Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-01-30

kaaDa or Mount Arafat.
| On the second day of the fair, well toward
! evening Tabal and were strolling at our
leisure, having nothing particular to do but
enjoy the sights and the cool air. We were
| chatting carelessly over our past hardships
| and wondering what Suleiman and Amood
| Sim and the man on the black horse were
about when, in passing tent of unusual
size and magniticence, we heard a sound
| that brought us to halt, listening with all
our senses.
| "Harkr' 1 said. what notes are those?"
O.. II know them not" answered Tabal
''They are not of my tongue"
The singing was hardly more than a
Groom, but as we hardened the singer sud
| denly raised his voice, and l was electrified
to hear an English song sung with per-
feet English accent.
Lock the door, Lariston, lion of Liddesdale.
| Lock the door, LaristOn; Louther comes on.
! The Armstrong; are flying,
the widows are crying,
| The Castetown's burning, and divers gone
Lock the door, Lariston: high on the weather
CLEAN
| See how the Saxon plumes bob on the skyl
Yeoman and carbneer,
Billman anu halberder,
| Fierce is the foray, and far is the cry!
| Bewcastle brandishes high his broad scimiter;
Ridley is riding his fleet footed gray;
Hidley and Howard there,
Wandell and Windermere.
Lock the door, Lariston; hold them at bay!
An interval of brisk whistling followed.
Then came a stave of an old Scotch ballad:
Blithe, blithe, blithe was she.
Bithe was she but and ben,
And weel she liked q Hawick gill
And leugh to see tappit hen.
The singing ceased abruptly, the curtain
that was across the door of the tent swung
back, and a man stepped forth. Hewas tall,
straight as a rush and dressed in the finest
fashion of II sheik
At sight of him Tabal clutched my arm
with convulsive fingers.
by the holy prophet, the man on the
black horse or his spirit!'' he said in voice
of awe. And just then the mans eyes fell
on u.s. They drew me as the magnet draws
the steel.
Donald Gordonn' l cried, running to-
ward him. Are you Donald Gordon, or
are you the devil, as folk say?" demanded,
flustered almost out of my wits. I'm
from the highlands" added, trembling
as he bent his black eyes on me without
speaking. From The Elms, from Sir
Thomas Gordon and Miss Isabel
From Sir Thomas Gordon and Miss Isa-
bel" he repeated, without a note of emo
ton or surprise in his voice. From Sir
Thomas Gordon and Miss Isabel, and might
ask how the devil you got here?"
THAT would be a long tale to tell"
answered breathlessly. But tell me, are
you Donald Gordon?"
They used to call me that once upon a
time" he said lightly. Might have the
pleasure of knowing your own name?"
Andrew Kilgour But you'll never have
SArd of me-"
mo, Andrew, my man, l have never
heard of you till this minute. But Pm glad
TO see you. It's not every day two Scots
men forgather in the pagan city of Mecca.
Step in by and bring your friend with you.
It's cold charity to keep SO rare visitor
cooling his shanks at the door"
Saying which, he turned back into the
tent, Tabal and l following. Wewere soon
seated among luxurious rugs and cushions
slipping coffee and shel bet in the usual Arab
fashion, Tabal gazing fascinated at our
host. When inequalities had been dis
pensed with, Donald said:
at might be as we'll, Mr.. Kilgour-Lord,
how funny Scots names sound after the
tongue of the holy prophet was going to
suggest that perhaps we might have
crack by ourselves. Maybe your friend
wouldn't mind having CLINT round the
outside of the premises, or he might go be-
hind here with some of my folS. dare say
they'll know how to agree
"Well, well,' he went on when Tabal
had withdrawn, when l went out min
ute ago, l little thought what was to see.
Isn't there a sage proverb about the uneX-
pected always happenings Cad, it does
happen! | know you have story, Mr. Kill
gOur, but before you tell it, how are my ia
ther and Isabel?'
| told him that both were we'll when
left them, but greatly concerned about him
self.
Yes, yes; no doubt - he answered. But
I'm glad they're well. Isabel will be fine
lass now" and l thought he looked at me
with peculiar expression.
Feeling the blood leaping to my face,
answered there was not her peer in the
countryside.
II knew she would be handsome, and I'll
warrant she's brick too. But now your
own story, Mr.. Kilgour. We can come
back to other things again"
l told it very briefly, for there was much
to be said and done. He listened attentive
ly, nodding his head from time to time.
With the description of my search for him
self in Bombay he was vastly amused.
Aye. jouked them there" he laughed.
He was particularly interested in the
Arabian portion of my tale, and when /
reached the battle he jumped up exclaim-
ing: Gods sake were you there? thought
l heard some one yelling my name, yet it
seemed impossible. Man, man, this beats
all ever heardi That was tough bit of a
shindy, wasn't it?"
"Amood Sim and his friends thought
you were the devil himself" remarked.
81 know it," he replied, with little
smile, land he has good cause to think SO
too"
You wrought frightful havoc among US.
Nobody ever saw such workmanship
Tut, tut" he answered, lit was nothing
at all. was half sorry fo- Abou Kuram
and his general, who were brave men. But
there they were, and we had to get rid of
Them
"How did you manage Koor ALP That
was a terrible blow" ~
at was what a British dragon would
call the old cut seven. They don't under
stand the trick in Arabia yet
You must have had marvellous adven-
lures" remarked.
He glanced at me quickly, as if suspect
ing l was fishing for information.
"Yes. But we'll talk of them another
time-that's all 1 need say now. Oh, by
the bye, my august patron, Yumen Yusel, is
making sure of heaven here. Would you
like to be presented to the old rascalS"
'Old rascal" repeated, laughing.
They're all that he said. EVERY son
of Ishmael's rogue by nature. They stand
to each other in degrees of comparison like
djectives-positive, comparative and SUI
perlative. Amood Sim was the superla-
tive, A5ou Kuram the comparative, and Yu-
men Yusel is the positive / know them
all. Would you like to. see himf'
But other thoughts were burning in my
brain. and begged TO be excused.