The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-08

wab's teeth had been dfslodged by the
steel barrel. Keeping the weapon firmly
thrust into the mans distended jaws. I
circled around him, whilst his hands
relaxed their hold upon the strangling-
cord, and pushed him backward in the
direction of the door.
open, thou black son Of offal!" I
said, "or 1 will blow thee a cavity as
wide as thy blubber mouth through the
back of that fat and greasy neck!"
When, a few moments later, I stood
in the lane outside the gardens of
Yussuf Bey, and felt with my hand
the fat wallet at my waist, 1 expert
enced thrill OF professional satisfac-
tion, for had 1 not successfully negoti-
ated a duplicate veil, embroidered with
imitation pearls which the excellent
Suleynnan Levi by dint of four days of
almost ceaseless toll had made for
me?
From the shadows of the opposite
wall Abu Tabah stepped forth, stately.
"Quick!" said. Il fear pursuit at
any moment! Is the arabiyeh wait
ing?"
You have it?'' he demanded, some
faint sign of human animation creeping
over his ippassive face.
'I have!" I replied. "I will give it
to you in the arabiyeh.' 't-s
Side by side We passed down the
deserted thoroughfare to where, beside
solitary palm. pair-horse carriage
was awaiting. After we had started. an
preciating something of my compan-
ions natural impatience, I pressed into
his hand the famous sandalwood box
which once had reposed In the tarbush
of Ali Mohammed. The carriage rolled
around a corner and out into the lighted
Sharia Mobodayan. Abu Tabah opened
the sandalwood box, and then, rever-
emily, the inner box of silver. Within
| shimmered the pearls of the sacred
burko. He did not touch the relic with
his hands. but reclosed the boxes and
concealed the reliquary beneath his
black robe. I heard the crackIe of
notes; and a little packet surrounded
by a band of elastic was pressed into
my hand.
Three hundred pounds, English"
said Abu Tabah. lone hundred pounds
in recompense for the commission you
| returned, and two hundred pounds for
the recovery Of the relic
thrust the wad into the bag beneath
my robe containing the other spoils of
the evening. A second and even more
grateful glow of professional Joy
warmed my heart. For in the reliquary
which I had handed to Abu Tabah re-
posed the second product of Suleyman
| Lewis scientific tolls: his four days
labor having resulted in the production
OF two quite passable duplicates: al
though neither were by any means UP
to the standard of Messrs Moses
Murphy q Co.
| Coming to the house wherein I had
endued my disguise, Abu Tabah left me
to Inetamorphose myself into decently
dressed Englishrnan suitable for admis-
sion to hotel of international repute
Abu Tabah bade me good night, smiling
upon me very sweetly.
1t was after midnight when 1 re-
turned to Shepherds, but I went
straight to my room. and switching n
the table-lamp, wrote long letter to
my principals. Something seemed to
have gone wrong with the lock of my
attache-case. and my good humor was
badly out of Joint by the time that I
succeeded in opening it. From under
meath a mass of business correspond
ence took out a large, sealed envelope.
which 1 enclosed with a letter in one
yet larger, to be registered to Messrs.
Moses, Murphy & Co, Birmingham.
in the morning.
Exactly fortnight later the follow.
Ing registered letter was handed to
'S 90 was dDoul 10 SIT down TO lunch.
The Hon. Neville Kernaby,
Shepheards Hotel,
Cairo, Egypt
Dear Mr.. Neville Kernaby.
We are returning herewith tho
sflken veil which you describe es
the authentic burxo OF the Seyyideh
Neffseh. stolen from her shrine in the
Tornbs. Of the Khalifs." Your state
ment that you can arrange for its
purchase at the cost OF one thousand
pounds does not interest us, nor do
we expect SO high-saIaried an expert
as yonrseh TO send us palpahie a1d
very inferior forgeries we ara
manufacturers of duplicates NOT b,,y-
ers OF same.
Yours truly,
LLOYD LLEwE1LYN.
tFor Messrs. Moses. Murphy & Coz
1 was positively aghast. Tearing
open the enclosed package. rlared
like mailman at the yashnak which
it contained. The silk. in comparison
with that OF which the real veil was
composed, was coarse as cocoanut mat
ting; the embroidery was crude; the
pearls shrieked limitation" aloudt At
glance knew the thing for one Of
the pair made by Suleyman Levi
Ine- truth crashed in upon my mind.
Following my visit to the harem of
ussuf Bey. I had bestowed no more
than a glance upon the envelope
wherein, early on the morning of the
same day. I had lovingly sealed the
authentic veil: and a full hour had
elapsed between the time Of parting
with the sugar-lipped one and my re-
turn to my rooms at the hotel
l understood, now, why the lock Of
my attache-case had been out of order