Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-16

were, and even Wnen you are III GU "a
her you will treat her kindly and FEED
her with fig paste and fat quails, such
as 1 hear they have in the south all
winter, and Frank rice. and coffee
that has been picked over, bean Dy
bean, for the great men"
She said all this in 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. II 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 II 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,
1 betray him.
81 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 will have no other
man"
There are no rubies." said the
stranger. SHOW them to me and
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 1t to him with the thin thong by
which it had hung.
when you have seen them In the
sun you will want Others" she said.
Il will take you to the place, and
when you have filed your sack with
them you will love me enough to take
me away. 1t is not far to the place.
In two hours we can go and come.
Tomorrow night, about this time, I
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
was hot. the stones we're as
-
their shape and knew at once that
they might really be rough rubies. for
he was well versed in the knowledge
Of precious stones.
When the day began to dawn he
went down from the roof to the com
mon room of the fore-house. where
guests were quartered, yet although
there was no other stranger there he
would not take the bag from his neck
to examine the stones, lest some one
should be watching him from a place
of hiding; but afterwards, when he
was alone in the foothills and out of
sight of the town, searching as usual
for new plants and herbs, he crept
into a low cave at noon, and sat down
just inside the entrance, so that he
could see any one coming while still
q long way of, and there he emptied
the contents of the little leathern wal
let into his hand. and saw that Bara-
ka had not deceived him; and as he
looked closely at the stones in the
strong light at the entrance of the
cave, the red of the rubies was re-
fected in the blue of his bright eyes,
and made little purple glare in them
ri oh
and he smiled behind his great yellow
beard.
He took from an inner pocket a
folded sheet on which a map was
traced in black and green ink. much
corrected and extended IN pencil; and
he studied the map thoughtfully in the
cave while the great heat OF the day
lasted; but the lines that his eye fol-
lowed did not lead towards Persia.
Palestine, and Egypt, where Baraka
wished to live with him in a marble
palace and eat fat quails and fig
paste.
She came to him again that night
on the roof. bringing with her a small
bundle. tightly rolled and we'll tied
up. He wrapped his blanket round
her body, and brought 1t up under her
arms 50 that the rope should not hurt
her when her weight came upon it,
and so he let her down over the edge
of the roof to the ground, and threw
the rope after her; and he let himself
over, holding by his hands, so that
when he was hanging at the full
length of his long arms he had only
a few feet to drop. for he wished to
take the rope with him.
Baraka's house was at the head OF
the town, towards the foothills: every
one was sleeping, and there was no
moon. She followed the stony sheep
track that struck into the hills only a
few hundred PAGES from the last
houses. and the stranger followed her
closely. He had his sack on his Shout
der, his book of plants and herbs was
slung behind him by a strap, and in
his pockets he had all the money he
carried for his travels and his letters