The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-11-08
CHAPTER vi.
A Phantom of the Past.


u bit by bit. what had happened
down to the moment when 1 had
turned at sound of that sweet
strange voice at the curtained door
way.
There, regal, beautiful, had stood
my mother, The young, long dead
mother of my dreams. Small wonder
I had swOoned!
opened my eyes, dazedly' my
brain vibrating with the endless puZ-
zIe OF IL all I should have telt no
Surprise had j found myselI sun De-
side the Nile in the tmprovised FEVER
camp Penn and SAID ha y1o, TlgSeG, , Gp
that time seemed far less prODaOle
than my delirium-
But l found myself stretched on the
gold-cloth divan Of the Emlr Bas-
TaouI's tent So, that much or the
dream was truei Yes. and all the rest
At the head Of my coucn stood the
tall. fair American girl, whose quiet
Intervention had struck death aside
from me. Beside her stood a noun
famous grizzled man in khaki, whom
at a glance I knew for Prot key YES.
With them were Jack and said. me
professor had apparently just risen
from an inspection OF me, Tor ne was
saying: $1,000
ertion He'll come to IN Few MIN
uteS. It's lucky Hope, that you rode
on while I stopped at their camp on
my way from the desert II you
hadn't, the lad would be beyond help
.Hopel'i So this regal, Dlana-like
maiden was the starry-eyed little Hope
l<eyes. with whom. ten years, Garner ear l's.
had exchanged countless youthful vows.
i ought not to have been surprised az
her presence here in the Wllds, Ior'
from babyhood she had been her
fathers constant travelling coInpaILl ION =,
Nor was 1t odd had not heard she
was with him in Egypt Women are not
counted in the East If an Orientai
has seven daughters and two sons ne
is said to have two children II a h ~
and three women enter a mousse the
man only Is announced. SO II was, IhaI
while we had often heard OF keyes
fourney through the country, no "Oru
had been spoken OF his daughter. -,
had no time to reflect on any OF
this lust then. For my eyes, WANDER
ing from the group before me- SWEEP
the tent. To my Amusement Ihe Z la u
and counselors were no longer lneIG;
Rut lust in range OF my view, stoOu
fine er1Ir He was talking in low tones,
excitedly, to some one hidden from me
by the folds Of his embrNidered bur
mouse He moved slightly as 1 looheu'
Then 7 SaW-and EaSped alOuu.
There. in the waning torchhght- was
p woman-the woman who l mad seen
as she stood in the doorway II Wa7
my ''mOther!-No, out heE SorIitSt
mart IL ever woman was PerhapS;
eighteen years of age. she was enuOWeu
with the rare, rich beauty one OCCASION
ally 6nds among RedOuh women OF
high breeding: But It was a nor tliis tTs+
Cuisiteness Of face and nsuIe 0iiel'
wrung from me the gasp
The resemblance 70 the woman OF my
dreams was startling Inc same ~
trous eyes, soft curves OF race, Iluii s5n n,
hair, and-no. the expression was nor
the same Not in the least mis- WoIA-
ans face was not lighted by the tender
rnOtber-IOve that had glOrined the guar
dian of my visions. Instead, she had q
IviI!ful. almost imperious air Nor, now
that I looked more closely, was she the
exact counterpart OF my motner IN Iea-
ture and coloring. It was rather one OF
those striking resemblances Whlch We
know as family likeness
At sound of my quickly tndrawU
breath. ali looked around, and keyes
came I'd to me- 1900.
handing me flask. and don't try To
talk You know who l ann
cor course do I said irritablyr as
the fervent liquor set my blood 70 CouI'
ejng faster. "and I'm ashamed TO thinH
that I should have been so weak as tc
keel over like that I had a lot 70 Try
me. though. I don't know yet whether
"DSn'+ talk" interrupted Hope gently
"wait few minutes until you arr
I looked up at her. She met my gaze
FRANKLY with those starliRe eyes OF hers
N them I read calm and an honest
friendly interest. That was all
Yet could not remove my gaze from
hers. II seemed, as I looked, as II al
the years had been brushed away, AND
that she and were once more the boy
and girl sweetheartS OF early days
That and more. For. in place OF th'
Somewhat condescending affection OF ml
boyhOOd. something new, fierce, com
melting. leaped into my heart. A some
thing that thrilled and possessed me lik'
strong wine
I think CLINT Of this must hav'
sprung into my eyes as well For he
Vaze. that had remained momentaril-
lost in mine, shifted. Long, silkeI
Iashes yelled the great blue eyes, and I
deeper flush than that Impaired to II b,
fhe desert sun rushed into her cheek
Hope" I cried, then checked my
nelf, confused
Ysefore she could reply. Jack Penn
whom Prof, Keyes had with dlIncuit
been restraining. broke past the olde
mans outstretched arm and caught hOl
of my hand. I could have kicked hir
for breaking In on the glorious spel
Hope had cast over me
Good old Hugh! ne exclaimed
.~you'U be on your feet again now j
no time But why in blazes didn't 70
send in a hurry call for me before 20
butted in on this row. Between US, "
might have shown 'em some lively team
work. Why did YOU try 20 play IL alone
woke up and found you'd skipped ;
came out of the tent to round you VI
and I ran INTO the professor anu Wis
Hone. on their way from the deSer
Miss Hope had a bunch there wa
trouble when she found YOU were gon'
SO she rode on here ahead OF US. She
IT hope YOU are recovered
II was the emir's deep voice mai
veled at the absence OF its former angr
sternuess. He had drawn near 10 n
as he spoke, the dark-haired giri at n
side. -
at am myself again, I think reptile
I. getting up rather shakily from tn
couch as I spoke. Am I still undo
arrest2''
Holy John Harvard,' sputtered Penl
what lingo are you talking, old chaI
You reel II of like"
ITS Arabic I answered. 'I don
know why I. speak it. I never studio
IL and I"
ct is not quite so strange as
seems" interpOsed Prof. Keyes, "and
told the emir so. There have been SCI
eral such cases within my own med
cal experience"
Ceases where a man suddenly speal
a language he never IeaFned?' I aske
incredulous.
NO" he returned gravely, vet watcl
ing me with a certain curious fntentne:
as though to mark the effect of h