The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-19

| the curious and strike the gossips
dumb, and cast a leprosy on the thief.
At night he lay on the roof of the
because it was cool there. Baraka
came to him, before midnight, when
her mother was in a deep sleep; she
knelt at his side while he slept in the
starlight, and she laid her head beside
his, on the sack that was his pillow,
and for a little while she was happy,
being near him, though he did not
know she was there. But presently
she remembered that her mother
might wake and call her, and she
spoke very softly, close to his ear,
fearing greatly lest he should start
from his sleep and cry out.
The ruby mine is not far off," she
said. 81 know the secret place.
Rubies. Rubies. Rubies, You shall
have as many as you can carry of the
blood-red rubies!"
He opened his eyes, and ven in the
starlight they were bright and cold.
She stroked his hand softly and then
pressed it a little.
Come with me and you shall know
the great secret" she whispered. You
shall fill this sack that is under your
head, and then you shall take me with
you to Egypt, and we will live in a
marble palace and have many slaves,
and be always together. For you will
always remember that it was Baraka
who showed you where the rubies
were, and even when you are tired of
her you will treat her kindly and feed
her with fig paste and fat quails, such
as | hear they have in the south all
winter, and Frank rice, and coffee
that has been picked over, bean by
bean, for the great men"
She said all this in a whisper,
stroking his hand; and while she whis-
pered he smiled in his great golden
beard that seemed as silvery in the
starlight as her fathers.
That is women's talk" he an
swered. Who has seen mines of
rubies? And if you know where they
! are, why should you show them to
me? You are betrothed. If you had
knowledge of hidden treasures you
would keep it for your husband. This
is some trick to destroy me-"
May these hands wither to the
wrists if a hair of your head be
harmed through me-" she answered;
and as she knelt beside him, the two
little hands held his face towards her
very tenderly, and then one of them
smoothed the thick hair back from his
forehead.
you are betrothed," he repeated.
"and / am your fathers guest. Shall
l betray him."
II care nothing, neither for father,
nor mother, nor brothers, nor be-
trothed," Baraka answered. Il will
| give you the riches of Solomon if you
will take me, for 1 will have no other
man."
There are no rubies," said the
stranger. "Show them to me and I
will believe"
The girl laughed very low, and took
from her neck a bag of antelope skin,
no larger than her closed hand, and
gave it to him with the thin thong by
which it had hung.
when you have seer them in the
sun you will want Others" she said.
Il will take you to the place, and
when you have filed YOU sack with
them you will love me enough to take
me away. It is not far to the place.
In two hours we can go and come.
Tomorrow night, about this time, /
will wake you again. It 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-"
When Baraka was gone the stranger
sat up on his carpet and opened the
small bag to feel the stones, for he
knew that he could hardly see them
in the starlight; but even the touch
and the weight told 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 were as
cold as jade; and moreover he felt
their shape and knew at once that
J they might really be rough rubies. for