The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-23

Hatipat was not only searched out
wardly, but fed for day or two on a
diet of castor oil and soapsuds, to no
purpose. Meryon's clothes-he being
| still unconscious in the delirium of fe-
ver-were examined; and they even
sent back and searched the cell In the
rock. The ruby was not to be found.
At this juncture Meryon came to him
self, learned from his friend Chase
| what had been going on, and spake. 1t
should be promised that the English
had brought their prisoners to a city of
the hostile country; and that Terah had
become an object of general admlra-
ton.
THAT old swine Hatipha has it, de-
pend ON it" said Meryon.
1--WE can cut him open. There's moth
ing else left to do to him." said the
always low-Voiced and undemonstra-
tive Chase in a dreamy, professional
tone. But 1 fancy you swallowed it
yourself"
with that sag in my jaws? But l
see your game. You want to incise my
eplgastrium and get the glory of an
operation. All right. only, mind you,
such licking as"
Don't excite yourself; l won't risk
1t, then, for my operations always sue
ceed! This wound of yours is enough
for the present"
"Why not try the experiment of re-
moving the bullets?" growled Meryon,
testify.
Dear boy, it just went in at one
door and out at the other. Here's the
aperture of exit at the back"
Il can feel it all the same. Why
doesn't my princess come and nurse
me?"
'"Your princess?'5' Chase repressed a
smile. shes busy
"Waht the devil do you mean?"
"I.ook here. my boy" said Chase,
gently, don't agitate yourself-but
what is she, anyway? You were al
ways a fool about girls-it's your tenn
permanent, you know; but you can
hardly be quite such an imbecile as to
mean anything serious with herr"
''Dr. Chase, l consider your remarks
damned insulting! l want no more of
EN-! l shall mary the princess and
take her to New York, and whoever
doesn't pay her proper respect as my
wife, will regret, do you understandw
The surgeon was imperturbable.
you should have had her boxed up in
the harem and expressed through to
your New York residence, and married
her as she stepped out; and afterwards
keep her in the meat-safe or some
equally cool and secure retreat. For,
to be frank with you, she has been car
rying on here in q manner that may be
natural to an oriental princess with n
taste for variety long repressed and
finally indulGed, but which, We're she
my fancee, would make a murderer
and suicide of me in five minutes. Why,
you great red-headed calf, if she'd been
able she would have been married by
this time to the entire detachment,
from the drummerbOy to the captain.
You can punch my head, you know,
but I'm giving you cold facts. of
course l don't blame her-whO would ?
It's the way she's made, and would be
just right in a Nautch-girl-but as
Mrs. Fred Meryon, of Murray Hill and
Beacon street, eh? Come, man, swal-
low your medicine"
Are you giving me this straight"'
inquired Meryon after q short and
pregnant silence.
straight and cold; and a good bit di-
luted, too
There was another silence long and
meditative. Poor little thing" at last
muttered the artist IT'S my fault.
To marry her would make it worse.
We don't understand these eastern
women-their warm blood or their cold
blood either. But now she has found
out what freedom is, it would be cruel
to take her back to be shut up again.
Still, what else E"
"We'll take her back and see if some
thing nice can't be done for her" said
Chase; meanwhile I'll see she gets
into no mischief here; and do you keep
quiet and get that shoulder healed"
\ week later they set out and pro-
ceeded by easy stages, carrying Meryon
on palanquin. Terah and Hatipha
were of the party, much against the
will Of both. But whereas Hatipha's S
only objection was that he would be
hayed and impaled at the end of the
trip, the poor little princess had to tear
out of her heart some thirty or forty
vigorous young flirtations. 1t may be
stated here that during the first night $
encampment this young lady disap-
peared, and with her a handsome young
camel-driver and a camel; and there is
reason to think that she has been liv-
ing happily ever since.
Upon arriving at the princes palace,
tbcy fOund changes
1t appeared, in the first place, that
the princess, the mother of Terah, hav-
ing been taken very i'll of dropsy and
at the point of death, summoned the
prince to a private interview at which
she informed him that Terah was not
his daughter, but that as compensation
Ebal who had been brought up as n
slave, was in truth his lawful son and
heir. This remarkable likeness to
each other was due to their both favor
ing their mother. The. lady further
explained that her inhdelity and decep-
tion had been carried on in retaliation
for a disappointment the prince had
given her, some fifteen years before, in
the matter of a box of sweetmeats.
She died, with a smile of satisfaction,
| Just as the executioner whom the
| prince had lost not an instant in send
II Observation-Disclosures