Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-04-25

t1ont. IN the smaller OF TWO rOOInS,
which were barely furnished. the walls
a creamy white, he flung himself upon
| the soft couch, but its touch was odd
~ unpleasant, like a caresS from the
! wrong person. He arose in disgust,
and stared at the brass lamp with its
fragrant green oil. The gray boy also
had come in out of the sun, and was
now a-squint beside the divan. Slow
~ he pulled the cord that set the long
curtains swaying overhead. From time
to time he sprinkled water upon these
curtains, then resumed the tanning.
But physical comfort only heightened
Cons uneasiness. He felt the power
of the fact that they were bestowing
these elaborate attentions upon him
only to make him a better white sire
in the history of Tau Kuan.
No one came. The sun laid golden
path across the rug of the outer room.
Levington's repeated requests, invita-
lions and demands for Chez Ming re-
suited IN nothing. The day seemed
interminable.
At the hour of sunset his two war
riors appeared at the door, with two
others. They were always the same
sort of tall, muscular riders, and
seemed to represent a certain blend of
large-boned races, especially designed
for war. They led Con to the baths,
and March was already there, prone
upon the mat, suffering the barber.
The familiar key-shaped blade was
poised and darting about his face.
"They brought me a Kurdish wom-
an" said March, with a tinge of dis
gust.
"What is our move?" asked Lev
ington, as they unwOund his costume,
and the masseur appeared at his side.
IT can't bear it." said March.
"We've got to find a way. Have you
figured out anything"
81 haven't forgotten that we are at
least five weeks journey from any
where, and every hour of those weeks
an impossibility to u.s."
The irony hurt the younger man,
who saw that his friend was broken.
The odds dismayed March. His be-
loved was dead. His quest had ended
in this weird defeat. "And it is too
late to stop their marriage" he con-
Guided. His despair was very hard
for Con.
The baths were accomplished with
out another opportunity for words,
and Con was taken under guard to his
two rooms and the roof. He had seen
Ino more of the palace than before
the same dim scented corridors, the
spray of three fountains, the broad
shadow crescents that its roofs cast
down upon the houses clustered under
the eastern wall. He could not guess
how many human beings were con-
tanned here He saw nothing of the
stunted and crooked men of the mines,
for they did not dwell within the city.
The soldiery was in evidence, mostly
upon steeds that were more sturdy
than symmetrical. On the return
across the palace lawn Con had noted
q small party Of women, closely yelled,
moving toward the fountains. Their
robes were of figured Stuffs, the ends
of their head-veils drifting white. Two
coffee-colored giants had walked be-
hind them.
Food was served as before. Attend
ance was servile and silent. The din
ner was worth eating. for it included
roast lamb, a salad Of small orange
colored leaves, spicy and each as
round as q penny, and vegetables
which were in flavor like potato
crossed with celery. The wine was an
evening breath from fruitful places.
Again he sent for the vizir and no
one came. The miStS of days end
lifted from the western fields, and once
again the f1ocks were herded away for
the night. Just over the western for
LITIGATION four camelS were unhitched
from their plows and driven to the
rushy spring near the sheds. The lit
tie monkey visited the white man
again in time to share cumquats and
green tea. Lexington began all over,
pacing the roof searching mentally
for escape. He wanted to talk with
March.
Final rays of sunlight touched the
high apartments Of the palace, but left
his own in blue twilight. The curving
tiles jutted down closely over every
window, like clinging. watchful shad-
ows. The walls felt cruel to the white
man. He began to imagine the mar
riages and matings in those upper
chambers, the deaths and births and
sullen hearts, cold lust, endless lassi-
tude.
With the darkness came the Arabian
girl. One of her guards remained
with the two at the stairway. The
maid faced again the man who puzzled
and terrified her. Con could not read
the warm depths of her eyes, but fan
cied many things. She attempted
few words in her own language, then
smiled family as he failed to compre-
bend. He would never know what she
had wished to tell him. Again he gave
her the inner chamber and drew the
curtains after her, again he went cir
cutting about his Enclosure. The