The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-04-03
By B. .. COMMUNICATING oraham.
HIS FlDDLE-HEADED PONY ANSWERED THE CALL
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mint. Never in all his time of SER
vice, which had extended over years.
had he been sick or sore, or been
away upon a holiday, so that one
morning when he appeared, expression
less as usual, to ask permission to be
absent for a week to go to Tangier. he
| got it willingly. Thanking the consul
in the unceremonious way man re-
turns his thanks in countries like
Morocco where. if permission is not
given at once, the man who asks usu-
ally takes it on himself to grant it
he said, as If the thing had happened
! to another. MY son is dead; little
Hamido whom you knew l want to
bury him among my people, after the
fashion of my folk
An Afternoon of Mystery.
Without word about the will of
Allah, which, had he been an Arab, he
would have quoted gravely, partly to
show his faith and partly to conceal
his grief, he turned and left the room.
What passed that afternoon in the
mysterious interior of his house. only
himself could tell Early next morn
| ing, just as the furtive streaks of red
which split the sky into a sort of pat
tern had appeared, about an hour be-
fore the dawn, the sleepy gatewards in
the dark passage under the massive
archway of the Babel izeh received
his salutation as he passed out of the
town.
| Mounted upon his pacing nag, his
! gun beneath his thigh, and balancing
a little bundle wrapped in white rags
upon the pommel Of his saddle, ne
twitched his bride, and making the
pony toss his head, and change his
|. feet twice or thrice hnrriedly before
he fell into his pace, struck into the
road.
Muhled in his white haik, which
| swathed him like a mummy, silent
and sorrowful, bearing his lhLle
| dusky bundle balancing between his
body and the pommel of his high red
saddle, the ponys footsteps deadened
In the sand, Blu Gidri passed so quiet
ly through the now sunlit plain, that
he appeared like death on his pale
horse, prowling around stealthily to
mark his sheep. All day he paced
along, jerking his pony's mouth occa-
sionally after the Arab fashion. max
ing the bride ring against his teeth
when the beast broke his pace or
seemed to weary, and with his stirrup
pressed into its side. He passed the
great red hill, traversing first the
sandy lanes. hedged on both sides
with aloes, and then the wood of OIL
ives. till he stood on the. ridge, from
which Fec looks like mere b,otch ut
dazzling whiteness floating In the air.
The MONDAY heat caught MIN close to
brick-arched well, beside which
springs a palm tree, with its roots in
water and its head in fire. Lighting
down carefully as must a man who
wears voluminous clothes and keeps
his slippers on by perpetual con-
traction of the feet. he led his horse
into the shade, balancing carefully the
precious bundle on the saddle with his
other hand. Then laying it upon a
stone he pulled his horse towards him
sharply by the tail to see If 1t stood
firm and had not felt the Eve hours
steady work upon the road.
Loosening the girths, he nut .le
hobbies on its feet and let it browse
upon the scanty grass which grew
about the well. Then sitting down he
ate piece of brown and gritty bread,
moistening his thumb to gather up the
crumbs, not on account of hunger, but
from the sacred character bread has
amongst the Moors, who hold it impi-
Gus to waste a particle of the chief
blessing God has given man.
The Influence of Smoke.
/ Kief, smoked in minute and curl
ously shaped pipe. the stem of which
was light cane about foot in length
carved in conCentric patterns. threw
him into that state of half contempla-
ton, half of dreaminess, which over
takes all those who fall into the habit,
and then, rising to drink little wa
ter, frightened his girths. bitted his
pony, and swinging slowly into his
high saddle. leaned back against the
camille. now and then slipping one Of