The Neshoba Democrat., 1913-01-23

and disappeared within. She looked
neither at Ryanne nor at George She
knew that George, his soul filled with
unlucky quixotic sense OF cnivalry
which had made him so easy victim
to her mother, would not accept his
liberty at the price Of Ryanne's, Ry-
anne, to whom he owed nothing. not
even mercy And If she had had to
ask one Of the two, George would
have been the natural selection, for
she trusted him implicitly. Perhaps
there still fingered in her mind rec
objection of how charmingly he had
spoken Of his mother.
She could have set out for Cairo
alone: even as she could have grown
air! The fate that walked behind her
was malevolent, cruel, unjust. She
had wronged no one, in thought or
deed. She had put out her hand conf
IDENTIFY to the world. to be laughed at,
distrusted, or ignored Was 1t pos
sible that little more than a month
ago she wandered, If not happy, in
| the sense she desired, at least in a
J peaceful state Of mind, among her ca
| melias and roses at Mentone? Her
world had been, in this short time,
remolded, reconstructed; where once
had bloomed a garden, now yawned a
chasm: and the psychological earth
quake had left her dizzy. That Ma
homed, now wrought to kind of Ber-
serk rage, might begin reprisals at
once, did not alarm her; indeed her
feeling was rather of dull, aching in
difference. Nothing mattered now.
But Ryanne and George We're keenly
alive to the danger. and both agreed
that Fortune must &C no farther.
Ryanne, under his bitter raillery and
seeming scorn for sacred things, pos
sessed latent magnanimity, and it
now pushed up through the false lay
ers. Jones, it's my funeral. Go tell
her. You two can find the way back
to the canal, and once there you will
have no trouble Don't bother your
head about me-"
"But what will you do?"
Take my medicine" grimly.
"Ryanne, you are offering the cow
ardly part to mel"
You fool, it's the girl. What do
/ care about the rest Of it? You're
as brave as lion. When you put up
your fists the other night, you solved
that puzzle for yourself. For Gods
sake, do 1t while have the courage
to let you! Don't you understand?
love. that girl better than my hearts
blood. and Mahomed can have 1t drop
by drop. Go and go quicklyl He will
give you food and water"
"You go. She knows you better
than me-"
But will she trust me as she will
you? Percival, old top, Mahomed will
never let me go till he's taken his
pound of flesh. Fortune!" Ryanne
called. Fortune, We want you'll"
She appeared at the flap of the tent.
Jones here will go back with you.
Go, both of you, before Mahomed
changes his mind"
Miss Chedsoye, he is wrong. He's
the one to go. He was hurt worse
than l was. Pride doesn't matter at
time like this. You two CO." des-
perately
Fortune shook her head. Cali or
none Of us; all or none of u.s." she re-
peated.
And Mahomed, having witnessed
and overheard the scene, laughed, a
laughter identical to that which had
struck the barmaid's ears sinisterly.
He had not studied his white man
without gathering some insight into
his character. Neither OF these men
| was poltroon. And when he had
made the offer, he knew that the con.
| ditions would erect a barrier over
which none of them would pass vol
UNFAIRLY. So much for pride as the
| Christian dogs knew it. Pride is q
| fine buckler; none knew that better
than Mahomed himself; but a wise
man does not wear it at all times.
"What is it to be?" he demanded
Of Fortune.
What shall I say to him."
Whatever you will" Ryanne was
tired. He saw that argument would
be of no USE
"All or none of u.s." And Fortune
| looked at Mahomed with all the pride
Of her race. "It Is not because YOU
wish me to be free; it is because YOU
wish to see one Of my companions
made base in my eyes. 1 will not have
it,"
"The will of Allah" He could not
repress the fire of admiration In his
own eyes as they took in her beauty.
the erect, slender figure, the scorn
upon her face, and the fearlessness in
her great, dark eyes. Such woman
might have graced the palace of the
Great Caliph. He had had In mind
many little cruelties to practice upon
her, that he might see the men writhe
impotent and helpless to aid her. But
in this tense and dramatic scene. q
sense of shame took possession of
him; his pagan heart softened. not