Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-08-29

hib. bring word from her."
The ground was criss-crossed like q
mans palm by the shadows Of tent.
ropes. The Hangar led him to where
the tents were forty feet apart and
none was likely to overhear them.
There he turned like fash.
"She sends you this" he Missed.
In that same instant King was fight.
ing for his life. In another second
they were down together among the
tent-pegs, King holding the Rangers
wrist with both hands and struggling
to break 1t, and the Hangar striving
for another stroke. The dagger he
held had missed Kings ribs by &c
little that his skin yet tingled from
it's touch. It was a dagger with bronze
blade and a gold hilt-her dagger. II
was her perfume in the air.
They rolled over and over, breathing
hard. King wanted to think before
he gave an alarm, and he could not
think with that scent In his nostrils
and creeping into his lungs, Even In
the stress Of fighting he wondered how
the Rangers clothes and turban had
come to be drenched In 1t. He admit.
ted to himself afterward that 1t was
nothing else than jealousy that sug.
gested to him to make the Hangar
prisoner and hand him over to the
mullah.
That would have been q ridiculous
thing to do, for It would have forced
his own betrayal to the mullah. But
as II the Hangar had read his mind,
he suddenly redoubled his efforts and
King. weary to the point Of sickness.
had to redouble his own or die. Per.
haps the jealousy helped put venom In
his effort. for his strength came back
to him as madmans does. The Ran.
gar gave moan and let the knife fall.
And because jealousy is poison King
"a the wrong thing then. He pounco0
"A the knife instead OF on the it,...ai
tie cOuid nave questioned hiin -kneit
on him ana perhaps forced explnnn
tons from MIN But with sudden
freed himself and was up and gone be-
fore King could struggle to hts feet
gone like shadow among shadows.
King got up and felt himself all rver.
for they had fought on stony ground
and he was bruised. But bruises faded
into nothing, and WEAKNESS as well, as
his mind began to dwell on the new
complication to his problem.
1t was plain that the moment he
had returned from his message to the
khyber the Hangar had been sent on
this new murderOus mission. Yasmini
had never believed her letter would be
treated seriously by the authorities,
and had only sent 1t In the hope of
fOoling him and undermining his de-
termination. Perhaps she saw her
own peril. Perhaps she contemplated
gosh what contingency perhaps
she contemplated boiling into India
with story Of her own, and leaving
the mullah 10 his own devices! Would
she dare escape into India and leave
himself alive behind herr
There was an alternative, the very
thought OF which made him fearfully
uneasy. and yet brought a thrill with
Ii. In ali Eastern lands, love scOrned
takes to the dagger. He had half be.
lieved her when she swOre she loved
him! The man who could imagine
himself loved by Yasmini and not be
thrilled to his core would be inhuman,
whatever reason and caution and caste
and creed might whisper in imaglna.
TONS wake,
ReeAng from fatigue Che felt like .
man who had been racked. for the Ran.
gar's strength was nearly unbeliev.
able). he started toward where the
mullah sat glowering in the cave
mouth. He found the man who had
carried his bag asleep at the foot OF
the ramp. and taking the bag away
from him, let him lie there. And II
took him five minutes to drag his hurt
weary bones up the ramp, for the fight
had taken more out Of him than he
had guessed Mt first.
The mullah glared at him but let him
by without word 1t was by the fire
Mt the back Of the cave, where he
stopped to dip water from the mul.
lah's enormous crock, that the next
disturbing factor came to light. He
kicked brand into the fire and the
flame leaped. It's light shone on a
yard and half Of exquisitely fine
hair. like spun gold. that caressed his
shoulder and q rended down one arm,
One thread of nair that cOnjured ur
million thoughts, and In second
upset every argument!
II Rewa Gunga had been neat
enough to her and intimate enough
with her not only to become scented
With her unmistakab,e perfume but
even to get her hair on his person,
then gone was all Imagination of her
love for himself! Then she had lied
from flrst to last! Then she had tried
tn make him love her that she might
use him. and finding she had failed. she
had sent her true love with the dagger
to make an end!
In moment he imagined a whole
picture, rs 1t might have been In a
crystal. Of himself trapped and made
to don the Romans armor and forced
to pose to the, savage "Hills"-or
fooled into posing to then-as her