Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1912-09-26

under hand. To make a tool OF Ma
homed, if not an ally, toward this he
directed his effort Half dozen times,
Mahomed dropped word in Arabic to
the other two, who understood little or
no English.
$50, you see. Mahomed, that's the
way the matter stands. I'm not 80
much to blame as you think. Here
this man Jones has me in a wise. II
do not get this bit of carpet, off | go,
into the dark, into nothing. handled
you roughly, know. But could I help
it? 1t was my throat or yours. You're
no chicken. You and that other chap
made things exciting"
Mahomed accepted this compliment
to his prowess in silence. Indeed, he
gazed dreamily over Ryanne's head.
The other fellow wouldn't trouble any
one again To Mahomed it had not
been the battle, man to man; it had
been the guile and trickery leading
up to it. He had been bested at his
own game, duplicity, and that irked
him. Death, he, as his kind, looked
upon with Oriental passivity. All,
we'll! The game was to Lave a Sec
ond inning, and he proposed to play
1t in strictly Oriental ways.
"How much did he give you for it p
The expression upon Ryanne's face
would have deceived any one but Ma
homed. "Give for it," Indignantly.
why, that's the whole trouble. All
my trouble, all the hard work, and
not plaster, not plaster! Can't you
understand, had to do it?''
'Ts he going to sell it?"
"Sell it? Not he! He's a collector,
and crazy over the thing"
Mahomed nodded. He knew some
thing of the habits of collectors. "Is
he still in Cairo, and where may he
be found?"
Ryanne began to believe that the
game was going along famously; Ma
homed was sure of it.
"He is George P. A. Jones, of Morti-
mer & Jones, rich rug dealers of New
York. Money no object"
Though his face did not show it, Ma
homed was singularly depressed by
this news. If this man Jones had
money, of what use was his little pack
ct of notes?
"I must have that rug, effendi.
There are two reasons; it is holy, and
the loss of it means my head
"Good riddance!" thought Ryanne, q
sympathetic look upon his face.
"What have you to suggest in the
way OF plan?" asked Mahomed.
Ryanne felt a Jingle Of jubilation.
He saw nothing but plain-sailing into
port But Mahomed had arranged to
guide his craft into the whirlpool. I'm
to himself he kept up a ceaseless re-
iteration of-"Patience, patience, pa
tience!"
Said Ryanne: "You do not care how
you get the rug, SO long as you do get
it?"
mo, effendi." Mahomed smiled.
"a little rough work wouldn't dis
turb your
mo, 1t would not"
well, then, listen to me. Suppose
you arrange to take my friend Jones
into the desert for a little trip. Be
his dragoman for while. In fact,
kidnap him, abduct him, steal him.
You can hold him in ransom for the
rug and a nice little sum Of money
besides"
Can they do such things these days
in Cairo?"
s'Why not?"
"Truly, why not?" Mahomed sat
thoughtfully studying the outrageous
prints Oh the cracked walls. Had he
dared he would have laughed. And
he had thought this dog cunning be-
yond all his kind! 81 agree. But the
arrangements l must leave to you.
Bring him here at nine o'clock to-
the table impressively, "and I will
give you one hundred pounds Eng
lish."
Ryanne quickly assumed the express
sion needed to meet such splendid
news. Il say, Mahomed, that is pretty
square, after what has passed between
u.s."
1T is nothing, gallantIy.
If Ryanne laughed in his sleeve, Ma
homed certainly found ample room in
his for such silent and figurative each
innations. He knew very well that
Ryanne had received a goodly sum for
his adventure. No man took his life
in his hand to cancel an obligation
which was not based upon disinterest-
ed friendship; and already the man
had disavowed any such quality. Also,
he had not been a seller Of rugs HIM
self, or guardian of the Yhiordes all
these years, without having had some
contact with collectors. Why, if there
was one person dear at this moment
to Mahomed El-Gebel's heart, it was
this man sitting opposite. And he
wanted him far more eagerly than the
rug; only, the rug must be regained,
for its loss was a passport into para
disc; and he wasn't quite prepared to
| be received by the hours.
"Mr. Jones, then, shall be here
promptly at nine," declared Ryanne,
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