Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-13

table. but he was relieved to find each
time that the message was only q
business one from London or Paris,
giving him the latest confidential news
about q government loan in which he
was largely interested. When he
reached the yacht he sent another
man to wait till midnight at the once.
The diva was angry, he thought;
that was clear, and perhaps she had
some right to be. The tone OF her
telegram had been peremptory in the
extreme, and now that he had an
swered It after a delay of several
DAYS, she refused to take any notice
of him 1t was not possible that such
a parsonage as she was should have
left Bayreuth without leaving clear in
structions for sending on any tele-
grams that might come after she left
At this time of year, as he knew. she
was beset with offers Of engagements
to sing, and they had to be answered.
From eight o'clock in the morning to
midnight there were Is hours, ample
time for a retransmitted message to
reach her anywhere in Europe and to
be answered. Logotheti felt sensa-
ton of deep relief when the man came
aboard at Quarterpast midnight and
reported himself empty handed but
he resolved to wait till the following
evening before definitely leaving
Naples for the ten days which must
elapse before Baraka could try on her
beautiful Feringhi clothes.
He told her anything he liked, and
she believed him. or was indifferent;
for the idea that she must be as well
dressed as any European woman
when she met the man she was seek
ing had appealed strongly to her. and
the sight of the pretty things at Nine.
Annals had made her ashamed of her
simple little ready-made serges and
blouses. Logotheti assured her that
Kralinsky was within easy reach. and
showed no inclination to travel far.
There was news of him in the tele-
grams received that day, the Greek
said. Spies were about him and were
watching him for her. and so far he
had shown no inclination to admire
any Feringhi beauty.
BRraka accepted all these inven-
lions without doubling their veracity.
In her eyes Logotheti was a great
man. something like a king. and vast
~ more than a Tartar chieftain. He
could send men to the ends Of the
earth If he chose. Now that he was
sure of where Kralinsky was, he could
no doubt have him seized secretly and
brought to her. if she desired it earn
estly of him. But she did not wish
to see the man, free or a prisoner, till
she had her beautiful new clothes.
judge whether he had done well to
despise her love, and to leave her to
be done to death by her own people
and her, body left to the vulture that
had waited so long on a jutting point
of rock over her head three years ago.
1t was a dreamy and sense-compell-
ing life that she led on the yacht, sur
rounded with every luxury she had
ever heard of, and constantly waited
on by the only clever man she had
ever really talked with, excepting the
old Persian merchant in STEAMBOAT.
The vision of the golden-bearded giant
who had left her to her fate after
treating her with stony Indifference
was still before her. but the reality
was nearer in the shape of a visible
"greatman," who could do anything
he chose, who caused her to be
treated like a queen, and who was I'M
deniably handsome.
She wondered whether he had
wife. Judging marriage from her
point OF view, there probably had
been one put away in that beautiful
house in Paris. He was an oriental,
she told herself, and he would not
parade his wife as the Feringhis did.
But she was one, too, and she consid-
cred that 1t would be an insult to ask
him about such things. Spiro knew.
no doubt, but she could not demean
herself to inquire of q servant. Per
haps Gula had found out already, for
the girl had a way of finding out
whatever she wanted to know, ap-
parently by explaining things to the
second mate. Possibly Gula could be
made to tell what she had learned
without being directly questioned.
But after all, Baraka decided that it
did not matter, since she meant to
marry the fair-beard as soon as she
had her pretty clothes Yet she be-
came conscious that II he had not ex-
listed, she would think it very salts
1dCOOAS W tue great man
who could do anything he liked,
though If he had a wife already, as
he probably had, she would refuse to
be the second in his house. The
Koran allowed a man four, 1t was
said, but the idea was hateful to her. /
and moreover the Persian merchants !
wife had told her that it was old fash
toned to have more than one, mainly |
because living had grown so expen-
siVe.
Logotheti sat beside her for hours
under the awnings, talking or not, as
she chose, and always reading when |
she was silent, though he often looked [
up to see il she wanted anything He /
told her when they left Naples that /
he would show her beautiful islands ,
and other sights, and the great fire. /
of the south, Etna and .
Stromboli. which she had heard of on ,