The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1912-11-30

deeply and passionately as any sto
rfed knight loved his lady: loved hel
without thought Of reward, unselfish
~. with great and tender pity. for un
consciously he saw that she, like he
was all alone, not only here in the
desert, but along the highways where
men set up their dwellings,.
Mahomed, having an eye upon all
things, though apparently seeing only
that which was under his immediate
concern. saw the young mans inten
ton, and more, read the secret in hia
face. He was infinitely amused
There were two Of them, so it seemed,
Quietly he slipped in between George
and the girl, and his movement freed
Georges mind OF It's bewilderment
Unhesitatingly, he flung himself upon
the Arab, striving to reach the lean,
brown throat. Mahomed, strong and
unwearied, having no hand in the ac
tual warfare. thrust George back 80
vigorously that the young man lost
his balance and fell prone upon the
sand. He was SO weak that the fall
stunned him. Mahomed stepped for
ward, doubtless with the generous i'm,
pulse to prove that in the matter Of
kicks he desired to show no partial
ity, when a hand caught at his bur
mouse. He paused and looked down
It was the girl.
Don't! A brave man would not dc
that"
Mahomed. moved by some feeling
that eluded immediate analysis
turned about. 1t was time to be off,
II he wished to reach serapeum the
following night. Pursuit he knew ia
be out Of the question, since who
was there to know that there was any,
thing to pursue? But many miles in,
tervened between here and his desti
nation. He dared not enter Serapeum
in the daytime. Lying upon the canal
bank as 1t did, the possibility Of en-.
counterinig a stray white man con.
fronted him. Every camel-way fire.
quented by Europeans must Of ne
cessity be avoided. every town Of any
size skirted, and all the while he must
keep parallel with known paths or be-
come lost himself Not to become
lost himself, that was his real con,
Germ. The caravan was provisioned
for months, and he knew Asia Minor
as we'll az the lines upon his palms,
There wore sand-storms, too; but
against these blighting vieitations he
would match his vigilant eye and the
instinct Of the camels. The one way
In which these peculiar storms might
distress him lay in the total oblitera.
tion Of the way-signs, certain rocks,
certain hills, without the guidance OF
which, like a good ship bereft of Its
compass, he might fall away from his
course. notwithstanding that he would
always travel toward the sun.
And there was also the vital ques.
ton Of water; he must measure the
time between each we'll. each oasis.
So. then, aside from these dangers
with which he felt able to cope. there
was one unforeseen: the chance meet.
ing with wandering caravan headed
by white men in search of rugs and
carpets. These fools were eternally
hunting about the wastes of the
world: they were never satisfied un.
less they we're prowling into countries
where they had no business to be, vera
always breaking the laws Of the ca
liphs and the Koran.
The girl was beautiful in her pale,
foreign way; beautiful as the star OF
the morning, As the first rose Of the
Persian spring; and he sighed for
the old days that were no more. She
would have brought a sultan's ransom
in the markets. But the accursed
Feringhi were everywhere, and these
siokly II handsome white women were
more to them than their hearts blood !;
why. he had never ceased to wonder.
But upon this knowledge he had
mapped out his plan Of torture in re.
gard to Ryanne. The idea of selling
Fortune had dimly formed in his
mind, while his blood had burned in
anger; but today's soberness showed
him the futility of such a procedure.
He would have to make the best of a
foolish move; for the girl would
eventually prove an encumbrance. At
any rate. he would wiring one white
mans heart till 1t beat dry In his
breast. That her health might be ru.
ired, that she might sicken and die,
In no manner aroused his pity. This
attribute was destined never to be
awakened in Mahomed's heart.
The kisweh, the kiaweh, always the
Holy Yhiordes; that he must have,
even II he had to forego the pleasure
of breaking Ryanne. He was too old
to start life anew; at least. too old