Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-07-26

up. blond and smoothskinned. True.
he appeared to have been iIl.ied 10
Gently. A little more flesh under the
cheek-bones, touch Of color, and the
lrishman would have been handsome
man. George could read rug a league
on, as they say, but he was a child in
the matter Of physiognomy, whereas
Ryanne was a postmaster in this re-
gard; 1t was necessary both for his
business and safetys
Certainly, I'll take a look at II.
But ! tell you frankly" went on
George, that to interest me it's got
to be a very old one. You see, it's
little fad Of mine, outside the business
end 81 II. I'm crazy over real rugs,
and / know something about every
rare one in existence, or known to ex.
EST. Is i a copy?"
mo. I'll tell you more about II
when we get to my room"
Come on, then" George was. now
quite willing to discuss rugs and car.
pets.
Having gained the room, Ryanne
threw OF his c@t and relighted his
cigar, watch. in a Swing mood. he had
allowed u 90 out. He motioned George
TO be seated.
"Just little yarn bef9re I show you
the rug. See these cufisr
YES"
"You will observe that l have had
to reverse them. Note this collar!
Same thing. Trousers-hems a bit
frayed, cot shiny at the elbows"
Ryalne exhibited his sols fortune
-Four sovereigns between me and a
jan"
George became thoughtful. He was
generous and :kind-hearted among
those he knew intimately or slightly,
but he had the instructive reserve Of
the seasoned traveller in cases like
this. He waited.
The truth is, I'm all but done for
And II | fail to strike a bargain here
with you. Well, 7 should haze
to tell you the result. Our consul
would have to furnish me passage
home. We're you ever up against It to
the extent Of reversing your cuffs and
turning your collars? You don't know
what life IL then"
George gravely produced two good
cigars and offered one to his host.
There was an absence Of sound,
broken presently by the cheerful
cEackle Of matches; two bHlowlng
clouds Of smoke foated outward and
upward. Ryanne sighed. Here was a
cieAr one could not purchase In all the
length and breadth Of tie Orient, a
Pedro Murias In one Of his doubt
fully prosperous epochs he had smoked
them daily. How long ago had that
been?
Yonder Is a rug, prayer.rug, o.
holy to the Moslem as the Mol's eve
Is to the Hindu, as the Bible is to the
Christian. For hundreds of years II
never saw the outside Of the Sultan's
palace. One day the late, the recently
late, Abdul the Unspeakable Turk,
gave 1t to the Pasha Of Bagdad
Whenever this rug makes its appear.
ance In Holy Mecca, II is worshiped,
and Eops but Sultan or a Sultane
favorite may kneel upon It. Bagdad,
the hundred mosques, the old capital
OF Suleiman the Great, the dreary
Tigris and the sluggish Euphrates, a
muezzin from the turret calls to pray.
er, and all tbat; chr o
George leaned forward from hsr
chair, gentle terror in his heart
The Yhiordes! By Jove! is that the
Yhiordes?" n
Admiration kindled in Ryanne't
eyes. To have hit the fuil's-eye with
so free and quick an aim was ample
proof that Percival Algernon had not
boosted when he aAid that he knew
something about rugs.
You've guessed It," ~
s"Hsw did you come By itP George
demanded e2citedly. o.
eWhy do yoG ask thstP
Raa, ten.thousand pounds could
notspurchase that rug, that bit Of car.
pet. Collectors from every pSrt have
been after 1t in vain. And you mean
to tell me that 1t lies there, wrapped
in butchers paperfg
"Risht-Op
Ryanne aOlamnlv dotaShad a n,N