The Dupuyer acantha. [volume] (Dupuyer, Mont.) 1894-1904, 1896-02-13

drugged, then robbed, and, lastly. car
RED away from tie house to some out
of-the-way place and left. Remember,
then, what / have told you about pre-
tend to smoke. Sit you here awhile;
I'll dress and be with you presently
"Sbe disappeared into her room. l
bowed my head and wept. Could it be
possible that this girl, with the face of
an angel, had a DEVILS heart? 1t was
too hard for me to understand. But 1
remembered that she told me she loved
me, and | thought that If | could only
persuade her to fly with me, how hap
Ply would make her. While vet | sat
planning Ayesha returned and stood
before me. All trace of sorrow had
vanished from her face. She was
dressed In a colored silk sari. On her
feet were a dainty pair of slippers.
Her head was uncovered. and from
the shoulder downward. save for n
few gold and silver bangles, her arms
were bare.
81 am ready she said, and l fol-
lowed her to the carriage, which was
ready waiting for us. AS soon as we
had seated ourselves the blinds were
drawn to hide us from the crowds that
thronged the streets.
LII uDOut udll all HOuT the CdTTluSe
pulled up and we alighted 4 suppose
l have to call tonight! said the driv-
er, with a wicked wink. Yes Ayesha
answered, as she led me through q mar
row doorway into q long covered pass
age, along which we advanced a few
PAGES. Then we halted. and, caution
ing me not to make a noise, Ayesha
went forward alone. She was not long
away, but when she came to me she
said
"'There is no one about here. Come,
I'll show you a sight
"We branched off to the left, and.
after walking for fully three minutes.
we halted. Ayesha touched a spring,
and a portion of the wall swung back
~noiselessly. A screen of some dark
colored material hid the opening.
"'Look!' whispered Ayesha. I
peeped out, and the sight l beheld
nearly sickened me. Scattered about
the large gloomy hall. on benches, the
Neutrality-suspicious.! were men-and q
few women, also-smoking opium.
"I1l describe you the den more mi
nutely, Sahib. Long tables intersected
the hall, and on benches alongside
these, lay the majority of the smokers.
Each had before him o tiny bowl con-
tanning opium-as much as he had
paid fora long, thin iron pin and a
pipe. At intervals, along the tables,
were placed lamps.
1.-THE pipe was unlike anything l had
ever seen smoked before. The bowl of
it was a Chinese ink-pot; the stem a
reed fixed in the neck of it. A tiny
hole was bored in the side of the pot.
81 watched one of the smokers. He
dipped the long iron pin into the
opium before him, and, %detaching a
modicum of the horrid stuff, he carried
1t TO the lamp, and, as it sOftened by
the heat, he turned 1t round and round
till It was Of such a size as to fit the
small hole in his pipe. Then he placed
this to the flame. 1t ignited, and he
emitted a dense cloud Of smoke
through his nostrils.
"'Have you seen enough" asked
Ayesha.
"'Quite! exclaimed I, turning away.
We retraced our steps till we regained
the main passage, up which we adj
vanced and entered a well lighted
room, furnished with from ten to ff-
teen small tables. At most of these
were well dressed persons smoking
opium in small silver-bowled pipes. On
seeing us, Yoosif advanced and bid me
welcome. Then he whispered some
thing to his sister, which l did not
hear, and left.
"Avns@a now took me to a small ia
bic. She put before me a small lamp,
a bowl, a silver pin and pipe.
"'Smoke,' whispered she, STOPPING
yer me. BE not afraid. There is no
opium in the bowl. In a few minutes
fni,ct, I,.Ny r,cir,ncI 4h4 .e-I l.
me- Then she sat by my side, laugh
ed, and, in a loud voice, so that her
brother might hear her, coaXed me to
smoke.
81 did as she asked me, and when |
had emptied half the contents of the
bowl, l lay back as if intoxicated. i'm
itatiDg, as much as possible those
around me.
Coward 10 O'Clock Yoosif came
around waking the smokers, for it was
time to close the den. How quietly.
without a murmur, the men left their
seats and walked away. In about half
an hour l alone remained with Yoosif
and his sister. The former addressed
me, and / staggered to my feet. he
laughed, for he thought l could he
easily managed now.
go with Ayesha,' he said, and she
will show you a room where you can
put up for the night
"Then, in a whisper to his sister:
"'Give him the mixture, and rob him
as quickly as possible, for Mahomed
will he here shortly. You will find the
money in the left pocket of his coat
"'Can't we,' asked Ayesha, rob him
and turn him out without
"'Hush, girlv interrupted he. 1T
must be done. Do you think he'll rest
without finding us if we turn him out
in his sensesY
"Ayesha took me to a small room,
which no o n had she entered than
she locked the door of, and, sinking
the ground, wept.
Il was by her side in IN instant, and
| asked what allied her.
"'Leave me- she cried; Il am a hor-
rid thing. If you only knew me, you
would not sit by nor touch me. How
many young men have l not robbed
after first drugging them. All, me! 1t
IS sad to think what must have become
of them. The majority. without a
doubt, must now be inmates of the
asylum
81 cannot believe this of YOU | re-
Piled, though you yourself tell me-
"'Yet, nevertheless, it is the truth
1SSeverated she Il do the oaXlng and
The dragging and the rOhbing; then a
villain, employed by my brother, does
he rest. You heard my brother say
hat MahOmed would soon be here. He,
Nahomed, is the man. He is our dri-
Yep fGn In II ittIn Nv1iIn wan rt-fn