Evening star., 1923-01-08

IOre.
It's that accursed bullet. When
Edouard extracted 1t he warned me
you'd feel the effects for some time"
From Alice, Pansy had learnt that
the bullet had been extracted on the
day she was brought into her enemy's
camp.
Then Raoul must have been there!
With the sultan's forces!
But why hadn't he told her? Why
had be pretended that he only had
Why had he never mentioned DIR.
Edouard before? Why had DR..
Edouard never mentioned him?
1t looked as If he had not wanted
her to know
But why hadn't he wanted her to
know?
AS Pansy pondered on the problem,
mingled with the sweetness of the
roses came another scent she knew
one that had greeted her every morn
ing during her stay in the palace.
Above the screening trellis of roses,
tree grew, covered with great
punches of pink flowers, like apple
blossom, but more vivid. filling the
air with fragrance.
PanSy had seen the flower before;
among the blossoms that used to come
TO her every morning in the dim,
gilded chamber.
still only a few flowers. Pansy?'
lie Breton's remark in the orange
across her mind. She remembered also
his array of Arab servants. how obse-
quious they had been 10 their master
! on that occasion; and his wealth and
maRntficence; Splendor that was
almost regal
Close to where she sat, the tea
| table stood.
| Among the assortment of cakes
were one or two of kind she had
seen previous TO her rescue. Tiny,
! -
| layers of sponge cake and marZipan
| with chocolate icing on the top.
! OFTEN, in those long, hopeless days
| in the gllded prison. similar morSel
was all she had been able to eat for
j her tea.
Sixteen years ago boy Of about
! fourteen had sworn to kill her father
! He would be thirty now. The same
| age as And the sultan spoke
! They were little things. but they
all pointed in one and the same direc-
| ton. And. as Pansy brooded on them.
| an incredulous expression came to her
! eyes, and. with it. a look as if she
were lighting to keep some horrible,
| impossible truth at bay.
! Her gaze went to lie Breton.
| a great, big, fine man, awful good
| looking"
Casim Ammeh came back to her.
J Words that fitted her host exactly.
/ AS she looked at him, from the pad
| dock came the stamp of q horses
! hoof.
She was here. Her favorite horse
| was here. Raoul lie Breton was here.
| All of them in this desert city hun
! dreds of miles from civilization. Such
a combination could not be unless
] IF I were a king in Babylon and
! you were a Christian slave or, to
| get down TO more modern times, II /
| were barbaric sultan somewhere in
Africa and you girl I'd fancied and
| caught and carried off ."
His own words came echoing
| through her head; condemning words.
( Then she recoIlected with what un-
| pleasant emphasis he had said "au
revoir" on parting with her that
night on her yacht
All at once Pansy's miracle ex-
ploded.
She wondered how she could have
been such a fool as not to have
| guessed sooner.
This was the Sultan Casim Ammeh
| This man standing before her!
He caught her gaze and smiled; it
seemed to the girl. mockingly.
Well, Hearts Ease, are you feel
| ing better?" he asked. After this
/ you'll agree with me that The Light
i, of the Harem' act is the most suita-
BILE life for you just at present"
1t seemed to Pansy that he was
| gibing her-at her trust, her belief
| her lncredulouS folly.
What a blind fool she had been!
| 1t was all as plain as daylight now
Raoul LIE Breton was the Sultan
| Casim Ammeh- 1t was her fathers
enemy she had confessed to loving
he'd wept in front of. cIung to. trust
ed, displaying a weakness that had
| fallen to no mans lot, save heT
| fatherss
At the thought Pansy's soul writh-
ed within her.
4 eI,a
| fool! How he must have laughed at
| her!
! Raoul LIE Breton had condemned
/ her to the unspeakable ordeal of the
slave market in order to torture her
| father.
He had done it, RaouI LIE Breton
! The man she loved
Pansy did not love him now. She
| hated him.
For a moment she was too stunned
] by her discovery to say or do any
Then she said in voice that wild
! anger stified somewhat:
"so you are the Sultan Casim
AS Pansy spoke she got to her
! feet her eyes blazing.
/ There was no mistaking what was
| on her face. She had guessed the
| truth
On realizing this, he made no at
| tempt at further deception.
-'I am the Sultan Casim Ammeh," he
said, smiling. And, my little slave,
| you are my most cherished possession.
| More to me than my kingdom
His cool confession staggered her
| AS he stood there, unabashed and
| unrepentant, she looked round quick
| ly, in search OF something to strike
| him with. For the knowledge of his
| deceit and duplicity had made her
| beside herself with rage.
| Since there was no weapon at hand
| she set off rapidly across the lawn
| needless of where she went, her only
| desire to get away from him.
| She had not gone very far, how
| ever, before he was at her side.
| where are you going, Pansy?" he
| asked with a masterful air.
That he should dare to follow her;
dare to call her by her name enraged
her beyond all bounds. And his
4 words added to her fury They made
4 her realize there was nowhere she
i could go to escape him.
| Like a whirlwind she turned upon
| him.
'I wish wish I could
| kill YOU" she gasped.
I There was a tennis racket lying at
her feet. AS If to carry out this de-
! sign, she stopped and picked it up
her only desire now to send It crash
| ing into the mocking maSterful face
But he guessed her intention. In
a moment he had grasped the racket
and wrested it away.
| mo, Pansy," he said. mo one has
ever struck me, and you're not going
| to. For l don't quite know what the
| consequences might be-"
CONTINUED in Tomorrow's Starr