Evening star., 1923-05-05

couch. parted the curtain, and looked
down upon her.
"Jil-Bett is so tired / must not
awaken ner," he muttered. turning
away with smothered sigh.
But few moments before, Ben
All, hurrying down the deserted
street, saw with amaZement the un-
In the home Of old Bannock with
cautious tread he drew close to the
window. The sight that met his gaze
rooted him to the spot.
The old lapidary was sitting before
his bench. holding in his shaking
sions and sheen the Arab knew fairly
well. at glance. the enormous worth
or 1t. He came to the instantaneous
conclusion IT was government job.
His eyes travelled further to the
drawer the old man had at that in
slant opened. and he beheld the pile
OF gold which he proceeded to put in
a sack.
He could not figure out how he came
by the bag of gold.
The Arab watched with glistenine
eyes the old man put the ruby down
on the bench, turn and walk with
| unsteady step to JilBett's curtained
cot.
During the moment Daniel Ban
mock stood looking down upon jill
to awaken her or let her sleep. a
long. sinewy arm was thrust through
the open window, hand clutched
the ruby and the bag, then as silently
and swiftly as he had appeared. the
Arab fed down the street and into
the shadows Of the night.
with slow steps the old lapidary
turned about; the door was slightly
ajar from the wind. AS he was clos
ing it he recognized Jack walking
4 mo- 10
standing before his door. He thought
i'll OF men who prowled about at
night instead of being In their beds
unless they had important work
to do
What had brought the stranger
more he thought about it the more
alarmed he grew. Then II occurred
to him that he had not looked after
Jn-Bett as carefully during the last
few weeks as he should have done.
He had been SO preoccupied-busier
than he had been for long years
She had been allowed to roam about
during the long evenings at will.
without having been questioned by
him s to where she had been.
down on the doorstep, lighted his
pipe for a smoke: that usually had
the effect of soothing him. The more
he considered it. the more his eyes
became open TO the TACT that the
dreary lite she was leading was
wholly unsuited to the girl. Why
had he lost sight of this during the
last few years. She was no longer
a little. merry. romping child: in
stead, a gloriously beautiful young
girl.
Sitting there. he went all over the
fact that he had given his sanction
that she should wed man whom he
knew she loathed. Poor little jill
Bett: When he was young he had
welded for love. The memory of il
as he sat there. He knew that mar
riage without love would be yokIng
her in a slavery more cruel than death.
He was becoming conscious that * was
wrong. terribly wrong.
Like an inspiration. another and
nobler thought travelled fast on the
heels Of it-with the money he would
earn for this work they could go far
away, he and Jil-Bett. When he
went inside he meant to awaken her
and tell her the conclusion he had
arrived at. How overioyed she would
be. She should have her choice
whether they should so to England
or to far-off America.
There was still another reason for
his sudden determination to take jill
Bett away from Katar. and that was
to separate her. before it might be
too late. from the young stranger.
whom he fancied he had discovered
standing before their door
(To be continued tomorrow