The Washington herald., 1920-02-15
By Jeremy, Lane.
Copyright. 1919. by the Century Co.

in his career Con rebelled against
death. 1t seemed no longer a part OF
the game. Instant or slow, death did
not interest him now; IL was a stupid
rule Of the play. He wanted nightly
to live. There was something both
sweet and very bitter in dwelling IN
the same desert city with Helen
March. There were so many things
he had to tell her. so much he longed
to ask; also an additional urgency for
talk with her father.
Late in the afternoon, he retreated
to his inner chamber, hot and impa-
tient. In the smaller of two rooms.
which were. barely furnished. the
walls a creamy white, he threw him
self upon the soft couch, but its touch
was oddly unpleasant, like a caress
from the wrong person. He arose In
disgust. and stared at the brass lamp
with its fragrant green oil. The gray
boy also had come In out OF the sun.
and was now a-squat beside the divan.
Slowly he pulled the cord that set
the long curtains swaying overhead.
From time to time he sprinkled water
upon these curtains, then resumed the
tanning. But physical comfort only
heightened Cons uneasiness. He felt
the power Of the fact that they were
bestowing these elaborate attentions
upon him only TO make him better
white sire in the history Of Tau kuan.
No one came. The sun laid a gold
en- path across the rug Of the outer
room. Levington's repeated re-
quests, invitations and demands for
Chez Ming resulted in nothing. The
day seemed interminable.
At the hour of sunset his two
warriors appeared at the door. with
two others. They were always the
same sort OF tall, muscular riders,
and seemed TO represent a certain
blend of large-boned races, especial
ly designed for war. They led Con
to the baths. and March was already
there, prone upon the mat, suffering
the barber. The familiar key-shaped
blade was poised and darting about
his face.
They brought me a Kurdish wo-
man." said March. with a tinge Of
! disgust.
What is our move?" asked Lev
( ington. as they unwound his cos
tune. and the nasseur appeared at
his side.
"I can't bear IT," said March.
We've got to find a way. Have
you figured out anything"
l. Il haven't forgotten that we are
at least five weeks journey from
anywhere, and every hour of those
weeks an impossibility to us"
The irony hurt the younger man,
who saw that his friend was broken.
The odds dismayed March. His be-
loved was dead. His quest had end
ed in this weird defeat. And it is
| too late to stop their marriage" he
concluded. His despair was very
| hard for Con.
The baths were accomplished
without another opportunity for
words. and Con was taken under
guard to his two rooms and the
roof He had seen no more of the
palace than before-the same dim
| scented corridors. the spray of three
I fountains, the broad shadow-cres-
cents that its roofs cast down upon
| the houses clustered under the east
ern wall. He could not guess how
many human beings were contained
here. He saw nothing OF the stunt
I ed and crooked men of the mines.
| for they did not dwell within the
! the city. The soldiery was in evil
! dence, mostly upon steeds that were
more sturdy than symmetrical. On
the return across the palace lawn.
/ Con had noted a small party of
women, closely veiled. moving to-
ward the fountains. Their robes
were of figured stuffs. the ends of
their head-veils drifting white. Two
[, coffee colored giants had walked be-
hind them.
Food was served as before At
tendance was servile and silent. The
dinner, was worth eating. Cor il in
| cluded roast lamb. a salad Of small
| orange-colored leaves. spicy and
each as round as a penny. and veg
| etables which were in favor like
potato crossed with celery. The
wine was an evening breath from
fruitful places.
Again he sent for the vizier and
no one came. The mists of days
end lifted from the western fields,
and once again the fiocks were
herded away for the night. Just
over the western fortification four
camels were unhitched from their
plows, and driven to the rushy
spring near the sheds. The little
i monkey visited the white man again
in time to share cumquats and green
tea. Lexington began all over. pac-
ing the roof, searching mentally for
escape. He wanted TO talk with
March.
Final rays OF sunlight touched the
high apartments of the palace. but
left his own in blue twilight. The
curving tiles jutted down closely
over every window. like clinging
watchful shadows. The walls felt
cruel to the white man. He began
to imagine the marriages and mat
ings in those upper chambers, the
deaths and births and sullen hearts
cold lust, endless lassitpde.
With the darkness came the Ara
bian girl. One of her guards re-
mained with the two at the stair
way. The maid faced sgain the
man who puzzled and terrified her
Con could not read the warm depths
of her eyes but fancied many
things. She attempted a few words
in her own language. then smiled
family as he failed to comprehend
He would never know what she had
wished to tell him. Again he gave
her the inner chamber and drew the
curtains after her, again he went
circuiting about his incldkure. The
monkey whimpered, then climbed
lover the wall the way he had come
lquite distressed that his new friend
should not notice him.
/ Night hours deepened about the
4 palace. Some time toward midnight
a humble of words reached the pris-
loner from space oelow. This was
unusual, for the voices of the city