El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-03-23
The HeraId's
Daily Shert Story
naasm.s~..

he said to Zeyneb: In three years.
shall come back. You will wait for me-
A year passes quickly before you no.
tice it"
Both had cried when they parted
Nobody knew to what country he
had been sent. Those who returned
spoke of towns and villages sur
rounded by beautiful fields or pine
| forests. But there was. one country
from which no one returned and when
| 1t was mentioned the old men fingered
their boards, the old women bowed
their heads and the young girls wiped
the tears away with their wells. A dis
| tant very distant country. You had
! to cross seas and burning deserts to
reach it.
Six months after Hassau's departure
/ a letter came from him written in that
awful country.
So he had gone thither. And still
! Zeyneb said to herself: Not all those
who go there die During the next
year letters came from time to time.
| Nassau told of burning sun which
scorched his head and sands which
| blistered his feet and wrote how he
/ longed for home.
But now a whole year had passed
and nobody had briught any news of
him. This was why Zeyneb's eyes were
| filled with hot tears. She saw Nassau
| lying in the hot sand, motionless and
staring into space thirsting for news
from home, full of despair. The thought
Of his misery was almost killing her.
The tears ran down her cheeks.
She went home. Her father who was
slipping his mocha looked at her ten
derby and she could see in his eyes how
he was suffering, too. ne also was
pining because of Hassau's silence.
Sometimes he met the old shepherd
who had lost three sons in the &C
cursed country. and who followed him
home where they talked in whispers
broken by deep signs, while they looked
at Zeyneb with infinite pity. And the
two old fathers shed tears in silence.
In the little mosque the muezzin had
just chanted the MONDAY prayers The
broiling sun had reached zenith and
the domestic animals were huddled
against the wall in search of shade.
4 loud voice rang out through the
village: The gendarm is coming"
gendarm, his rifle slung across his
shoulder, dismounted and the news Of
his arrival spread like wildfire Half
naked children came running up, heads
of women peeped from all doorways,
while the men respectfully lined up in
front Of the mosque The village shep-
herd rushed off to bring some grass for
the horse and a rug was brought from
the mayors house. The gendarm strut
ted up to the rug and sat down on it,
crossing his legs. For long while he
remained silent, the peasant staring at
him anxiously. Then corfeWers
brought. He emptied his cup, took
letter from his pocket and handed it
to the mayor, then mounted his horse
and rode away. The peasants drew a
sigh of relief. The mayor opened the
letter and the man read it's contents
aloud. The little Inheritance Nassau
had left had come back from the &C
cursed country and the government was
looking for his heirs.
Zeyneb's father came home broken
hearted. Zeynebs heart almost stopped
beating and she asked what had hap
pened. He did not reply, but took her
into his arms and the tears ran into
his white beard.
Zeyneb always sees Nassau lying in
the burning sands under the scorching
rays of the pitiless sun, dying in de-
spair and alone.