Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-16

aimed and fred. the bullet splntering
The gunwaIe o. the canoe close b.
seynes face Baynes ared again ns
his canoe drifted further downstream,
and Malbihn answered from the shore,
where he lag lb poo! OF his OWE
/ blood.
And thus doggedly. the two wounded
men continued to carry on their weird
duel until the winding African river
had carried the Hon Morrison Bayues
out Of sA;ht around a wooded point
Meriem had trayersed half the
length of the village street when
/ score Of whlre-robed negroes and half
castles leapod out upon her from the
dark interiors of the surrounding huts,
She tried 10 fee. but heavy hands
seized her, and wnen she tdrned at last
to plead with them her eyes fell upon
the faces of a tall grim CID man giariug
down upon her from the folds Of his
burnuose.
At sight Of him she staggered back
in shocked and terrified surprise. 1t
! was the sheik
The sheik and his party had been
marching southwark along the river
when enc Of them, dropping out Of
line TO fetch water, had seen Meriem
I making for the village. The FELLOW had
called the sheik's attention TO the
+ strange sight--a xhite woman alone In
/ central Africs--and the old Arab had
hidden his men 10 the deserted village
] to capture her.
And when at last the woman had
walked into the trap he had set for
her and ne had recognized her as the
same little girl he had bruraliZed and
E. malreated years before his grati6ca-
ton had been huge Now he lost no
time in establishing the old relations
Of father and daughter that had ex-
listed between them in the past
A two days march brought them at
last 10 the familiar scenes Of her
childhood and the first face upon
which she set her eyes as she was
driven through the gates into the
strong. stoc6ade was that Of the tooth
less, hideous Mabun1, her one time
nurse It was as though oil the years
that had interviewed were but n dream.
Had 1t not been for her clothing and
the fact that she had grown in stature
she might well have believed 1t 50,
ror q tir7a sba inhabitants Of tlea
I shpIEFs village VITO naQ nor peen upon
the march with him amused them
/ selves by inspecting the strangely clad
white girl whom some Of them had
I known as 8 little child.
Among the Arabs who had come in
her absence was q tall young fellow
ol twenty. q handsome, sinister LOOK
a- youth who stared at her In open
admiration until the sheik came and
ordered him a~ay, and Abdul KamaE
went, scowline.
At last their curiosity satisfied, Me-
3 rjem was left alone AS of old, she
was permitted the freedom of the viii
] Iace. for the stockade was high and
t strong and the only gates were vel
/ guarded by day and night But as %
Z ola. she cared not for the companion
ship Of the cruel Arabs ;ud the de
r. graded blacks who formed The follow
e Ing Of Tile shelE. ana SO, as had beer
S her want la the sad days q her child
j hood. She SUNK down to an unfrequent
e ed corner of the Enclosure where sh
e had often played ar housekeeping witt
her beloved GeeSa,
Momem pressed her hand above he
heart and su8ed q sigh. and IS site dit
SO she felt the hard outlines Of th
photographs she had hidden there q
she SUNK from Ndbihn's tent Nov
she drew ii forth and commenced L
r.-examine If more carefully than sh
had had time tn do before
AS she sat gazing at The picture sh
suddenly became aware that she Wa
not alone; thar some one was srandin
close behind her, some one who la
approached her noiselessIy Gulltil
she thrust the picture back into he
waist. a hand fell upon her shoulde
She was sure shat # was the she'll
ana she awaited in dumb terror tn
blow shat she knew would immediate
" follow.
No blow came. and she looked gI
ward over her ahouldeI-into the eye
Of Abdul Kamas the young Arab.
n saw" he said the picture this
you have just hidden. It Is Won whe
you were a child, a very young chile
May I see it again."
, Aerlem drew away from him
81 wiu give 1c back, he said.
"a have heard Of you, and know tbs
II YOU have no love for the sheik, you
. father. Neither have / 7 will M
begray you. Let me see the picture.
2 She drew the photograph from 1t
hiding place and handed It to him.
J. He turned the picture over. and a
, his ewes fell upon the old newspape
! cutting they vent wide. He coui
!. read rreneh--wlth difficulty It Is tIu'
but he could read It, lie had been
ii Paris. He had spent six months ther
. on exhibition with q troop Of his de-
Q ert fellows.
Is Slowly. lahoriously, he read lie ye
- lowed cutting. HIS eyes were no loni
II or wide. Instead, they narrowed
y two Sits Of cunning. When ne ha
done he looked nj the girl
g. "You have read this" he asked.
n II have rot had the opportunity