Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-28
KEW-:9G TIE
QEIES
ARomance Of Adventure
by TALBOT T1L7NDY

I
If the crowd knew that symptom well,
it drew its breath in sharply and grew
very stll.
"Muhammad Anim!" she said, and
she might have been wooing him.
THAT was devils trick"
1t was rather an astounding state
ment, coming from lovely lips in such
a setting. 1t was rather suggestive of
drivers whiplash. flcled through the
air for beginning Muhammad Amin
! continued glaring and did not answer
her. so in her own good time, when she
had tossed her golden hair back once
or twice again, she developed her
meaning.
1--WE who are free of Khinjan caves
do not send men out to bring recruits.
We know better than to bid our men
tell lies for others at the gate. Nor,
seeking proof for our new recruit. do
We send men to hunt a head for him
not even those of us who have lash
kar that we call our own, mulah Mn
hanmad Amin! Each of US earns his
own way in ~
The mullah Muhammad Amin began
to stroke his beard, but he made no an.
swer.
"And--mulah Muhammnd Amin,
/ thou wandering man Of God-when
that laShkar has fooliShly been sent
and has failed is it written in the Kala.
mullah saying we should pretend there
was a head. and that the head vas
stolen? A lie is Il lie, Niuhamlnad
Amin Wandering perhaps is good, il
in search of the way. Is it good to
lose the way, and TO lie, thou true fol.
lower of the Prophet?"
She smiled tossing her hair back.
Her eyes challenged, her lips Knocked
him and her chin scorned. The crowd
breathed hard and watched. The mul.
Iah muttered something in hik beard,
and sat down. and the crowd began to
roar applause at her. But she checked
1t with regal gesture, and Il glance
of contempt at the mulah that was
alone worth journey across the
Hills" to see.
Guards" she said quietly. And
the crowds sigh then was like the night
wind in a forest.
"Away with those three of Muham-
mad Anim's men ~
Twelve of the arena guards threw
down their shields with sudden elat-
ter and seized, the prisoners. four to
each. The crowd shvered with de-
licious anticipation. The doomed men
neither struggled nor cried, for fatal
ism is an anodyne as we'll as an explo-
sive. King set his teeth. Yasmini, with
both hands behind her head, continued
to smile down on them all as sweetly
as the stars shine on a battlefield.
She nodded once; and then all was
over In minute. With a ringing "Ho -
and run, the guards lifted their vic
tins shoulder high and bore them for
ward. AT the river bank they paused
for second to swing them. Then. with
another "fIo!" they threw them like
dead rubbish into the swift black VIC.
ter.
There was only one wild scream that
went echoing and re.cchoing to the
roof. There was scarcely splash.
and no extra ripple at all. No heads
came up again to gasp. NO fingers
clutched at the surface. The fearful
speed of the river sucked them under,
to grind and churn and pound them
through long caverns underground and
hurl them at last over the great cata.
ract toward the middle of the world.
'"Ah-h-h-h-h" sighed the crowd in
ecstasy.
rs there no other strangely" asked
Yasmini, searching for King again with
her amazing eyes. The skin all down
his back turned there and then into
goosetlesh. And as her eyes met his
she laughed like bell at him. She
knew! She knew who he was, how he
had entered, and how he felt. Not a
doubt Of it!