The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-09-13

edge that l had chosen the right calling
for my tastes and capacities.
V.
So time swept by until the winter of 1882,
when I found myself in Cairo. I took up
my quarters at the Hotel du Nil, which, as
everybody knows is situated off the Muski.
The street has been modernized lately, but
then it had an awning of mating over it.
and presented at every turn quaint glimpses
of Eastern life. It's very signboards, in
Arabic, Greek, Roman and Armenian char
acters. were q study, and the customs Of
the groups that thronged it's narrow cause
way kept me perpetually taking out my
sketch-book. The hotel, which hid itself
away at he end Of a narrow alley slanting
out OF this thoroughfare. was a favorte
haunt Of authors and artists. 1t consists
Of a quadrangle with galleries round three
sides looking down on a garden of palms
and Towering trees. The poinsettia blazed
in scarlet splendor in winter, and, later,
roses, clustering cOnvolvulus, and the
gorgeous mantle of bOugainvillia festooned
the alcoves and twisted over the kiosks
Here l landed with many portmanteaus
of curiOs and an armory Of spears and
scimeters, after six months of hard work
In India. / knew Egyptian sketches would
be in request shortly, and so resolved to
a presentlment that events would develop
themselves which would make It worth my
while, in the interest of my newspaper, TO
be on the spot.
had come to the conclusion when listen
ing to the talk of soldiers and civilians in
Calcutta, and 50 | was not surprised to find
letter awaiting me at Suez advising a
sOjourn in Egypt, as there would be plenty
to do there before long.
1t was the third day after my arrival
(can j ever forget ito l had lunched and
was chatting with my next-door neighbour
clever German Psychologist, when I no.
ticed lady in mourning lying in a long
Indian chair. with a servant adjusting her
shawls and arranging her pillows. I had
heard that there were some new arrivals
on the previous evening, and made UP my
mind that this was one of them. My pre-
fessor enSrossed my attention with some
startling theories about the great pyramid
and 1 did not look at he two women until
the Herr had fallen TRANQUILITY asleep after
satisfactorily demolishing the hypothesis
of six French savants. Then ] rose to find
myself IA e to face with Rhoda!
She was terribly changed, and looked at
her with a blended feeling of pity and re
cruelty used In few moments l learned
the facts. After two years Of married life
particulars. After their marriage the
shelkh had found himself in delicate health
and had declared his inability to go TO
during the memorable revival week had
suddenly and unaccountably cooled down
The great crusade which he had preached
provinces of the benisl7ted followers liS of
Islam-ths conflict for which he was z I'd ng
himself, had suddenly lost its attraction,
and Rhoda had apparently resided with my
uncle and aunt until a mysterious call of
duty had summoned the sheikh abroad
and, after an anxious interval without let
another his death at Sin gapore. The shock
had been severe, and after remaining for
some time in a state which gave the father
and mother acute anxiety it had been de-
termined to send the young widow to
Egypt. She was herself meditatng a longer
voyage and a visit TO her husbands grave
but for the present she was too III to un-
dertake n further sea journey. and was
simply resting and trying TO recover her
strength after the shock of the sudden
news. l cannot say how unspeakably
thankful was to be near her. Though the
change in her appearance wrought by her
sufferings was at first dreadful TO me
that / scarcely dared to lock at her / soon
found that she the same Rhoda whose
sweetness and charm had opened upon me
on that happy day in the woodlands. i be-
ieve-and II is one of the most cherished
thoughts of my life-that I was helpful to
her at this time. The surroundings were
new and strange TO one who had never
been out of England, and my experience
and prevented her from finding herself en-
tirely among strangers. BY mutual con-
not speak of the sheikh her married life,
and of course she rarely referred to il; but
convinced myself she had not been happy,
and that she had been keenly disappointed
in her husband. 1 notiNed she insisted less
than OF old on the special doctrines of her
peculiar creed, and IL seemed to me that
those lofty professions which had always
been repellent TO me had become distasteful
to her by the contrast they afforded to her
husbands actual practice. She avoided
phraseOlogy that had once seemed to ex-
press realities to her, but which she now
rated at n lower value.
Thus the only barrier between us was
vanished or vanishing, and she was more
precious 70 me every hour / lived in her
dear company. My sketches and descrip-
tons OF places interested her. and ! found
she had followed me in my wanderings
during the time we had been separated. I
mentioned there was a servant with her
Hester Mason had been a pupil in her Sun
day-school class and had been her maid be-