The Jasper news., 1918-02-28

his eyes fell upon the old newspaper
cutting they went wide. He could
rend French-with difficulty, 1t is true
but he could read it. He had been to
Paris. He had spent six months there
on exhibition with troop Of his des-
ert fellows.
Slowly, laboriously, he read the yell
lowed cutting. His eyes were no long
er wide. Instead, they narrowed to
two Sits of cunning, When he had
done he looked at the girl.
"You have read this?" he asked.
II have not had the opportunity"
she replied.
A wonderful idea had sprung to Alb
dul Kamaks mind. 1t was an idea
that might be furthered If the girl
were kept in ignorance of the contents
of that newspaper cutting. 1t would
certainly be doomed should she learn
| its contents.
"Meriem," he whispered, "never un-
til today have my eyes beheld you,
yet at once they told my heart that 1t
] must ever be your servant. You do
not know me, but l ask that you trust
me. can help you. You hate the
sheik. So do l. Let me take you
away from him. Come with me and
we will go back to the great desert
where my father is sheik mightier
than is yours. VIII you Gomez"
Meriem sat in silence. She hated to
wound the only one who had offered
her protection and friendship, but she
did not want Abdul Kamak's love. De-
ceived by her silence, the man seized
her and strained her to him, but Mer-
lem struggled to free herself.
II do not love you!" she cried. "Oh,
please do not make me hate you! You
are the only one who has shown kind
ness toward me, and ! want to like
you, but ! cannot love you"
Abdul Kamak drew himself to his
full height.
"You will learn to love me-" he said
"for shall take you, whether you will
or no. You hate the sheik. and so you
will not tell him, for if you do l will
tell him of the picture. l hate the
sheik, and"
'You hate the sheik?" came grim
voice from behind them.
Both turned to see the sheik himself
standing n few PAGES from them. Abb
dul still held the picture in his hand.
Now he thrust it within his burnoose.
Yes" he said, 81 hate the sheik."
And as he spoke he sprang toward the
older man, felled him with a blow and
dashed on across the village to the
line where his horse was picketed, sad
died and ready, for Abdul Kamak had
been about to ride forth to hunt when
he had seen the stranger girl alone by
the bushes.
Leaping into the saddle Abdul Ka-
max dashed for the village gates. The
sheik, mOmentarily stunned by the
blow that had felled him, now stag
gered to his feet, shouting Justify TO
his followers TO stop the escaping
Arab.
A dozen blacks leaped forward to In
tercept the hOrseman, only to be rid
den down or brushed aside by the muz-
zle Of Abdul Kamak's long musket,
which he lashed from side to side about
him as he spurred on toward the gate.
But here he must surely be inter-
cepted. Already the two blacks sta
toned there were pushing the unwieIdy
portals TO. Up flew the barrel of
the fugitive's weapon. With reins fly
ing loose and his horse at mad gal
lop, the son of the desert fired once,
and one keeper of the gate dropped In
his tracks. An instant later the other
had been ridden down.
With wild whoop of exultation
twirling his musket high above his
head and turning In his saddle to laugh
back into the faces Of his pursuers
, Abdul Kamak dashed out of the vii
lage Of the sheik and was swallowed
, up by the jungle.