The daily Alaskan., 1911-08-14
A LOVERS
 TEST By MARGARET KELLY Copyright by American Press Ass6-
 ciation lgit

dying, bad left her snug fortune. Moreover, her parents being dead, she was at liberty to choose a husband for herself.
 Now, Fauma-that was the girls name-was very particular about one thing in the man who should be her husband. She wished him to be brave man. Superstition at that time hung like a pail upon the Turks as well as the Christians Bu, Fatima was more enlightened than others and had a contempt for any young man who would be terror stricken at a sup posed appariu0n
 Three lovers sought her hand. To the first she suid My mJher last night appeared to mc m dreum and told me that if would send one whom l though, of marrying to the sepulcher In the cemytvry where his body and those of others ot our tami- ly lie he would appear to the suitor and give me to him. Go there and re- ceive me from my father and in the morning return to me. Theu 1 will marry you"
 The young man. whose name was Abdallah, reluctantly accepted the sit nation and said that be would go to the sepuIcher as soon as 1t was dark and wait for the ghosts appearance.
 Then Fetima told the second lover, Hamid. what she bad done, adding that if be would go to the sepulcber and appear to Abdanah as ghost and scare him away she would accept Hamld for her husband Hamid was quite pleased at what he considered an easy way to get a rich wife and agreed to abide by the result of his effort.
 The third suitor Bismillah, was an fellow. and Fauma prefer red hlm to either ot the others, She told him of the arrangement she had made with them and said that she would also give him a chance for her hand. Whoever of the three was found in the sepulcher in the morning she would marry.
 "Nousenser' replied Rismlllah. "Tm not going to make a guy of myself by sleeping In a tomb
 "Oh. thought you loved me- re- piled Fatima
 "So | do, but not well enough to risk my life by remaining all night tn cold sepulcher What good would it do ue to win a wife and dieT
 "It is very plain, said Fatima, "that you do not love me"
 "l don't call love giving way to a whim."
 Ut is not a whim; 1t Is a test"
 "very well, test these other men. l have no mind to enter such an absurd competition"
 He turned on his heel and left her. She was very much disappointed. She had given her word to the other two to marry the one who should fuldll the conditions. relying on BismiiIah, whom she knew to be brave and free from superstitons, to occupy the sepulcher and thus win her. His refusal upset all her plans and would give her husband she did not wish to marry.
 She lay awake all night bemoaning the miscarriage of her plan and think. Ing how foolish she had been to un- dertake it. She knew Bismillah would not feur to remain all night in any uncanny place, and she respected him for not being willing to win her in such fashion. Besides, his indifference only made her more anxious to have him for her husband.
 She fretted over the matter tll just before dawn, when she determined to go herself and try to frighten away the suitors she did not wish to marry. Dressing herself, she wound a sheet about her and hurried to the ceme- tery. Approaching the sepulcher of her. ancestors, she heard a sound and stopped to listen. Could it be a snore? Surely 1t was a snore. One of the men she had sent there had got rid of the other, gone into the sepulcher and fallen asleep.
 All now depended on Fatima's fright ening away the man ID the sepulcher. The moon had risen, and there was light enough from this and the coming of dawn for her to be distinctly seen, though 1t was too dark for her to see the man in the sepulcher Standing before the door, which was open, she gave a shriek. There was a sound as of some one turning, the creaking of some sort of a bed, and a voice came:
 "Go away from here and cease to disturb my slumber."
 Leave this abode of the dead" said Fatima in a sepulchral voice, Tor will drag you with me to Tartarus,"
 "That would please me greatly" re- piled the voice inside. By cominS here l have put myself in an unpleas- ant position. A girl told me that if I would occupy this place till morning she would marry me, refused; then, lest she should think me cowardIy, I tame I brought my bed with me and a-ove away two fools l found here. Now suppose 1 shall have to marry this girl. ] would prefer going with you to Tartarus."
 There was silence for a few mo- ments, then Fatima gave a sob, then laugh, and Bismillah, who knew from the first 1t was she, sprang from