The Tupelo journal., 1910-05-13

~>A
Why do you laughy" Baraka asked.
a little disturbed. Il would give you
a good ruby. A king may receive a
good ruby as a gift and not despise
it. Why do you laugh at me? There
came two German merchants to me in
Paris to see my rubies. and when they
had looked, they bought a good one,
but not better thsh the n ! would
give you, and Spiro heard them a
to each other in their own language
that it was for their king, for Spiro
understands all tongues. Then do
you think that their king would not
have been glad if / had given him the
ruby as a gift? You cannot mock
Baraka. Baraka knows what rubies
are worth, and has ONE STILL"
II do not mock you," Logothetf an
swered, with perfect gravity. 6"
laugh at my own thoughts. l said in
my heart: If Baraka asks me for a
husband, what will she say if l an
swer. Behold, l am the man, II you
are satisfied This was my thought"
She was appeased at once, for she
saw nothing extraordinary in his sug-
| gestion. She looked at him quietly
and smiled, for she saw her chance.
1T is emptiness" she said. II will
have a nan who has no other wife"
Precisely" Logotheti answered,
smiling. Il w had one"
Now you are indeed hooking met"
she said, bending her sharp-drawn
eyebrows.
mo. Every one knows it who
knows me. In Europe, men do not
always marry very young. 1t is not a
fixed custom"
81 have heard So" Baraka an
| swered, her anger subsiding, but it
is very strange. If it be so, and if all
things should happen as we said,
which Allah avert, and if you desired
me for your wife, l would marry you
without doubt. You are a great man,
and rich, and you are good to look at,
as Saad a Also you are kind, but
, Saad would probably lave beaten me,
for he beat every one, every day, and
/ should have gone back to my ia
theirs house. Truly" she added, in a
thoughtful tone, you would make a
desirable husband for Baraka. But
the man / seek must marry me if l
find him alive, for l gave him the
riches of the earth and he gave me
nothing and departed, leaving me to
die. l have told you, and you under
stand. Therefore let us not jest about
these things any more. What will
be, will be, and if he must die, it is
his portion, and mine also, though it
is a pity"
Thereupon the noble little features
became very grave, and she leaned
back in her chair and folded her hands
in her lap, looking out at the violet
light on the distant volcano. After
that, at dinner and in the evening,
they talked pleasantly. She told him
tales of her own land, and of her
childhood, with legends of the Altai,
of genii and enchanted princesses;
and he, in return, told her about the
great world in which he lived; but
of the two, she talked the more, no
doubt because he was not speaking
his own language. Yet there was a
bond of sympathy between them more
| natural and instructive than any that
had ever drawn him and Margaret to-
| gether.
When the sun vas up the next
morning and Logotheti came on deck
to drink his coffee alone, he saw the
magic straits not many miles ahead,
in an opalescent haze that sent up a
vapor of pure gold to the pale blue
enamel of the sky. He had been just
where he was now more than once be-
fore, and few sights of nature had
ever given him keener delight. On
the left, the beautiful outline of the
| Calabrian hills descended softly into
the still sea. on the right the noun
tains of Sicily reared their lofty
crests; and far above them all, twice
as high as the highest, and nobler in
| form than the greatest, Etna tow
| cred to the very sky, and a vast cloud
| of smoke rose from the summit that
| streamed westward as far as the eye
| could reach.
LET her go half speed, captain"
| said Logotheti. as his sailing-master
came up to bid him good-morning. Il
| should like my guest to see the
straits"
very good, sir. We shall not go
through very fast in any case, for the
tide is just turning against u.s."
Never mind" Logotheti answered.
"The slower the better to-day, till we
| have Etna well astern."