Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-01-15

4 e. very
| fiattering. But. then. you never were.
He paused for moment, watching
her tenderly.
Yet you paid me the greatest
compliment i ever had in my life
when you said You loved me. There
could be no sweeter music than those
| words. And the choicest gift life
has ever given me was a kiss from
your lips-given willingly"
| He bent his head.
But the girls strained face was
turned away from the proud, pas
| sionate one so close to her own.
make MY fhef 't of your 1SMeF sultan M VIII VII
you give him nothing willingly now?
j know l don't deserve il. but, still
want il. And my wants have been
| my only law SO far"
! Again he paused, stroking her curtis
, with a loving hand.
Just now, as man and woman to-
| gether. Pansy. | know j don't deserve
| you. i know I'm not worthy OF you;
but I want my soul. although I've
only a blackened body to offer IL.
! And the soul will have to do the best
it can with the grimy accommoda-
ton. For must have You, my
darling. You've taken everything out
OF my life. but a desire for you"
From a tangle of trees in an adj
iacent garden a nightingale burst
| into song, filling the night with liquid
| melody. At the sound the sultan's
! arms frightened around the slender
figure he held.
F"No man appreciates virtue so
| much as the one who has had his MI
OF vice., he continued presently.
And l was born into IT. stepped and
sodden in it from my earliest recol-
vice until ! met you. And then 1t
tseemed TO me 1 had run off the lines.
and pretty badly
AS he sat talking and caressing
her, Pansy's sobs died down. There
was always magic in his touch, hap
piness within his arms. With throb-
bling heart she lay against him,
watching him anxiously.
He smiled into the tired purple
NO. perhaps I won't be a thief
he said Perhaps I shall climb up
and up with many Il stumble to the
clear heights where you are. my
darling: What What would .l you say il r you
wretch who has climbed painfully
upward TO touch the feet of his ideal.
You would say to yourself. And to
me you would say, AS a reward, viii
me?' And should come. like a shot.
And I should want lunch and tea and
| dinner and-you. Just you, my soul,
always and forever"
After this outburst he was quiet.
! Passive within his arms Pansy
waited for the last hopeless struggle
for right against wrong.
He sat on. as il at peace with him
self and the world. The restless look
that always lurkcd in his eyes had
gone: in it's place was one of happi-
ness and contentment.
J Pansys shivers reused him from his
reverie. Not shiYers of fear, but OF
| chilliness. A heavy dew had started
; falling. bringing a sudden GOODNESS
| into the night.
why, Hearts Ease" he said, full
Of concern. I'm keeping you out
here when you ought TO be indoors.
But with you in my arms, l forget
| everything but YOU"
Getting to his feet, he took her back
to the gilded room. The lamps had
burned out 1t was a place of deep
shadows. and here and there the silver
of the moon patched its golden rich
ness.
once within its dimness Pansy
started struggling again.
! He took the slim white hands INTO
one of his own, and kissed them.
There's no need for you TO fight
against me with weak little hands.
he whispered. There's another fight
ing for you, far stronger than you
are. A new Raoul LIE Breton of your
making, Pansy A man strong enough
to wait until were really married"
Laying his burden on a couch, he
bent his head until his ear almost
touched the girls lips.
Say Yes Pansy, and Til 60, nice
1y and quietly like a good boy, still
remembering your reputation, he
said in a teasing tone.
Into his ear Yes" trembled:
Il He kissed the lips that at last had
consented to his wishes.
Good night. my little girl, and il
YOU go on at this rate you'll make
white man of me yet.
Long after he had gone Pansy
stayed brooding on his words. The
battle between them was over at last
CHAPTER XXI.
on one Of the terraces OF his palace
the sultan sat at breakfast AS he
fingered in the sweet cool air of early
morning, he pondered on the happen
ings Of the night before.
At last he had wrung reluctant
consent from his cherished prisoner
There was a flaw in his victory that
he tried not to see. That Yes" would
not have come except that the girl
had been absolutely cornered. The
word had not come from her lips
spontaneously as those three words
1 love you," had.
He tried to forget this fact. as he
thought out the best means OF prins'
ing about a speedy wedding.
There was no minister of her faith
in El-Ammeh. The nearest Christian
mission lay at least 200 miles distant
| 1t would be risky work bringing
white missionary TO his city; Tine
down to q mission station and marry
her there. No one would know Their
where they had como from. And the
journey back would make delightful
honeymoon.
he pondered.
From his reverfe he was rudely
faroused by a sound which made mar.
] rage seem very remote, and deatf
much more likely to be his portion.
above the city, followed by a deafen'
ing roar. as a shell exploded over Ell
Ammeh-a command for surrender.
The sultan started to his feet, hi
face reckless and savage The cur
was at his lips only to be dashed
| away.
He knew what had happened.
| Somehow or other the French gov
eminent must have heard that he wa,
responsible for the capture OF thu
had been sent to punish him for hi
maraudtng ways.
That same eath-dea1ing sount
startled Pansy as she stood by thu
'sunken pond in the rose garden, feed
ling the carp. Wondering what haS
happened, she looked up at the snok,
that lay like a little cloud between
the city and the sky. So
She did not wonder for very long.
Presently another she'll came
shrieking out of the distance.
Then she guessed what had occur
red, and her face blanched. *, : ~
Swiftly she went to her room; he1
only idea to reach the sultan and saw