Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-10-01
The
Sheik'
Riddle
BY JOHN EARL.
Copyright. by shortstory Pub. Coz

night, with clouds drifting across the
stars. carried with me, feeling for 1t
an odd sort of hatred. probably the
strangest legacy that had ever fallen
TO man. My aunt, who had just died,
and the passing OF whose soul seemed
to my fancy in some way related to the
dark, hurrying riffs above me, had
called me TO her bedside late that af-
ternoon. II was seldom that had
seen more withered face than the
one on which had looked down on
the pillow. 1 remembered her, from
my young days, as a silent, unsympa-
thetic woman, repellent to a child l
had known her, In later years, as a re
cluse, spinster living in solitary
state in her somber house, whose one
passion-its and hers-seemed to
have been for collecting curious
things. They had all, from the Bible
that had belonged to a Scottish mar
tyr, its yellow leaves covered with
ages unlovely dark brown patches, to
the many musty souvenirs of cities,
battlefields and cruises over foreign
seas, been disposed of in her will
all except the box which her shaking
hand had drawn, wrapped in hand
kerchief, from beneath the bedclothes
when we were alone together. and
which J then carried in my coat.
She had explained her possession Of
II briefly, as her time was short. The
reason for her giving 1t to me ! was
not to know; the words with which
thoat. | was left to wonder why she
had called me to her. There had been
no love lost between us.
| set the box on the table when
reached my rooms. wrapped in the
handkerchief as she had given il TO
me, and stirred the fire and sat down
TO my pipe, although the usua! good
cheer failed to put distance, as /
hoped, between me and the atmos-
phere that | had left. My aunts face
was before me and her hands still
seemed TO hold the box. 1t had been
given her-to tell what she had told
me-by an English sea captain at his
death, one whose name | knew as a
family tradition, who had brought it
from Arabia, where it had been found.
More than this she had not the
strength to say.
Open it," she had adjured me in a
whisper-her last words: II never
dared. He never dared!"
Unpinning the handkerchief, still
with the feeling of revulsion owing to
the nature of the thing and the cir
cumstances under which | had re-
seived it. and of something OF the well
mans feeling of contempt, / turned up
the light, intending to open the box
and make an end of the mystery at
once. 1t was very curious casket,
and / paused to look at it-dark in
color, about the length of my hand
and half as wide and deep as it was
long, curiously covered with ara
besques and made of a metal that
did not know II was heavy and that
which ii contained seemed, when ! set
it down, to give a muffled sound.
There was no lock or clasp. Two
bands of the same metal, running
around It crosswise and welded with
eastern skin, secured it, which, to al
low il TO be opened must be filed.
Fastened to the lid by a thong. black
with age, slipped under one of the
metal bands through a hollow in the
craving. was a bit of cracked and
twisted parchment, which / spread
open with somewhat eager hands.
There was writing on it and held 1t
underneath my glass. Under the
characters in Arabic, so faded as to
be almost indiscernible, were the
translated words This is that which
was buried with the sheik Abed
Horeb; that which, although he fought
against 1t with utmost hate and loath-
ing, haunted by lifelong horror OF it,
he was compelled to carry with him TO
the tomb. With you the opener, into
whose hands this box may fall, 1t shall
be buried too"
There was small keen file in a
drawer near by, and / went to get II.
/ set my lips and drew its edge across
one of the metal bands. The stuff
was very hard. Abed Horeb had
guarded his sepulchral secret well.
Some impulse, when | had filed the
first of the bands half through, made
me stop and start to Ale the other; I
refused to acknowledge why | did so.
When | had filed the second nearly
even with the first. cinder, falling
from the CRATE with loud sound.
forced me to admit the feeling. | was
out Of sorts, unstrung. The ugly in.
scription on the parchment had been
working on my nerves. II was but
natural, l reasoned in excuse OF It,
after the experience that I had Just
come through. After all. said to my
self as ] laid down the file, why did /
do 1t then? Night was ahead OF me
with it's dreams. Let me have daylight
on the matter and sound nights
sleep to shake off the influence of the
evening and the folly of the impress
sion 1t had made upon me. | set the
box on the cabinet, made my prepare
lions for the night. and went TO bed.
| was awakened In the morning by