Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner., 1921-02-04

The affair of the present morning
recurred to mind-the monzoul In his
enchanted garden. Despite seeming
leisure. events In the palace went too
swiftly for a final valuation. Con was
puzzled to find that the more closely
he tried to recall the garden, the ap-
pearance of the fat lord. the singing
bird. the dancer. and the magician. the
less he knew about them. Had the
juggler poured his wine into the fourth
dimension, or was the watcher merely
transported by breath of the drug?
Lexington went now to the outer cor
ners of his prison, enduring the hostile
eyes of a double guard, to look for the
uncovered bower of royal entertain
ment, but could see nothing of 1t. He
must have turned into courtyard of
the palace itself. One grim assurance
clung to him-the sinister fragrance
Of koresh.
Through mid-afternoon. as often as
his active mind abandoned some new
and equally futile plan of escape. his
thought circled around to Helen. He
reclIned under the green silken awning
and repeated her name. He was awak-
ened to the center of his being, and
was scarcely aware that every new
plan for escape Included two others
besides himself. and one princess.
Mentally she remained with HMM
the throne room, her glance toward
the prisoner she had spared. her bore
dom with the proceedings. her beauti-
full feet, Western woman as he must
h, 10 frr
slight tilt of her brows and this he
had seen, more closely, to be but the
cunning work of her maid-servants; in
her own apartment, surrounded by
things American, the transformation
that was not complete because of her
Chinese training, personal qualities
that tantaliZed him, the first words
that had thrilled him so unaccountably
and the last bringing clutch of ter
ror; the clear young beauty of her
face, her lips. the soft brown of her
hair, the curve of girlish shoulders,
the grave pleasure at meeting that
stranger, her father, and the unemo-
tional view she held Of her own future
as queen of this fantastic state. These
fragmentary thoughts possessed Lev
never come before, hurt him savagely.
so that he sighed and tossed about on
the green cushions.
Then he remembered once again that
they would not permit him to live.
| This fact had n totally new aspect,
and the novelty of it now brought him
| to his feet. His gray slave started up
| in surprise, and the pair of big-sword-
ed soldiers made themselves felt at
| the stair-head. For the first time 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; II was a stupid rule
of the play He wanted nightly to
live. There was something both sweet
and very hitter 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
creamy white, he flung himself upon
the soft couch. but Its touch was odd
ly unpleasant, like a caress0from 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-squint beside the divan. Slow
| ly he pulled the cord that set the long
curtains swaying overhead. From time
| -
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 golden
path across the rug of the outer room.
Levington's repeated requests, invita-
tions and demands for Chez Ming re-
suited in nothing. The day seemed
interminable
At the hour of sunset his two war
riors 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, especially 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 wom-
an" said March. with tinge of dis
gust.
"What is our move?" asked Lev
ington. as they unwound his costume.
and the masseur appeared at his side.
81 can't bear IT," said March
We've got to find a way. Have you
| ar,rnd ont aprfbfpu2r