The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1912-09-05
-mn.le Is the Ais'

ne KlSWen
"The Holy Yhiordes. Where is It'll.
THAT / refuse to tell you. YOU
word of honor first, to bind the bar
gain.''
Ryanne laughed. It acted upon Ma
homed like a goad. He raised the
whip, and had Ryanne's gaze swerve6
the part of an inch, the blow woule
have fallen.
you laugh?" snarled Mahomed.
"Why, yes. A bargain with -cll
honor makes me laugh"
"And your honor?" returned Ma
homed fiercely. He wondered wiz ht
held his hand. 81 have matched trick
cry against trickery. Ny honor has
not been called. l fed you, | save
you drink; in return you lied to me
dishonored me in the eyes Of my
friends, and one of them you killed
ct 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?i
Mahomed sought her eyes. Yes.
read truth in your eyes. Bring NJ
the rug, and my word of ho~or to yo,:
you shall go free"
But my friends?"
Zone of them" Mahomed 1aughe
unpleasantly. II was an excellent ideis
"One Of them shall go free with yo's
It will be for you to choose whicl
Now, you dog, laugh, Taught" and Ii.
tongue Of the kurbash bit the 6u:
within an inch Of Ryanne's feet.
"What shall I do?" asked Forum
miserably.
Accept" urged Ryanne. eff ycs
are afraid to choose one or the cthe.
Of us Jones and i will spin a coin"
81 agree" said George, very unhal.
py.
"Have you any paper, Jones?'.
George searched. He found th
! dance-card to the ball at the hotel.
another pocket he discovered the littl
pencil that went with it,
"You write" said Mahomed to Fo:
tune.
81 intend to-" Fortune took the car,
and pencil and wrote as follows:
Mother: Horace, Mr.. Jones and ar.
| prisoners Of the man who owned tn
rug which you will find in the larg
steamer-roll. Give it to the courie
who brings this card. And under n
circumstances set spies upon hi
track" In French she added: "W
are bound for Bagdad. In case NJ
hamed receives the rug and we a
not liberated, wire the embassy
Constantinople and the consulate .
Bagdad. FORTUNE"
She gave it to Mahomed.
"Read it out loud" he commando
While he spoke English fluently, +
| could neither read nor write it in an
serviceable degree. The note he ha
| given to Fortune had been written b
! friend of his in the bazaars who ha
upon a time lived in New York. Flo
tune read slowly, slightly flushing e
she evaded the French script.
"That will do" Mahomed agreed.
He shouted for one of the boy
bade him saddle the hagin or racin !.
camel, which of all those twelve, alol I
was his, and be off to Cairo. The b /
dipped mis- bowl into the kettle, u
| greedily, saddled the camel, and Fl 4
minutes later was speeding ba II
toward Cairo at gait that wol Il
bring him there late that night. II
Fortune and George and Ryan +,
watched him till he disappeared bel \,
dip and was gone from view.
| the minds of the three watchers 81
same question rose: would he be
late? George was cheerful enol!p
thereafter, but his cheerfulness :,
not of the infectious kind.
| At noon the caravan was once ril:
upon its way. Ryanne was 'ableia
ride. The fumes Of whatever 6tS.
| had been administered to him s
finally evaporated, and he felt Il
bruised, old, disheartened. An
day for him when he had set f't
| for Bagdad in quest of the rug.
was confident that there would bte
| rug awaiting the courier, and VI
would be Mahomed's procedure VI
the boy returned empty-handed
not difficult to imagine. Mahos
was right; so far honor had not +,
tered into the contest. Accordins
| his lights, the Arab was only pa 81
| coin for coin. But for the girl,
anne would have accepted the S
ton with a shrug, to await that
ment when Mahomed, eased by
sense of security, would naturally
lax vigilance. The presence of
tune changed the whole face of
affair. Mahomed could have his
and heart if he would but spare H.
He must be patient; he must atGs
insults, even physical violence,
some day he and Mahomed would Z
the final round. 81
| His past, his foolish, futile past
the follies, all the petty crimes
the low designations in which he
INDUCED, seemed trooping about
camel, hooking and gibbering at b
Why hadn't he lived clean like
there? Why hadn't he fought t
tation as he had fought men?
ronment was no excuse; bringir5H
offered no palliation; he had $
wrong simply because his inclina
4