Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-13

the prisoner, underwent a change--he would
investigate further.
What are you doing poaehing in my
country" he growled. tI
u was not aware that you owned Africa /"
replied the Hon. Morrison. ~ was searching
Tor young woman who had been abducted
from the home of a friend The abductor
wounded me and drifted down river in a
canoe-I was on my way back to his cann
when your men seized me-"
"A young woman?" asked the sheik "Is
that she2" and he pointed to his left over
toward clump of bushes near the stock
ade.
Baynes looked in the direction indicated,
and his eyes went wide, for there sitting
cross-legged upon the ground, her back to-
ward them, was Meriem.
'Merem ' he shouted, starting toward
her; but one of his guards grasped his arm
and jerked him back. The girl leaped to her
feet and turned toward him as she heard
her name.
Morrison !" she cried.
BE still and stay where you are !"
snapped the sheik and then to Baynes
so you are the dog of Christian who
stole my daughter from me2"
Your daughter?" calculated Baynes.
She Is your daughter7"
"She is my daughter" growled the Arab,
and she is not for any unbelever. You
have earned death, Englishman; but IL you
can pay for your life l will give It to you"
Baynes eyes were still wide at the unex-
pected sight of Meriem here in the camp of
the Arab when he had thought her in Han
sons" power. What had happened7 How
had she escaped the Swede7 Had the Arab
taken her by force from him, or had she
come voluntarily back to the protection OF
the man who called her daughter?
He would have given much for word
with her If she was safe here he might
harm 10 hN Dt 81 ha n
an attempt to take her away and return her
to her English friends. No longer did the
Hon. Morrison harbor thoughts of Turing the
girl to London.
''Well?" asked the sheik
oh" exclaimed Baynes II beg your par
don-I was thinking of something else
Why, yes of course glad to pay, I'm sure
How much do you think I'm worth?"
The sheik named a sum that was rather
less exorbitant than the Hon. Morrison had
anticipated. The latter nodded his head in
token of his entire willingness to pay He
would have promised sum far beyond his
resources just as readily, for he had no In.
tention of paying anything-hs one reason
for seeming to comply with the sheik's de.
mands was that the wait for the coming oi
the ransom money would give him the time
and the opportunity to free Meriem If he
found that she wished to be freed
The Arabs statement that he was hel
father naturally raised the question in the
Hon Morison's mind as to precisely wha
the girls attitude toward escape might be
1t seemed, of course preposterous that this
fair and beautiful young woman should pre-
fer to remain in the filthy douar of an illit
crate old Arab, rather than return to tht
comforts, luxuries and congenial associa
tions of the hospitable African bungalow
from which the Hon. Morrison had trickeC
her.
The man flushed at the thought of his
duplicity which these recollections aroused
thoughts which were interrupted by tn,
sheik, who instructed the Hon. Morrison t
write a letter to the British consul at AL
gers, debating the exact phraseology of i
with a fluency that indicated to his captive
that this was not the first time the ole
rascal had occasion to negotiate with Eng
lsh relatives for the ransom of a klnsman.
Baynes demurred when he saw that tn,
letter was addressed to the consul at AL
gers, saying that it would require the bot
ter part of a year to get the money back t
him: but the sheik would not listen t