The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-07-10
Dancing Girl of
the Desert
By ALMA L. SMITH
wNU Service

sat up ouNuNAAJ Al N'N
darkness of camels-hair tent with
the echo of a woman's screams vi.
brating in my ears. Going TO the
door beheld in amaZement my travel
ing companions, the Arabs. falling
upon their faces, while they chanted
loudly in weird. minor key.
made out that a baby had died
1t belonged to a Persian woman who
Travelled in a cage-like box on camel
by day. but danced for the footsore
pilgrims by night.
AS l gazed on the curious people
before me the woman sprang from
the ground beside her dead child and
waving her bare, dusky arms over the
PROSTATE praying tribe, wildly called
down curses on the camel drivers.
Almost directly they dug shallow
hole and buried the child, while the
mother sat apparently unmoved, star
Ing dry-eyed across the heat-scorched
! sands.
BY ones and twos the tired men
disappeared into their tents until only
the mother, one Arab and myself were
! left outside This native was HAIL,
with a beard painted fiery red, and
unquestioned authority. He now saw
fit to exercise this power by abusing
| the woman and ordering her TO bed.
She shrank from him and begged pite-
! ously to be let alone. ! saw an ex-
| preston of deepest cruelty over
spread his features as he bent over
her, kissing:
| $50 be it. You sit here this night
and tomorrow your ear drums shall
be bored in with thorns and your
soft eyelids split thrice"
Why. l unused, would endure the
hardships of a desert trip with
band of wanderers, rocking all day on
a camel's back, eating only dried fruits
and drinking muddy Tigris water from
| goatskin-why? Because the sweet
! siren voice of adventure called-was
still calling-and smiled at the
! ability of that voice to be heard over
| these bodily discomforts as | got up
and went once more out of the tent for
a cool breath.
It was almost Immediately that my
attention was attracted to queer
looking object lying on the desert to
the east of our camp, near a depres-
sion called the Wells A few low trees
and camel thorns grew there, but I
did not remember this particular
| boulder. for such it appeared.
Perhaps, thought frivolously
some feverish, bespectacled an
tiquarian dug it up and left it after
he had removed the ancient scarab
1t concealed. The place invited ex-
ploration. l decided to walk out to
1t.
lance between the camp and the desert
stone when l was brought to a stand
still so suddenly that my vertebrae
tweaked With slow, clumsy twitch
the thing had rolled perkily over once,
then all was still. The sands were
silent, with only q deserts silence
This object of my stroll had turned
over, unaided by human hands. And
more, as it turned could have sworn
1t emitted radiant flashes as of dia-
monds in basis of gold. My breath
came short and hard, my eyes were
strained from their sockets-I wanted
a little more assurance that | was
looking upon phenomenon. had
not long to wait. The gorgeous ap-
partition turned again and, slowly ac-
quiring a regular motion, came d.
rectly toward me. It's revolutions daz-
zled my eyes as the light of the moon
caught the fire of the jewels. Fear
and wonder transfixed me while an
Icy grasp enveloped my arms and legs.
l seemed to be freezing with horror
and the ball was gaining speed.
fairly whirling toward me. aflame
with its own splendor.
Suddenly my paralysis dropped
away Self-preservation sent me run
ming at my highest speed across the
hot earth. believed it was a small
celestial body that would kill us with
fire or smother us with its poisonous
gases. Musa, my good guide. slept
by my door. I must warn him Of
this approaching doom. was breath
less and could not call out | was
tiring-and that horrible thing jusr
behind me. I staggered against the
first tent prop and looked back to
gauge the distance between myself
and this messenger of death, when
brain-storm seized me- My hand
sought my head. there was something
vaguely familiar about the shape and
swift tumbling motion of the body. A
picture of the States and a stage
flashed through my head. At this
moment the little demon of brilliance
swerved from its direct course.
Fear left ne. ! was trying to re-
member the faint likeness. Ali! I had
I'll The cOntortionists! A tumbleri
was about to congratulate myself
when the pathos Of 1t struck me. for
the ball had stopped beside the tiny
grave and the dancing woman was
alone with her dead. The red costume
with Its million spangles and cheap
stones had served her well. Had
cruel Hail seen the fiery ball he would
have fallen on his face and implored
/ the sun god to remove this sign of
whitening drouth. She had planned
cautiously.
| went noiselessly into my house of
cloth. / know not how long she re-
| NAMED or how she went away. I was
only too grateful that the greedy love
of adventure had not quite led me
into betraying tender mother love.
(Copyright)