se in Duma in which the cattle, donkeys, and sheep used to
walk on our roof every evening as they came in from pasture. It was not
very pleasant to be awakened at midnight by a cow-fight on the roof, and
have the stones and dirt rattling down into our faces, but we could get
no other house, and had to make the best of it. You can understand then
Khalil's song:

The sun is rising all so bright
Upon the Pasha's daughter:
See her toss the tassels blue,
As her mother taught her.
Turn the oxen on the roof
Of the village priest;
He will kill them one and all,
And give the poor a feast.

The boys seem to be in high glee. They all know Handumeh and her
betrothed Shaheen Ma'ttar, so they are swinging and singing in honor of
her wedding.

But the time has come for the wedding, and we will go over to Ain Kesur,
about a mile away, and join in the bridal procession. As we come near
the house we hear the women inside singing. They have been dressing the
bride, and after she is dressed they lead her around and try to make her
dance. Perhaps they will let us see how she is dressed. Her head is
covered with a head-dress of pink gauze, embroidered with gold thread
and purple chenille, and ornamented with pearl beads and artificial
flowers, and over all a long white gauze veil trimmed with lace. Her
ear-rings are gold filigree work with pendant pearls, and around her
neck is a string of pure amber beads and a gold necklace. She wears a
jacket of black velvet, and a gilt belt embroidered with blue, and
fastened with a silver gilt filigree buckle in the form of a bow knot
with pendants. On her finger is a gold ring set with sapphire, and
others with turquoises and amethysts. Her dress is of brown satin, and
on her arms are solid gold bracelets which cost 1400 piastres or
fifty-six dollars. You know Handumeh is not a rich girl, and her
betrothed is a hard working muleteer, and he has had to work very hard
to get the money to buy all these things, for it is the custom for the
bridegroom to pay for the bride's outfit. The people always lay out
their money in jewelry because it is easily carried, and easily buried
in time of civil wars and troubles in the land. Shaheen's brothers and
relatives have come to take her to Abeih, but he is nowhere to be seen.
It would not be proper for him to come to her house. For weeks she has
not been over to Abeih, except to invite us to her wedding, and when
Anna asked her