San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-16

destrians. Behind, in seeming great dis
comfort, jolted the Cockney groom, his
clumsy hand upon tue Turkish curb, re-
| straining his spirited horse into "a rest
| less curvet, racking equally to rider and
! to ridden. For the Arab hOrss knows
but two gaits--the springy walk that
carries him over ground as fast as the
average trot, and the long, swinging gal
| lop that skins the ground with the grace
and almost the swlICness Of TIC gaelic.
AS they naared the ancient masonry
| Of Bab-el-Nassr, or Gate Of Victory.
| the moon rose over the eastern desert
full and clear, throwing her light in
| patches through the houses and leaving
| the shadows blacler in the contrast
Latour called in Arabic to the siuewy
| syce, whose one white garment fiickered
| in advance without hint OF his dusky
| legs and arms in the shadow. The man
halted, stood aside for them to pass, then
ran back in the direction they had come.
II sent him back" Latolr said, las
we are now past the streets and will
meet nc passers on the desert"
But ere the lady could answer swift,
1
sidelong swerve Of the mare she rode
shook her in the saddle and almost slung
her from it. At the same instant La
tours mare planted her forefeet, and
with straight stretched neck peerel into
the heavy shadow of the gateway
| One flashing glance of her riders
| quick eye assured him that Edith had
her horse we'll in hand. then it turned
to the shadows for the cause of alarm.
| A tall Arab leaned against the stones
wrapped in dingy bournous. Near
him, within the gate, leaned another,
equally motionless, the CLEAN of their
drapery frightening the sensitive horses
But their intelligence quickly over
mastered fear, and in less time than it
takes to tell, both broke into their long
stride again.
Not so Harris. His horse, less from
sympathy than from bad handling, made
y series of plunges that sent the cock
ney, stirrupless. upon his neck. There
he chung ticrcely, despairing terror on
his face and clammy perspiration on his
brow.
"Harris will never live through this
ride" Edith said, in amused pity.
The. next instant Latcur's horse
wheeled; he gave Harris his congo,
drew up again at the lady's side, and
then cantered easily through the ancient
gate, past the.still motionless offenders.
Latour's trained ear caught the gut
turai words OF the nearer one, ''Ingleeze
etnain!' (''English, both?)
But the CHATTER ON the stones drowned
all of the SrUnted reply save the words:
"Binta quiesa-bukara- kit
teer!" GA beautiful woman-to-morrow
very beaujiful.'D
Low as the words were Elith's ear
caught something of the sound, if moth
ing of the sense.
"What did those men say?' she asked.
"They are both Arabs" he answered
with Smile, yet they told one truth.
The first one said we were both English
by Jove.i lao suddenly interrupted
himself, "tnsy must be strangers. AL
most every Arab i'll Cairo knows me;
every one OF them knows my horses.
Some of the sheik's tribe probably"
The Bab-el-Nassr was left behind. The
1 HOTStsS, Ttthttisp ttNSVi oNASsStNN AhVS
a sweeping gallop in the freshening even
ing air. The moon, now hanging her
silver disk clear above the horizon,
melted the yellow sands into placid
sea and her light toned the shadows Of
the Tombs of the Caliphs. On slender
minaret and tumbling arch the moon
cleaned with softening touch, and be-
hind them she tipped the towers of tho
citadel and domes of the mosques with
molten silver.
Suddenly Latour broke the silence.
"Thank you, so muchr' he said simply.
"And for very little" she answered,
not besitating one instant. Even in
the east do not need the harem guard.
What an absurd paradox is the thing
we call society, that an absurdity like
Harris could condone our indiscretions"
she paused imperceptibly-"were we
indiscreet2 1 have been long, and often,
alone with you, with curious eyes to fol-
low US and busy tongues to comment,
too. What WAS correct for Edith Van
der Huysen is surely seemly for Lady
Martindale." \
In the sOftening moonlight her face
was turned full to him. 1t seemed less
the face of yesterday than that of long
ago; tho eyes deeper, darker, moro
tender than he had ever felt them.
But / do thank your he repeated !
earnestly. "As you say, the gossips are
absent; and you are now-marriedp
She did not answer, but she looked at
him again with a strange expression onI