The Washington times., 1922-07-01

connoctod Win MS iate wire, ands
during the course or q very painful
interview, put the whole facts be-
fore him. With the letter that the
poor girl had written to her hus-
band, with the wedding ring iand
the locket. together with the
sketch that my father had made
of her. the proofs OF the genuine
ness Of the whole affair were con-
elusive. Glencaryll broke down
completely. He admitted tina, his
wife had every justification Tor
leaving him. he spared himself
nothing. He referred quite frankly
to the curse of which ne had been
the slave and which had made him
irresponsible for his actions when
ne was under Its influence. He
lad never known himself what had
happened that terrible night. but
The tragedy of his wife's disap-
pearance had cured him. He had
made every effort to find her and
L was many years before he gave
mp all hope. He mourned her bitter.
~, and worshipped her memory. 1t
was impossible not to pity him. for
ne bad expiated his fault with
agony that few men can have ex-
osrienced. The thought that he
mad a son and that son her child
almost overwhelmed him. He had
urdently desired an heir, and. think.
ing himself childless, the fact that
his title and his old name. OF which
ne was very proud. would die with
him had been a great srief'~ His
happiness In the knowledge CT
Ahmed's existence was pathetic. he
was consumed with impatience for
his sons arrival. Nothing
had been said to Ahmed In case
Lord Glencaryli should prove dif'
ficult to convince and thereby COM
plicate matters, but his ready ac-
ceptance OF the affair and his ca
serness to see his son made further
delay unnecessary, and my father
sent for Ahmed. The old Sheik
let Ai-, 60 In ignorance Of what
was coming. He had always dread
ed the time when his adopted sou
would have to be told of hts real
parentage, fearful Of losing him.
jealous Of sharing his affection and
resenting anybody's claim to him
over his own. And SO, with the
the only instance he ever gave OF
want OF moral courage. he sent
Ahmed to Paris with no explana-
ton. and left to my father the
task Of breaking to him the news.
I shall never forget that day. 1t
had been arranged that Ahmed
should be told first and that after.
wards father and son should meet.
Ahmed arrived in the morning in
time for dejeuner. and afterwards
we went to my fathers study, and
there he told him the whole story
as gently and as carefully as he
could. Ahmed was standing by
the window. He never said
word the whole time my father
was speaking. and when he finish
ed he stood quite still for a few
moments, his face almost grey
understhe deep tan, his eyes fixei
passionately on my father's-anI
then his fiendish temper broke out
suddenly. II was a terrible scene.
He cursed his father in a steady
stream OF mingled Arabic and
French blasphemy that made ones
blood run cold. He cursed all Eng.
lish people impartially. He cursed
my father because he had dared
to send him to England. He cursed
me because I had been a party 70
the affair. The only person whom
he spared was the Sheik: who after
all was as much implicated as we
were. but he never once mention.
ed him. He refused to see his
father, refused to recognize that
he was his father, and he left the
house that afternoon and Paris
that night. going straight back to
the desert. taking with him Gas.
ton. who had arranged some time
before to enter his service As. soon
as his time in the cavalry was up.
A letter that Lord Glencaryll wrote
to him. addressed to Viscount
Caryll, which is. of course, his
courtesy title. begging for at least
an interview, and which he gave
to us to forward. was returned un-
opened. and scrawied across the
envelope: Inconnu. Ahmed Ben
Hassan.' And since that day his
hatred Of the English has been
monomania, and he has never
spoken a word Of English. Later
on, when we used to travel to-
gether, his obvious avoidance OF
English people was at times both
awkward and embarrassing. and I
have often had to go through the