The Washington times., 1911-12-27
CHAPTER XL
Near the End of the Passage.
-HE retreatlng footsteps of


1.-THE retreatlns footsteps Of the
wail-eyed Frenchman and the
i giant negro had scarcely died
away from the house Of Simone
coiet, when there was a slight scratch
ing noise In the little alcove where Bur
roughs had laid. A moment later a
mans hand appeared from beneath the
divan. and the American himself fol-
lowed II. With his wounded shoulder
from the window, and after laying the
raise trail, he had concealed himself
under the other couch.
Things had turned out as he had fore
seen The Frenchman, with the negro
In hot pursuit, had left the house un-
guarded, and he could walk down the
stairs like a gentleman. and make his
sscape with more leisure and less
The lamp stin burned brightly in the
large room. and as the artist stood by II
for a moment, and adjusted his disar.
ranged garments. he had opportunity to
observe the place.
over-furnished. East and West jostled
each other in its limits; and in this 1t
seemed to echo the personality of the
woman. Paris and Bagdad met together
The rugs on the floor were Of the
richest that the small hand-looms OF
Persia and Asia Manor could furnish
There were Moorish couches and French
fauteuils.
On one wall was a cluster of weapons
long, old-fashioned Moorish guns, the
stocks inlaid with mother-of- f-pearl, and
hunting-spears; sun of swords each
weapon a radiating shaft of light; a
chased Toledo blade that had perhaps
peen carried by Crusader, a British
army saber. q sailors cutlass. a Malay
kris. and small daggers Of varying
size and shape.
The other walls had things reminis-
cent Of France-one or two little water
colors OF the lower Seine, some pencil
sketches Of boulevard types. AS he
glanced ut these Burroughs had the feel
ing that 1t was among them that ST.
none belonged.
ievards set down in this Oriental scene:
taste Of those French women, but she
ssd In addti9S nt certain eresnsss and
the mystery of the East hung about her.
as the perfume Of hehotrope and red
roses hung on the porueres Of her room.
As he looked at the sketches he recos-
nizec the little pencil-drnwtng that he
had made Of Simone to prove to her
that he was an American artist. 1t was
pinned to the wall a little apart from
the others. Burroughs smiled as he
half duizzical. for he wondered little
at himself.
About the woman he wondered more.
She had made nm impression on him
being who could kill and see killing as
a matter of course. Vet who had been as
tnnder to him as a Red Cross nurse.
She had disordered his imagination.
rose gardens. And. realizing this. he
smiled as he turned to the table.
1t was Uttered with papers and cards
The dice still Law across the black sur
A~2V ~ 40 IL,
nss IKE Ths ssht Of thsm aesSs' maSs hm she
SILVER. Thev recalled too vividIv the
moment when he had crouchcd in the
alcove and heard the cubes rattle on
simone or savary would win.
He still had tho revolver which ST.
none had slipped into his hand when
she entered the alcove. under pretcnse
him Of his danger. Examining 1t. he
found the chambers full.
He was going out into the street in a
moment. and he proposed to take issue
told himself that he mad had enough OF
the business Of fighting when the other
man held all the weapons.
He t'ghtened his belt. removed his
9nTS@n Of anS Wine supes doWn Eht OF sas she
Then showing the pistol into his vest,
where he could get at 1t quickly. he de-
tached from the sword-sun long thin
knife. which he conceived might be
The first door he tried led to a dark
room. The next proved to bo the way
out. 1t led to the upper loggia, and 80
to the stairs that went down into the
court.
1t was dark, and Burroughs advanced
a step at a time. feeling out in front OF
him with his hands and feet He still
had the box of Swedish matches that
he had taken from the room of the
slumbering Moor. but he was averse to
lighting them unless 1t became abso-
AS he reached the lower floor his
hands touched the leaves Of plants.
and somewhere near he could hear the
| faint tinkle of water falling ir a foup-
tain. Here he scratched a me tch. and
the flicker showed him the opening OF
| a passage to the street. A dozen STEPS
along it brought him to the door
II was fastened, and he could not find
Once more the faint match-iame cut
into the darkness He approached II
the edge. where he felt sure there
| should he some sort of fastening.
i here was.
1t was one of thoee exasperating evil
dences of Western civilization which
were bobbing up continually in the near
| East. The door had an American lock
that could be opened from the in or
outside only with key. Apparently
| i
as we'll as to lock them out. Burroughs
realized that both she and SaVsry must
possess keys, for they had both gone
| that way.
lie threw down the charred stick anG
cursed all the lockmakers of Connects
cut. AS he dropped the match. he alsc
dropped the dagger. which fell clink
ing TO the floor. The ring of the stee
! in that silent place. coming on th<
realization that he was locked in, tarret
\ on his nerves horribly, and started hin
| back down the passage at a quickstep
He did not try to recover the blade
| The fear of the prison was on him.
In his haste he stumbled over a palm
I or some plant in the court II woult
not have surprised him now IL some
one had risen out of the dark anc
clutched him by the throat. But 4,
would have gone III with anybody who
had tried IL. His nerves were at the
| hair-trtggar point. and he was holdinl