New-York tribune., 1908-03-15

them srnoothed the thick hair pack from his forehead
You are betrothed,' he repeated, and y; am
L nothing, neither for father, nor mother,
nor brothers, nor betrothed,' Baraka answered
81 shall give you the riches Of Solomon If you will
take me- for | will have no other man ~
There rubies," said the stranger Show
them to me- and | shall believe"
The girl laughed very low. Did not know you
for a man of little faith?" she asked. Il have
shown YOU my from the wrist to the shoulder
Is not like the tusk of young eephantf Yet you
have not believed have shown you my ankles, ankles
and YOU have seen me span them with my hngerS
as | sat at the door; yet you believed not. nave
unveiled my face which it is a shame to do but you
could not believe. | have to you in the star
light when YOU were asleep, and still you have
faith that | love you, though | shall be cast out to
perish if | am found here. But Will give you
little handful of rubies, and you Will believe and
take me when I have shown you where you may
get thousands like them"
She took from her neck a bag of antelope skin, no
larger than her closed hand, and gave to him with
the thin thong by which 1t had hung.
When you have them in the sun, you Will
others" she said. II will take You to the
place and when YOU have filled your sack with them
you will love me enough to take me away. 1t IS not
far to the place. In two hours go and come
Tomorrow night, about this time, will wake you
again. 1t Will not be safe to unbar the door so you
must let me down from this roof by a camel rope,
and then follow me-
w carpet and opened the small bag to feel the
stones for he knew that he could hardly them in
him something and he guessed that the girl had not
tried to deceive him childishly with bits OF glass
Though the bag had been in her bosom. and the
weather was hot, the stones cold as jade and
moreover he felt their shape and knew at once that
they might really be rough rubies, for he was we'll
versed in the knowledge of precious stones
When the day began to dawn he went down from
the roof to the common of the fOrehOuse, where
guests were Quartcrcd; vet though there was no
other stranger there, he would not take the bag
from his neck examine the stones, lest some one
should
afterWard, when he alone the foothills and
of sight of the town, searching usual for ne"
plants and herbs he crept into a low cave at noon
and sat down Just inside the entrance, 50 that he
could see anyone cOming while still a long way oft,
and there he emptied the contents OF the little
leather wallet into his hand, and that Baraka
had not deceived him; and as he looked closely at
the the strong light at the entrance OF the
cave the red of the rubies reflected in the blue
of his bright eyes, and made little purple glare in
them that would have frightened Baraka; and he
smiled behind his great yellow beard.
lie took from an inner pocket a folded sheet on
which map traced in black and green ink
much corrected and extended in pencil and he
studied the map thOughttullY in the while the
great heat of the day lasted but the lines that his
eye followed did not lead toward the Red Sea and
Egypt. where Baraka wished to live with him IN a
marble palace and eat fat quails and fig paste.
CHE came to him again that night on the roof
~ bringing with her small bundle, tightly rolled
and we'll tied up. He wrapped his blanket round her
body, and brought it up under her 50 that the
rope would not hurt her when her weight came
on it. and he let her down over the soft edge
of the roof to the ground and threw the rope after
her: and he let himself over, holding by his hands,
SO that when he was hanging at the full length of
his long arms he had only few feet to drop tor he
very tall, and the forehouse was not high, and
he wished to take the rope with HIM.
Baraka's house at the head OF the town,
toward the foothills. everyone was sleeping; and
there was no moon She followed the stony sheep
track that struck into the hills only few hundred
PAGES from the last houses and the stranger followed