l graceful. with much lazy undula ton of the body, swaying of the figure, and waving of the arms, accompanied by the snap of fingers and the -,eastanets.
 Observe that the dancing Is East ern, too" said Paul. Slower and state Her than your .galops and reels. Hut you have to keep the blood warm in your cold countries; here 1t is hot enough, God knows!" and he laughed then he proceeded to give the differ ent names of each dance: ."El Ole" l La Perta de Sevilla," La Flamenco [" They were all delightful to watch, but the one Hester preferred. was the in toxieating and insolent Fandango, said to have compelled the applause of holy | H-4za '. | her by one of the audience, a handsome dark girl, stalked and strutted with her arms akimbo, then she flung the hat on the ground, and sped around | 1t. By degrees she increased her move ments to a headlong whirl, and flared about the stage like crazy creature, throwing into her dance of. defiance and abandon the most spirited display of the evening.
 ''1t is Carmen 0randa," said the Mar l quis; "she Is the best of all;" and he tossed her roll of notes.
 The music, the piquant strangeness of the scene, the presence of Paul, now restored to his pedestal, affected He's ter with passionate sense of new life. Tns very atmosphere seemed charged | with happiness; there was something electric and tneffable in the afr.
 She was rather surprised to see the dancers come down singly at intervals and circulate among, the audience pre- senting handkerchief to various l specially favored gentlemen.
 Panl had no fewer than three offered to him, and these he kept before him on the table-poor little fIimsy. cheap | things.
 why do they give you these" asked Hester.
 You will see presently; they are only just little hint-and a loan"
 Captain Tudor has not one. Why is that?"
 Because they see that he is English. and he may not know the. custom. and simply think 1t a tribute to his good looks. put 1t in his pocket, and walk off" '-N
 Captain Tudor. sitting silent and apart from his aunt (who was engaged In ceaseless conversation with Condo de Trubia and the Vaidollanas). real ized that his light was extinguished Miss Forde and the handsome MarquIs were evidently old friends. and q sharp Jealousy invaded him. Was the girl one of this Lotharios victims, Would she be such fool as to marry him?-a man whose language she couII not speak, a Catholic, as dark as 2 Moor!