Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-15

mud hus over there are as much part of it as these
Pyramids. I'm going over, If you do not care to
20 with me, I'll join you at the Mena House IN a
short while
oh, III march along with you. of course, if you
are SO keen upon going You'll not to stay long,
| wager.
THE two officers lit their cigarettes and tramped
through the sand toward the village. Major
Blunt with much chatting. led Hamilton through the
alleys of the flea infested Arab community Ragged.
dirty women and girl children drew black wells half
way their faces and peered above them with
cold bright ewes the two tall Englishmen. Little
baby beggars stood in their path and IN baby
talk lisped the familiar cry of Egypts grown-up
nlendcants.
All the Arab dwellings, into which Hamilton
glanced through the open portal of the courtyard
presented the view,-a square, mud walled
courtyard in the four corners OF which stood small
single rooms. The occupants sat slept on the
ground; children PLAYED about; sometimes donkey
a camel made its home also within the court. De
spite Major Bunts badinage, however, and the I'M
attractiveness of the scenes, Hamilton strobe on
toward the upper end of the village his zeal undl-
,llinished.
There in front of the palm grove is old Sheik Abb
dallah's dwelling. | know him we'll Shall l take
YOU to call on him, If you will prowl around this
Arab village he is the best part of the show. He will
give you delicious coffee to drink. HE'S Car here
Thank you. Blunt, | have enough of this
place. Let's get back to the Pyramids.
lust as the two men turned to act upon this sug
) gestion Hamilton stopped and stood motionless,
irltently listening.
is the charm of your surroundings too much for
YOU, Cyril: Can't you tear yourself away said
Major Blunt.
That Baby-th ey-she must be near I'd know
that cry anyWheret' was Hamilton excited answer.
Major Blunt wondered if the sun had been too hot
for Hamilton if he had yet fully recovered from his
wounds.
Il hear nothing If you do it's only an Arab kid
bowling You are i'll, Cyril. Come, let me help you
to the Mena House.
Hamilton impatiently shook his arm free of his
friends hand and strobe hurriedly down an alley,
Blunt u1 anHi ic kept him IN sight Finally, Haml
ton wheeled and came to meet Major Blunt looking
dazed and shamefaced
1.-THE fact is, Blunt thought heard a-er-a
voice that | knew. You must have thought l was
denented
Il thought you said you heard Baby crying
'A-a-Baby, did you say! Oh, one may have
cried. There are SO many noises in this COMPOUNDED
village. l said a voice. concluded Hamilton weakly,
not meeting Major Blunt's eyes.
Il thought you certainly were not familiar enough
with any Baby's voice to recognize it, laughed
Major Blunt unsuspectingly.
my wild goose chase has brought up to the
place of the old sheik, Suppose, after all,
drop in on him. said Hamilton, feeling strongly
luctant to leave, since he had been deluded into
imagining that he had heard the familiar Baby cry
that haunted him
Though Hamilton believed his hearing the cry of
the American Baby deusion, he looked round the
court of the sheik, when he stepped inside half
hoping to see Mary with the Baby in her arms. He
wondered If his infatuaton for the American Babys
guardian had played that trick on his hearing. If
love was to make Such an idiot OF MIN as TINS, 1t
would be well to find the Madonna as quickly as
possible and quickly put his fate to the test.
WHILE Hamilton was pursuing this train of
w thought Major Blunt had sent his card by
servant to the sheik In few moments the Arab
came back and invited the guests into the reception
room motoning them to seats the divan of honor.
They rose to their feet the sheik with the noise
less flowing motion of the oriental, came in After
their host had seated himself cross legged and had
invited Ahmed. who had come in with him, to sit in
his presence. he passed the cigarettes.
As Hamilton played his part in the studied little
scene, he wondered what the natural, native
Of