The Washington times., 1910-11-13
BY ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE.
Copyright
The Frank A Munsey Company.

body stin squirming viciously, the Nile
asp lay killed And beside me, breath
/ ing a little heavily, but otherwise quite
undlSmayed. stood the Princess FeTidah.
DO you believe me nOT2'' she asked
calmly. DO you believe HATH intends
your death, or 90 you think him still
harmless Also, DO you see that If you
had been Killed he could well have said
the asp slipped into the basket without
MS knowledge. Nothing could have been
proved"
"FeridahE' l gasped, recovering my
breath. you might have been killed.
You saved me from death al the risk
Of"
why speak of my risk?" she shrug-
geo. II Is past. I live. The thing
! .aat Woutd nave slain you IS dead. That
( Is an why say more about it?"
IL was observation-disclosures 1 cried
.L, owe you my life. But for you I
That is ALL she repeated once more.
win a nervous little laugh Yet il
seemed 10 me my praise and thanks
were not as wholly disdainful 10 her as
she would have me believe.
My life was not worth so fearful a
FISK went on, in remCrse. tt"
our me, my cousin she answered
me ms. slowly yet looking up into my eyes
with no shadow OF embarrassment
your life is worth So much 10 me
that without II all the world would be
as the desert itself For love YOU"
ne words were spoken with no con-
IIslon' no anectatiOn Of cOyness: but IN
SlIlpie dlrectneSS as though what she
Sald was the most natural speech IN the
world Nor did her great luminous eys
leave my own
tomorrow you are TO come before
nay rather IN the Audience chamber"
she went on, laying her hands lightly on
my shoulders as / stared boDeleSsIv
S.upldly al her, Ito tell your decision
10 make known thar you accent me as
your WIFE. I speak now that Won NAV
nave 10 rear lest I should oppose my
atIleI plan Ny heart lies at YOUR
IStI an my cousin, since that night in
inc HlOonShtne. I Will De vour wife
and serve you forever
a quick little intake or breath from
, 1lle darkness beyond. as though from
woman IN sudden pain. made FFeridah
step back. She vanished behind fba
curtains Of her tent as two fiaures
moved out into the broad bar of Hghr
IN winch We had been standing.
Inc newcomers were Hope Keves ard
IeI IaIher, on the way back from their
usual evening stroll. So soft had beea
me sand that they had. uninterA lonallv.
Stonle close upon US without our hearing
4 pretty tableau Ferldab and 7 must
nave made there in the track of IanD-
usht' Nor could the father and daucI-
Ter nave failed 10 hear her last words
1 Will be your wife and serve you for
Did that account for the soothing in
take of Hopes breath? Did she caVe2
Eagerly / turned to her
With cold nod OF recognition. and
sun Clinging 10 her highly emba Frasse.I
fathers arm, she passed on leaving me
there. aghast. nOuplused
A man 10 whom ] told part OF this
tale. in later years, sneered at the fore
gong as a situation from which any one
with ready Wit could easily have extr1-
Gated himself. 1 asked him How
Nhereat he WaNed confused and an
swered vaguely: "Oh, in any Of dozen
Ways but fOrebOre 20 specify Wha;
one Of that dozen might be.
Nor could I al the time-or since
tnink OF any. ] could not run after
nope, shouting: You misunderstood
what you saw and heard. It's all a mis-
take ! can explain I'm ten words. For
how could / explain In ten, or. indeed
in ten thousand What was there 10
EXPLAIN And how 20 explain a?
on the other hand, I could not violate
rigid BedOuin conventions by bowling
through the now closed curtains Of Feri-
dah's tent: i won't marry you"'
What could / do? ! took the usual,
and perhaps The wlsest course IN such
dilemmas I did nothing You who
love a hero who IS never az fault in
doing the right thing at the right time,
will look on me. I fear, as a dolt. But
first put yourself IN my place; then
judge.
a
clare love for me. And-laugh if YOU
Wilt had struck me speechless. Nor
do I think many normal men could have
aveTted sucn q situation.
] did not trouble the god OF sleep that
night.
At dawn I rose. heavy-eyed and pre-
pared for my visit OF state 10 the
emir's tent. Early as / was, Jack Penn
was ahead OF me. Just as 1 was emerg-
ing from the tent he came back from
the main encampment for me.
Your late. old chap" he greeted
me There's some sort OF a pOW-WOW
going on at BasraOul's- Miss Hope and
her father have gone ahead. SO have
the princess and all the big guns OF the
tribe. ! wonder what's US? If you've
ready, come along
Yes" I answered duly I'm ready"
The Continuation Of This Story WI.
Be Found In Tomorrow
Isaue Of The Times