Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 98: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

88 Beyond a dense clump of flowering bushes burst suddenly the patio of another house, the white walls of which were rose, and the shadows deep purple. Upon a terrace tiled in the inevitable blue and white, squatted upon rugs, was Ben Ghali; beside him was the young man with the handsome black beard, and another middle-aged man. Before them were the remains of a feast: great joints of beef in huge wooden bowls: platters of sweetmeats and _ lacquered glasses were being borne away by coffee- colored slaves. Great lanterns of talc, with domes of blue and green, glowed against those purple shadows. As they approached the lordly males Eileen was conscious of a distant infraction of her-dignity; a sudden and imperative desire to break away from the group pos- sessed her. She stopped. The women, whose eyes were upon the men, Swept on. A guttural exclamation brought her to the realization that one of the black crea- tures was immediately behind her and that the grin upon his face was more menacing than the glint of the simitar in his hand. A violent desire to assert her rights was drowned by the environment of her clothes, the giant guard, the colored lights glowing in the purple shadows upon the bearded men, and the docile, robed women. Pro- testing to her injured self Eileen followed her Oriental sisters. Speculating vaguely why she had obeyed, and still conscious of the dream effect, she imitated the others in squatting according, apparently, to unintelligible orders, upon the terrace. She discovered herself to be In the center. From the shadows rose un- expectedly the sound of music, the strange wailing in the Arabian minor key. The. bearded men sat so still; motionless; seem- ingly so indifferent to the presence of the women that their attitude again reassured her. The warm darkness closed down like a perfumed tent upon them. Above the twanging rose a mournful voice full of satiated desire, longing for the power for greater desires. While she sat quietly wondering what was toward she was aware of an expectant jabber among her companions and a surrep- titious peeping to the right. THE ARGOSY. Suddenly the rhythm of the music changed abruptly. A ghostly figure mate- rialized from the shadows into a dancing girl in the faint glow of the encircling lanterns. The dance began with a series of slow postures gradually working up in speed until the girl was a whirling being of pas- Sionate suggestion. At first Eileen was rather charmed with the supple grace of the girl and her wild agility: then she be- came startled, not at first comprehending. Then she knew that she was witnessing one of the favorite Oriental dances which,-rather to her surprise, appeared to excite the women more than it pleased the men, for the latter, except by guttural words of applause, exhibited no emotion. At the end of the dance, apparently in a state of exhaustion, the girl threw herself upon her face at the feet of Ben Ghali, who appeared to compliment her and to bestow some form of present. Then, bowing, the performer withdrew into the shadows. ‘Immediately a tempest of tongues broke out. Young negresses appeared, bearing wooden bowls of sweetmeats. After they had gone, a loud yell startled Eileen, but appeared to amuse the women, for they all giggled delightedly. Then with another screech a queer figure appeared running upon hands and feet, barking loudly in Imitation of a dog. Before Ben Ghali the jester, denoted by a stick with an inflated bladder attached, sat up on his haunches and bobbed and crowed violently. A gust of delighted giggles greeted this effort. Whereupon the clown turned about and began to “ he-haw,” kicking up his heels ludicrously. In the glow Eileen saw that the face of the creature was smeared with red paint or earth, with a crude blue eye painted upon the forehead; on the bald or shaven head was a tall, red cap with an enormous blue tassel. A very dirty, tattered robe of the mendicant covered the clown’s body, from which protruded green legs. At an abrupt command from Ben Ghali the jester wheeled swiftly and pretended to fall upon his face. “Tis the fool come to do homage {$0 mirth!” shouted the young man. “°Tis a fool come to do homage to GommiGcboo @) S Eo