Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-19
CHAPTER XIV-Continued.

/ OAA1 4Gn AxV7OOuG lAuCVs
you laugh?' snarled Mahomed
why, yes. A bargain with Your honor
! makes me laugh
| And your honor?' returned Mahomed.
| fiercely. He wondered why he held his
hand. Il have matched trickery against
| trickery My honor has not been called
fed you / gave you drink: in return
you lied to me. dishonored me in the
/ eyes of my friends and one Of them you
killed.
| 1T was my life or his. exclaimed
Ryanne, not relishing the recital of this
phase. 1T was my life or his. and he
/, was upon my back
Fortune shuddered. Presently she laid
| her hand upon Mahomed's arm. Would
| you take my word Of honor?'
| Mahomed sought her eyes Yes.
read truth in your eyes Bring me the
| rug. and my word of honor to YOU, you
| shall go free"
But my friends?''
lone of them Mahomed laughed un-
pleasantly 1t was an excellent idea
| "One of them shall go free with YOU 1t
will he for YOU to choose which Now,
you dog laugh. laugh" and the tongue
| of the kurbash bit the dust within an
/ inch of Ryannes feet.
/ What shall / doc" asked Fortune, mis-
erably.
| Accept" urged Ryanne. IF you are
| afraid to choose one or the other of us,
Jones and I will spin a COIN
| II agree, said George, very unhappy.
Have you any paper. Jones?''
/ George searched. He found the dance
card to the ball at the hotel. In another
! pocket he discovered the little pencil that
went with 1t.
.You write said Mahomed to Fortune
! Il intend to- Fortune took the card
and pencil and wrote as follows:
y
prisoners of the man who owned the rug,
| which you will find in the large steamer
roll. Give it to the courier who brings
| this card. And under no circumstances
! set spies upon his track" In French she
added: I'VE are bound for Bagdad. In
| case Mahomed receives the rug and we
are not liberated wire the embassy at
Constantinople and the consulate at Bag
4 dad. FORTUNE"
! She gave it to Mahomed.
| Read 1t out aloud" he commanded.
While he spoke English f1uently, he could
able degree. The note he had given to
! Fortune had been written by friend OF
his in the bazaars who had upon a time
| lived i'm New York Fortune read slowly.
slightly flushing as she evaded the French
script.
THAT will do" Mahomed agreed.
| He shouted for one of his boys babe
| him saddle the hagin or racing camel,
which of all those twelve alone was his.
and be off to Cairo. The boy dipped his
bowl into the kettle. ate greedily, saddIed
J the camel. and five minutes later was
speeding back toward Cairo, at a gait that
would bring him there late that night
/ Fortune and George and Ryanne
watched him till he disappeared below
dip and was gone from view. In the
minds of the three watchers the same
| question rose-would he he too late?
| George was cheerful enough thereafter
81 anrfI nf fhn in
1 fectious kind.
:! At noon the caravan was once more
| upon its way. Ryanne was able to ride.
The fumes of whatever drug had been
administered to him had finally evap-
| grated. and he felt only bruised. old. dis
leartened An evil day for him when he
had set forth for Bagdad in quest of the
| rug. He was confident that there would
! he no rug awaiting the courier and what
! would be Mahomeds procedure when the
boy returned empty handed was not diff
| cult TO imagine. Mahomed was right. SO
| far honor had not entered into the con-
| test According to his lights. the Arab
| was only paying coin for coin. But for
/ the girl Ryanne would have accepted the
situation with shrug, TO await that mo-
ment when Mahomed, eased by the sense
Of security. would naturally relax viei-
; lance. The presence of Fortune changed
/ the whole face Of the affair. Mahomed
| could have his eyes and heart if he would
but spare her. He must be patient; he
ilUSI accept 1HSuIS, even physical
lence, but some day he and Mahomed
would play the final round.
! His past, his foolish, futile past-all the
follies, all the petty crimes. all the low
designations in which he had indulged
seemed trooping about his camel, mock
ing and gibbering at him. Why hadn't
he lived clean like Jones there? Why
hadn't he fought temptation as he had
fought men: Environment was no ex-
cuse: bringing up offered no paliation:
he S.ir ,r,ly- ln, l.;
fluctuations had been wrong. On the
other hand. no one had ever tried to help
him back to decent living. His mother
had died during his childhood and her
influence had left no impression. His
father had been a money maker. con-
sumed by the pleasure of building up
pyramids of gold. He had never rea-
soned with his youngest born: he had
paid his bills without protest or reproach:
it was so much a month to be written
down in the expense account. And the
first born had been his natural enemy
since the days of the nursery. Still. he
could not acquit himself; his own ar
/ raignment was keen as any Judge
could have made. Strong as he was
physically, brilliant as he was mentally.
there was mortal weakness in his blood
and search as he might the history of
8 his ancestors, their lives shed NO light
upon his own.
In stating that his face had been
/ granted that dubious honor and concern
| of the perpetrators of the rogues gal
lery. he had merely given rein to a
ri truth enough in the statement that he
had been short in his accounts many
i thousands at his fathers bank; gambling
l debts; and in making no effort to replace
e the loss he was soon found out by his
Y brother, who seemed only too glad to
? dishonor him. He was given his choice
t tn sign over his million. due him a year
later (for at this time the father was