Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-05

have lived for centuries by pressing
oil for Khinjan caves" she said. ''The !
Sleeper fetched his oil thence. The /,
Sleeper left gold in here. Those who /
kept the Sleeper's secret paid for the /
oil In gold. No Afghan troubled why
oil was needed, so long as gold paid
for it. And know where the Sleeper
dug his gold.'
They sat in silence for long while
after that, she looking at the table. !
with its ink and pens and paper. and
he thinking. with hands claSped round
one knee; for it Is wiser to think than
to talk, even when "A woman is near
who can read thoughts that are not
guarded.
"Athelstan!" she said at last. ut
sounds like kings name. What was
the Sleeper's name? Was there such
name in Romei"
"To.- he said.
"What does It mean?' she asked
him.
SLOW Of resolution :"
She clapped her hands.
Another sign she laughed. "The
gods love me. There always is sign
when need one Slow of resolution
art thout | will speed thy resolution
well-beloved You were quick 10
change from King. of the Khyber Rifle
regiment, TO kurram Khan. Change
now into my warrior-my dear lord
my King again -
She rose, with arms outstretched to
him. All her dancers art her I'M
tanned poetry, her witchery were ex-
pressed in movement. Her eyes melt
ed as they met his. And since he stood
up, too, for manners sake. they were
eye to eye again-almost lip to lip.
Her sweet breath was in his nostrils.
IN another moment she was in his
arms, clinging to him. kissing him.
4 And If any man has felt on his lips
the Kiss Of all the scented glamour of
! the East let him tell what Kings SEN
satlonS were. Let Caesar. who was
! kissed by Cleopatra come to life and
/ talk of It.
/ Kings arm Is strong and he did not
/ stand like an idol. His head might
SWIM but she. too, tasted the delirum
OF human passion loosed and given for
mad swift minute. If his heart
swelled to bursting. so must hers have
done
Il have needed you" she whispered
Il have been all alone. have needed
you"
Then her lips sought his again, and
neither spoke.
Neither knew how long it was before
she began to understand that he, not
/ she. was winning. The human answer
to her appeal was fun. He gave her
all she asked of admiration. kiss for
( kiss. And then--hcr arms did not
1 cling so tightly. although his strong
right arm was like Il Stanchion. Be
cause he knew that he not She. was
winning he picked her up in his arms
( aud kissed her rs if she were ii child
And tsen, because he knew he ha Il
won, he set her ON her feet on the foot
stool of the throne, and even pilled
her.
She felt he pity. As She tossed the
hair back Over her shoulder her eyes
glowed with another danger.
ouS--like Il tigers glare.
You pity me? You think because
l love you. YOU can feed my love on
plate to the Indian government a;
You think my love is II weapon to use
against me? Your love for me ma
wait for better time? You are not
so wise as | thought you. Athelstan -
But he knew he had won His heart
was singing down inside him as It ha ID
not sung since he left India behind.
But he stood quite humbly before her
for had he not kissed her? He knew
he had won. Yet If anyone had asked
him how he knew that he had won, he
never could have told
IF YOU were to 60 back to India ex-
cept as It's conqneror. they would stru
the buttons from your uniform and
tear your medals off and shoot YOU
in the back against wall. Ny sigma.
ture Is known in India and am
known. What | write will be believed
Rewa Gunga shall take a letter. He
shall take witnesses. He
shall see them on their way and sha Ii
give them the letter when they reach
the khyber and shall send them into
: India with 1t. Have no fear. Bull
with-a-heard shall not intercept them
as | have Intercepted his men, When
. Rewa Gunga shall return and tell me
he saw my letter ON its way down the
khyber, then we shall talk again
you and |, Come !"
[ She took his arm, ms If her threat
had been caresses. Triumph shone
from her eyes. She tossed her brave
chin and laughed at him. only en-
couraged TO greater daring by his att
tude, and by the time they reached tn,
ebony table and She had taken the be,
and dipped II in the ink, She wa,
chuckling to herself as If the one roo,
joke had grown into Il hundred.
She wrote In Urdu with AN easv
flowing hand, and in two minutes sh,
had thrown sand on the letter and In,