Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1857-12-24
GIN ggyptiaa gegenh,
THE STAR OF LOVE.

young SHeik HousSein, is one of those beau
tiful bits Of Eastern fiction that are well
worthy Of preservation. We give it entire;
There. is a moment in every mans exis-
tence on which turns his future destiny
There are many such moments, fol. oft-times
life hangs on a single thread, and if the
thread is not cut it requires but touch te
change the whole direction of the future
But in every mans life there is at least one,
and in that Of young Houssein it occurred
thus:
It was not often in those days that trav-
ellers crossed the great desert. Few Euro
peans came to Egypt, and fewer still went
to Sinai But there was time when Hous-
sein was called to Cairo to meet noble
party of western travellers, gentleman and
two ladies, who were making a pilgrimage
to Sinai and the Holy Land, and who wish
ed his protection in crossing the desert
He saw but the gentleman, and readily en-
gagged to perform the desired service.
It was not until the party had left the
Birketel Hal that he had met them, where
they were encamped by moonlight on the
sand that stretches away to Suez. AS he
sprang from his mare, before the tent door,
hesgas startled hksuch visien as he had
y = ~ thought he had
dreamed OF bis waking dreams.
She was slight, fair and, in the moon
light, pale as creature of dreams. Was
this one of the houris of his tabled paradise?
There was no spot in all the heaven of Mo-
hammed fit for an angel like this. Away,
like the sand on whirlwind, like the clouds
before the sun, like the stars at day break
away swept all his faith in Islam, and in an
instant the Sheik Houssein was an idolator
worshiping, as thousand greater than
he have done, the beauty Of woman
Perhaps he might have quenched his thirst
for the unknown at some other fountain ;
but this was enough now. He had found
that where with to ell the void, and he was
content.
Love was new emotion-a sensation he
had never before experienced, and it satis-
fed him. Did~she love him? That was a
question which never. occurred to him.
What did he care for that? He was look
ing for employment for his own soul, and
he had found it; and that was enough.
The tradition goes ON to, describe his long
crossing of the desert-how he fingered a
mong the hills Of Sinai; how he led them
by Akaba and Petra, and detained them
many weeks at the city of Rock; how the
fair English girl faded slowly away for she
was dying when she came to Egypt; and
how weary weH-nigh dead, he carried her to
the Holy City, and pitched their tent by the
mountain of the Ascension. And all this
time he watched over her with the jealous
care Of a father or a brother, and the quick
heart Of the lady saw it and understood it
all. And sometimes he would try in broken
words to tell her of his old belief, and his
ideas Of immortality, and she would read in
his hearing sublime promises and glorious
hopes that were in a language he knew no.
thing of, but which he half understood from
her uplifted eye and countenance
How he worshipped that matchless eye
He worshipped nothing else on earth or in
heaven.
It was noon of the night under the walls
of Jerusalem and in the white tent close
bv the hill. on which the last footsteps Of the
ascending Lord left their hallowing touch,
an English girl was waiting his bidding te
fellow him. 800
g. Outside the tent, prone on the ground,
lay a group Of Bedouins, and apart from
them little way, their chief silent, motion.
less, to- all that was earthly, dead. A low
voice within the tent broke the stiffness O
the night. but he did d.not move. A voice
was uttering again those words, Of which
the sound had become to him more famillal
already, the Christians prayer:
s..Sheik Housseinv
s He sprang to his feet. It was her voice
faint, low but silyery.,s The tent door wa
thrust aside, and as a hand motioned to hin
to. enter, he obeyed.
She lay on the cushion, her head liftel
somewhat from the pillow by the arms o
her sister; her sister who spoke the language