Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-30

in the oasis city of Biskra, on the border
Of the Sahara desert.
This city lies to the southern slope OF
the Atlas mountains, something over 1Oo
miles to the Mediterranean shores. Its
most interesting quarter is known as the
street Of the Ouled Males, and 1t was
there that Mr.. Kitchens gathered material
for the dance hall chapters and descrip-
lions of native life In THE Garden or
Allah" the play dramatized from Mr..
Kitchens novel by the author and Mary
Anderson Navarro.
At night in the little Moorish city
groups of Summers may be seen max
ing for the street of the Ouled Males
They pass under the dark arches, through
passages fairly lighted by little colored
lamps. In the distance may be heard the
weird strains of the pipers, the screech-
| ing fiddles and the boom of the tomtoms
| A minute later they are in the narrow
street, crowded with excited Arabs,
swathed in the flowing burnoose and tur-
bans with takers and peddlers tugSlng
| at their sleeves and children blocking their
path while from the latticed balconies
above women look on In curious interest.
Above the chatter of the crowd SOUNDS a
stirring melody of oriental music Turing
the pleasure seekers to the dance halls.
These barbaric strains are like virus
| In the blood that engenders recklessness
and abandon 1T does not require the
smell of incense, the jingle of the dane
ers' scarfS strung with coins, the Haunt
ing of bright colors-the weird novelty of
it all suffices.
In the street of the Ouled Males there
| is an odd mingling of very young people
and the very old. From the time they
begin to wall the little maids of this tribe
are taught to dance and the money they
make Is laid away for their dover. A
famous dancers marriage becomes an
| event of extraordinary Importance.
The old men tell a wealth of tales of
| fights in the desert. of adventure among
the cannibalistic tribes on the other side
of the sea of sand, and of battles when
Berbers and Bedouins have fought to
drive each other off the oasis into the
desert to die of thirst.
The spectator first sees the European
quarter Of the town, with the portico and
| balcony of the Metropole Hotel in the
| hear the stringed instruments begin to
thrum and the tomtoms in the district
| assigned to the Ouled Males.
In this street the French Tirailleurs
brush elbows with the sons of the desert
| and both exchange smiles and chances
| with the women leaning from their bal
| COMES
The oasis which has brought Biskra
| into being is three miles long and one
| mile wide. To the south stretches a
| thousand miles of sand, but here flowers
are blooming and birds are singing all the
year round. In this small area grows
| 100000 trees, most of them royal date
palms, varied with olives, pomegranates
~
| lies the wonderful garden of Count Lam
| don, called in the novel Count Anteoni's
| garden. 1t is the show place of the
| African side of the Mediterranean coast.
| In part III of THE Garden Of Allah" a
| retreat in this garden of palm trees is
| shown. Travellers report that 1t is I'M
l possible to say which Is the more beauti-
| ful-the stage replica of this grove or the
| counts garden itself.
| DIDN'T TAKE MOTHERS ADVICE
Richard Garlic said recently: Mother
didn't want me to be an actor. so natur-
| ally / called On the next fy-by-night
company that visited our town and asked
the manager if there wasn't vacancy
In the company that could fill. Yes he
| said, there are a dozen vacancies you
| could fill If we were only cannibalS.
II failed to take tho hint. so finally he