The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-01-18

MouSLao1Se11o Can rely upon my
service to any extent" 1 answered.
The woman's attitude, which had
been of measured hostility, suddenly
altered. :,
Il believe you," she cried. IT do
not care who you are. There is five
minutes yet before WI need start. Sit
down; l will be brief. II at the end
of my narrative you decide that I am
not worthy of aid"
1T is not necessary to tell me-" I
protested.
She flushed. 'But I do not choose
to be a beggar under false pretenses,"
she cried. Il am the Princess Kha-
dijah Kassim. I e the name conveys
no meaning to you"
ION the contrary" I answered, 'the
name of Khadijah Kassim's father
was famous in the Punjaub."
"You have been in India?" she cried.
II was an officer in the Indian
army"
Nothing could be better. Listen,
then, and I will be as speedy as pos
sible. When my father was old he
foresaw that upon his death, since he
had no son, Prince Rakkim Khan
would seize upon the throne of Belu-
chistan. The prince demanded my
hand in marriage in order to obtain
the throne with me. To avoid him,
my father sent me to Paris to be edu-
Gated, together with my maid here, in
a convent. There we spent five years
together. Meanwhile he begged the
British government to declare a pro-
tectorate over his kingdom and to
acknowledge me as his heir. The ne
gotiations dragged. My father died
suddenly last November. Rakkim
Khan sent troops into Beluchistan and
seized the throne. Then, having Sc
cured his position, he came boldly to
London to justify himself with the
British government. You have heard
he was here?"
The papers had been full Of the visit
of this eastern prince; had We'd with
one another in publishing stories of
his magnificence, his cruelty, his
chivalry, his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES all,
his passion for chess. Only that day,
l knew, he had had an interview with
the king.
ION the way he sent ENJOYS to
Paris. They presented forged Gre
dentials from my father, of whose
death I was unaware. I went with
them; they delivered me into the
princes hands in this house, to which
l came expecting to meet my father.
He holds me here in captivity and
every day he plaques me to marry
him, to place his right to the throne
beyond dispute. And his old abbot
disputes with me upon the duties of
u religion, showing how a woman
may have no say against such a
suitor."
1 had heard of the abbot too, the
fanatical Mullah of Seistan, who had
much the same rank among the Mo-
hammedan hierarchy as a bishop holds
with us.
"This afternoon, in the fog, I learned
that a way of escape lay open. The
slave who guards me accompanied his
master. The prince was oversure Of
me. Help me to fly to my own coun-
try and will reward you richly"
when will the prince return?" I
asked.
cat any moment" she replied,
wringing her hands.
Yet she remained there helplessly
and seemed to make no effort to es-
cape. 1t would have been inexplicable
in a European; but l understood how
far divorced is the life Of an oriental
lady from all action. Accustomed to
have their every move anticipated by
a host of slaves, in moments of peril,
when they have to shift for them
selves, they seem to be affected by q
sort of paralysis.
"Come, then," I exclaimed impa-
tiently. snatched up a fur travelling
cloak which l perceived lying upon a
chair, and wrapped it around her. She
turned to her grip, in which she had
been trying to pack some foolish and
unnecessary articles; a big doll, sweet
meats, a dog collar studded with
pearls. I took the portmanteau from
her by force. There is no time for
it," I said. "This way!" And 1 fairly
hustled the two women into the cor
ridor and, taking each by one arm, de-
scended the stairs with them. At the
bottom the maid seemed to take cour-
age; she released herself and, run
ming ahead, opened the door which
communicated with the garden. It
was night, and the fog was clearing;
stars shone family through the moving
wrack. A carriage rolled up to the en-.
trance and stopped. We ran down the
garden and pulled at the gate which
led into the street. It swung back
and, blocking the entrance, I saw Rak-
kim Khan himself. and the Mullah, in
his green turban.
An evil smile swept across the
princes features. He understood the
situation perfectly. Twice in one
day." l heard him mutter in Punjaubi,
though I did not understand the sig
n~ifcance of the phrase. For one mo-
ment he stood as though paralyzed
with rage; then he whipped a short
sword from under his cloak. That
moment of delav saved nv life