The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-11-15
THE SHADOWOF THE SPHINX
BY ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE.
Copyright The Frank A Munsey Company.

1ou nave foiloWed me here TO insult
Insult youg-' I echoed in horror
Heaven forbidl Since when has it
been an insult for man to tell a
woman he loves herr If
since be became the Dlighted hus-
band Of another woman she made
answer Now viii YOU let me go on
\ III my Walk"
Not cried. Not until you hear
me out am not any woman's
plghted husband I love YOU. Hopet
You are my whole life, my future my
soul itself. You are all on earth 1 love
ALL perhaps, that can love me HOPE,
can't you see I'm speaking Gods
truth p
You perhaps cannot realize" she
Sneered. that an American girl NAV
regard it as an insult to hear The Ioec-
vows OF a man who is bctrothed to an
other woman Plural maria ges may
be quite correct in the East but"
II she had dashed me across the face
with whip ] could not have been
TnF-e furlousiy outraged IN every hbet
Of M being.
j IN an American broke in mad
" and you have no right to speak as
--l7'4Eh were not / have offered you
20 insult / love you, and you alone"
Then your match with Eeridah is q
mere marriage Of convenience - she
suggested Yet ] should scarcely have
thought so after what I was 50 untor-
tunate as to See-and hear-laSt night
VIII you let me EXPLAIN ] i'm
plored, clinglug desperately to my one
lingering Ecsrlge or selr-cOntrOi.
III you can explain away the evil
dence OF my eyes and ears, you are at
liberty TO try. But i warn you that
Facts are stubborn things. Not that /
underrate the powers OF your very
clever tongue / confess-if il gives you
any gratihcation-that Yesterday ] 3ctu-
ally believed you But yesterday is past
Much. much Is past"
For the first time there was a trem-
bic in the cold, sweet voice. Tie froz-
en- eyes. too, softened in spite of them
F selves The mOmenta.y reaction went
70 nay hrain-that is the only way. I
: can account for the insane boorish
thing 7 did Looking back I myself
caEnOt understand my action
For. as the glorious eyes softened
and the dear voice shoOk-betore she
could overcome the brief weakness
had sprung forward.
NY arms were about the slender.
Whitehead form, stratniug Il close Aiy
kisses were hot on her upturned face
It love you, I love you, I love your
I heard myself repeating over and
over again For a moment ! was mad.
During the briefest fraction Of time
Hope rested Unresisting in my arms
Then a shudder ran through her, and
by main strength she tore herself free
Her face was aEame. her yes blazing
7 STROBE forward again With cienched
fist she struck me fun in the mouth
You beas.- she Easped- You Arab
With the k.sses OF Feridah on your
lirs1 With her love-words IN your ears.
You COwardly Arab brute
Like some goddess of wrath, she
hurled at me the vials Of her bitter
scOrn-
And y White. aEhast. too dismayed
10 note even the blood that coursed
from my cut lips. 7 stared at her IN
specifies hewiLdernent Shame that
my great love should have momentar-
lis swept away the bounds Of reason
were only second 10 the dazed horror
av~ak ened by her words and blow
Then iu a breath, the hood-gates OF
my heart burst aSuuder- / Jhlnk ]
must have lost what little sanity
haE ever possessed Every one OF her
terrible words was branded across my
brain as with a white-hot iron Her
scorn cut deeper than ever had any
emotion Of my Ife-even M ioVe Ior
herself
rs you willy I cried hetrtbrokenIy
recR less. For the objectionable thing
II have done, 7 ask pardon. Let that
pass You whom ] loved SHRINK from
nv touch as from that Of a snake. You
disOwn me even as a fellow country
nan You call me an Arab BRUTE 50
be ST. I am one. from now on You
rvrl fed all that was best In my home
land You turn from me IN loathing-
What IS ieft2 The land. the tribe, and
the woman that Offers me welcome and
love- The choice Is made You have
struck Hugh Standish dead The Be
fouiu sheik who rises IN his place has
neither lot nor part with YOU or your
country from now on and forever.
The Continuation Of This Story WI.
Be Found In Tomorrow
Issue Of The Times