The Mena weekly star., 1913-06-19

II l give you the rug" fnterposed Fortune, Twill you promise freedom to IS all?'
 Mahomed stepped back, nonplussed Sle hadn't expected any information from this quarter.
 q have the rug" declared Fortune calmly, though she could scarcely hear her own voice, her heart beat so furiously.
 You have it?" Mahomed was con fused. Here was turn in the road upon which he had set no calculation. All three of them!
 'Yes. And upon condition that you liberate us all, 1 will put it into your hands. But it must be my writing this time"
 A white man would have blushed under the reproach of her look. Ma homed smiled amiably pleased over his cleyerness. Where is the ki5- weh?"
 "The kisweh?"
 "The Holy Yhiordes. Where is it?"
 That l refuse to tell you Your word of honor first, to bind the bar gain"
 Ryanne laughed. It acted upon Ma. homed like goad, He raised the whip, and had Ryanne's gaze swerved the part of an inch, the blow would have fallen.
 You laugh?" snarled Mahomed.
 'Why, yes. A bargain with your honor makes me laugh"
 And your honor?" returned Ma homed fiercely. He wondered why he held his hand. "I have matched trick cry against trickery. My honor has not been called. I fed you, I gave you drink; in return you lied to me, dishonored me in the eyes of my friends, and one of them you killed"
 'It was my life or his," exclaimed Ryanne, not relishing the recital of this phase. "It 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. I read truth in your eyes. Bring me the rug, and my word of h"-or to you, you shall go free"
 But my friends?"
 "One of them" Mahomed laughed unpleasantly. It was an excellent idea. "One of them shall go free with you. It will be for you to choose which. Now, you dog, laugh, laugh!" and the tongue of the kurbash bit the dust | or
 What shall I do?" asked Fortune miserably.
 Accept" urged Ryanne. "If you are afraid to choose one or the other of us, Jones and I will spin a coin"
 'I agree" said George, very unhap- py.
 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 it.
 You write" said Mahomed to For tune.
 q intend to-" Fortune took the card and pencil and wrote as follows: "Mother: Horace, MT. Jones and are | prisoners of the man who owned tho rug which you will find in the large steamer-roll. Give 1t to the courier who brings this card. And under no circumstances set spies upon his | track" In French she added: "We are bound for Bagdad. In case Mo | named receives the rug and we are not liberated, wire the embassy at Constantinople and the consulate at Bagdad FORTUNE"
 She gave it to Mahomed.
 Read it out loud" he commanded. 1 While he spoke English fuently, he could neither read nor write it in any serviceable degree. The note he had given to Fortune had been written by a friend of his in the bazaars who had upon a time lived in New York. For tune read slowly, slightly flushing as she evaded the French script.
 That will do," Mahomed agreed.
 He shouted for one of the boys, bade 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, saddled 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 a dip and was gone from view. In the minds of the three watchers the same question rose: would he be too late? George was cheerful enough thereafter, but his cheerfulness was not of the infectious 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 evaporated, and he felt only bruised, old, disheartened. An evil day for him when he had set forth for Bagdad in quest of the rug. He was confident that there would be no rug awaiting the courier, and what would be Mahomed's procedure when the boy returned empty-handed was not difficult to imagine. Mahomed was right; so far honor had not en- tered into the contest. According to his lights, the Arab was only paying coin for coin. But for the girl, Ky anne would have accepted the situa- ton with a shrug, to await that mo- ment when Mahomed. eased by the sense of security. would naturally re- lax vigilance. The presence of For tune changed the whole face of the | 1,s and heart if he would but spare her.