The New York herald., 1921-07-24


dressed women in Europe She has done
mans work, or the work of a battalion or
an army of men If you prefer But she is
always delightfully."-, charmingly brilliantly
woman She has the type OF mind men like
to call masculine. But no matter how long
her days march through the desert, no mat
ter how arduous her ride on camel or horse.
no matter how dusty her deving beneath the
desert sands, no matter how wild her neigh
bors at nights camp may be, 1t is always
Gertrude, the woman, who appears for din
ner in the most ravishing Of evening toilettes
The Arabs understand perfectly this COM
bination of masculine mentality with fem
mime character. There have been many
great women in Arab history and tradition
and they call her after the greatest of them
all-Bolkys. That is the Arab name for the
Queen of Sheba, and the Arab tradition of
that lady differs from ours They say that
Solomon, wisest of men, actually did take
her for his wife, despite his already ample
supply of that Oriental luxury. The Arabs
tribute is not mean one.
But far as can be learned there has
never been a romance of that sort in Ger
trude's life. Comely and agreeable, she Is be-
low medium height, with large, luminous
humorous blue eyes and pretty blond hair.
: Her figure Is slim and round and 1.-THE, with
the grace of fine line plus perfect health.
She knows how to rigoler with the opposite
have scores of admirers.
But she plunged into Oxford with all her
fine brain and apparently with all her good
heart. If she has love it is the desert She
came to Paris for six days during the peace
conference and then fled away for a little
rest and vacation. Where? To Morocco!
There Was Plenty of Money
To Back Her Exploration
the desert. Her father idolizes her and with
his great resources-Sir Hugh Bell owns
most Of the thriving iron town of Middles-
borough in Yorkshire-he was able hand
somely to aid in the qualification of her am
bition for scholarly adventure. 1t was first
of all archaeology that lured her to the
desert and she Is co-equal in authority with
the great Sir William Ramsay on the begin
nings of Christian and Moslem architecture
as revealed by their excavations, measure
ments and observations on the buried cities
and churches from the third to the ninth
centuries.
But Gertrude is above all human being,
let it be said again. and it was not long be-
fore she was also authority-an authority
supreme and alone-on the life, the customs
the language. the folklore and the songs of
the Bedouin people with whom she worked.
And she was on terms of intimate knowledge
with all of the big people in the Turkish
Government of those days. When she
wanted anything she sent word direct to the
Grand Vizier at Constantinople or to Abdul
Hamid himself, or. later. to Talaat or Enver
or any of the other more or less lights of the
Young Turks. And she invariably got what
she wanted. They knew her, they respected
her. and they trusted her.
So well did she do her work that 1t Is ira
dition among the explorers of "the blue" that
where The Woman has been it is useless to
go over her trail. She has cleaned every
thing, down to the smallest crumb.
She travels into the desert always in great
state She is The Woman, the Uncrowned
Queen and she dresses the part Her usual
party is eighty souls. a few guards porters.
drivers and guides, all men of course and
her Incompatible and assured self. On the
march she wears breeches and boots-but
the beastie carrying the box with her even
ing frocks must always be on hand for din