Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-01-09
Praise from Sir Hubert"

| Tut, tut! IL was all my own ltlfS
jaunt, Wallace. should hate to lie to
you about it."
what about the stake gave you?
Ryanne made sign OF dealing
| cards. .s-.."
Threw it away On lot of dubs,
after all I've taught you"
Cards aren't my forte
There's yellow streak in your
hide somewhere, Horace"
There is, but it is the tigers stripe
my friend. What did with the money
is my own business
"Will she allow for that?"
"Would it matter one way or the
other?'
mo. don't suppose it would. Some
| times think you're with us as huge
joke You don't take the game serious
| enough" Wallace emptied his glass
| and tipped the bottle carefully. "You
are out Of your class, somehow"
1907"
Eyes, You have always struck me
as man who was hunting trouble for
one end"
And that?" Ryanne looked inter-
ested.
Wallace drew his finger across his
throat. Ryanne looked him squarely in
the eye and nodded affirmatively.
II don't understand at ALL"
"You never Wills Wallace, old chap.
I am the prodigal son whose brother
ate the fatted calf before returned
! home. had letter today. She will be
here tomorrow sometime. You may
have to go to Port Said, II my little
plan doesn't mature"
| 1.-THE Ludwig?"
Eyes"
"Say, what frau she would make
the right man."
Ryanne did not answer, but glover.
ed at his glass.
1.-THE United Romance and Adven-
ture Company" Wallace twirled his
glass. 1T you're a wonder, she's a mar
vel. A Napoleon in petticoats It does
make q fellow grin when you look it
all over But this is going to be her
Austerlitz or her Waterloo.' And you
really got that rug; and on top of that
you have sold it to George P. A.
Jones! Here's"
MANY happy returns" ironically.
They finished the bottle without
! further talk. There was no convivial-
ity here. Both were fond of good wine
but the more they drank. the tighter
grew their lips. Men who have been In
the habit OF guarding dangerous Sc
crets become taciturn In their cups.
From time to time, fiittingly, there
appeared against one of the windows,
lust above the half-curtain, a lean,
dark face which, In profile, resembled
the kite-the hooked beak, the watch
full preyful eyes. There were two hun
gers written upon that AraD face,
food and revenge.
Allah is good" he murmured.
He had but one eye in use, the other
was bandaged. In fact, the face eXhib-
tied general indications of rough war
| fare, the skin broken on the bridge Of
the nose, a freshly healed cut under
the seeing eye, long strip of plaster
extending from the ear to the mouth.
| There was nothing of the beggar In
| his mien. His lean throat was erect.
his chin protrusive, the set OF his
f.. shoulders proud and defiant. Ordinar-
! lily, the few lingering guides would
rudely have told him to be off about
his business but they were familiar
with all turbans, and in the peculiar
twist of this one, soiled and ragged
though it was, they recognized some
prince from the eastern deserts. Pres
emily he strobe away, but with stiff
ness which they knew came from long
Journeys upon racing camels.
George dreamed that night Of magic
carpets, of sad-eyed maidens, Of fierce
Bedouins. of battles in the desert, Of
GENT swelling terrifically out Of squat
bottles, And once he rose and turned
on the lights to assure himself that
the old Yhiordes was not a part Of
these vivid dreams.
+ He was up shortly after dawn, in
white riding toys, for a final canter to
Mena House and return. In two days
more he would be leaving Egypt be-
hind. Rather glad in one sense, rath-
err sorry in another. Where to put the
rug was problem. He might carry it
in his steamer roll; it would be hand
Ter there than in the bottom of his
trunk, stored away in the ships hold.
Besides his experience had taught him
that steamer rolls were only indiffer-
emily inspected. You will observe that
the luster Of his high ideals was al
ready dimming. He reasoned that In
somuch as he was bound to smuggle
anu lie, IL lulSuL "CH " pan oSAAiS
thing artistically. He wished now
that he was going to spend Christmas
in Cairo; but it was too late to change
his booking without serious loss OF
time and money.
He had light breakfast on the YER
anda of the Mena house, climbed up to
the desert, bantered the donkey boys,
amused himself by watching the de-
scent of some German tourists who
had climbed the big pyramid before
dawn to witness the sunrise, and
threw pennies to the horde of blind
beggars who instantly sWarmed about
him and demanded, In the name OF
Allah, competence for the rest OF
their days. He finally escaped them
by footing it down the incline to the
hotel gardens, where his horse stood
waiting.
1t was long after nine when he slid
from the saddle at the side entrance
of the Semiramis. He was on his way
to the bureau for his key, when an ex-
quisitely gloved hand lightly touched
hic orY,