Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-01-24

With an euort entailing no meager
pain In his side, he stilled the strasg-
ling hiccoughs. swung round and tried
to smile reassuringly at the girl.
You are better?" she asked.
There was in the tone OF that CUES
ton ar answer to all his dreams. Ona
nights work had given him his ticket
to the land OF those weighed end
found wanting. She knew; how much
he did not care; enough to read his
guilt.
1t appeared to George that she was
accepting the situation with a philos-
ophy deeper than either his or Ry-
anne's. Not a whimper, not q plant,
not a protest so far had she NADIA
She was a Roland in petticoats.
"Oh, I'm dashed up a Bit" said Ry-
anne. IN get my legs in a day or
SO. Fortune. will you answer one
question:"
"As many as you like"
How did you get here?
Don't you know"
George wasn't certain, but the girls
| voice was cold and accusing.
~"
Eyes, Wasn't It the note that You
wrote to mo-"
Ryanne took his head in his hands.
YEARLY. IL wrote you no note, For
tune; | have never written you q note
Of any kind. You do not know my
handwriting from Adams. In Gods
name, why didn't you ask your mother
or your uncle? They would have rec
ognized the forgery at nee. Who
gave It to your"
"Mahomed himself"
Damn him!" Ryanne grew strong
under the passing 40 Of rage. mo.
don't tell me to be silent. don'tNcare
about myself. I'm the kind Of a man
who pulls through. generally. But
this takes the spine out Of me. I'm
to blame; It's all my fault"
Say no more about It," She be-
lieved him. She really hadn't thought
him capable Of such baseness. though
at the time Of her abduction she had
been inclined to accuse him. That
he was here, a prisoner like herself.
was conclusive evidence, so far as che
was concerned. OF his innocence. hut
she knew him TO be responsible for
the presence OF Jones; knew him to
be culpable of treachery Of the mean.
est order; knew him to be lacking In
generosity and m%agnanimity toward o
man who was practically his benefao
tor. what does Mahomed want"
THE bally rug, Fortune. And Jones
here, who had 1t, says that It Is gone"
Vanished. magic-carpet-wiss." sup
Aemented George.
"And Jones would have given It ups
"And a thousand like It. II we could
have bought you out Of this"
Jones and l could have managed
to get along"
I'VE shouldn't have mattered."
"And would you have returned u
Mr.. Jones his thousand pounds?"
Eyes, and everything else ! have"
quite honestly.
Don't worry any more about tho
rug, then. | know where 1t is."
your" cried the two
Eyes. | stole 1t. | did so, thinking
to avert this very hour; to save o
from HARM" to George. "and you IRON
doing a contemplate thing" to Ry
anne. 1T Is In my room, done up In
the big steamer-roll. And now I am
glad that ! stole It,"
Ryanne laughed weakly,
Said George soberly; What con
temptible thing?" He remembered
Mahomed's words In regard to Ry'
anne as the latter lay insensible In
the sand.
Ryanne, quick to seize the opportu'
nifty of solving, to his own advantage
the puzzle for George, and at the samS
time guiding Fortune away from q
topic, the danger Of which she knew
nothing, raised a hand. 81 bribed Ms
homed to kidnap you, Jones. Don't
be impatient. You laughed at Inc
when l laid before you the prospectuS
OF the United Romance and Adven
ture Company. | wished to prove ia
you that the concern existed. And sd
here is your adventure upon approval
| thought, Of course, you still had the
rug. Mahomed was to carry you into
the desert for a week, and by that
time you would have surrendered the
rug, returned to Cairo, the hero Of q
%fullfedged adventure. Lord! what o
mess Of 1t I've made. | forgot. next
to this bally rug, Mahomed loved me-"
The hitherto credulous George had
Of late begun to look into facts In
stead Of dreams. He did not bellows
d word Of this amazing confession, dc.
spite the additional testimony Of For
tune, relative to Ryanne's statements
made to her in the bazaars.
THE bitter bitten" was Georges
sole comment.
Ryanne breathed easier.
CTo BE CoNTINUED)
ALL -