Evening star., 1923-04-25

down by the waters edge and think
map out some means of escape from
the net that was being drawn about
her. She knew Il was the custom
for marriage to take place with tho
first blossoming of the date trees;
she could see by the tender green
shoots that were peeping forth from
the bark it would not be long until
that time.
What could she do--how avert it
when the only human being whose
command she was in duty-bound to
obey was arraigned against her?
Suddenly in turning an abrupt
curve in the path. Jil-Bett came upon
the figure of a man lying unconscious,
with upturned face, in the grass. She
saw at. a glance that he was not one
OF the divers-he was a stranger in
katar. She knelt down and touched
him: his hand was cold. but his pulse
was beating family; no, he was not
dead but its pallor was creeping
slowly over him
!! Jil-Bett's shrill cries brought assist
ance quickly. an official. who was going
down to the boats, and with him the
doctor who attended the divers who
might be in need of his services
Not dead. but mighty near It," an
noInced the doctor after a hasty eEami-
nation. Hell have fighting chance
Tor lie If we can get him TO the hos
pital quickly
The government operated a hospital
Tor the benefit Of the divers. Fortu-
nafeiy, II was close at hand. To this the
unknown stranger was hurriedly con-
veyed. Every tramp vessel put off men
searching for pearl-diving work: there
fore. no particular attention was paid
to the advent of the ragged stranger
1t had not escaped the observation of
the doctor, however, that his hands
were white and shapely. There was
nothing about him that suggested man
ual labor.
Many ticket-of leave man and es-
caped rogue I'm all walks Of life had
Grifted to hatar. No one bothered over
their pedigree. If they wanted work
at the pearl fisheries, and qualified In
the examination for IT, they were en-
ployed. Otherwise they were told TO
move on. and that was the last seen or
heard of them.
The women of katar took turns in
administering to those in the hospital
Jil-Bett asked permission to attend the
was readily granted. The doctor an
nounced; IF he pulled through he
would owe his life to her for discover
ing him in the nick of tinIe.'' Very
with cooling water and held cooling
draughts to his parched lips. He was
like no one whom she had ever beheld
before. His hands were a marvel TO
her. as was the thick, clustering chest
! nut hair that was brushed back from
his white forehead. Jil-Bett spent
every moment of her spare time at his
| bedside. watching him. She was great
ly distressed when the doctor decided
he was probably suffering from she'll
! shock, or blow on the head which had
caused complete suspension of his
! memory, leaving his mind blank
A wave of happiness swept over
her heart the day be opened his eyes
and looked up wonderfngly into her
| face. asking:
Where am /? Who are you?"
Jil-Bett explained but he did not
seem to understand
The doctor questioned him closely
as to who he was his name, and
| from whence he came. 1t was quite
useless: he could not answer. His
past was hlotted out. as though 1t
had never been.
Many names We're suggested to
him. Was his anything like any one
of them? He shook his head. When
the name Jim was propounded he
raised pair Of troubled eyes to the
doctors face.
j, he muttered. Il have heard
something like that"
The doctor suggested John, James,
Jerry, Judson"-every name he could
think of beginning with the letter ].
we shall have to call you Jack un-
less you can think of something bet
ter
Thereafter he was known as Jack
Ben-Ali soon learned Of Jil-Bett's
faithful attendance upon the good
looking stranger and warned her
grandfather her visits to the hospital
must cease at once or he would make
trouble. His power over the failing
old man was growing more notice
able each day. Jil-Bett was intensely
alarmed over it. How was it to end?
The next clash between them came
when she was told she could nurse
the sick stranger no longer.
Jn-Bett attempted to reason with
her grandfather. to show him the
human kindness Of her ministration
to one so helpless.
Bannock shook his head. The
stranger is not ill-favored. Ben-Ali
thinks you are not without interest
in him, and that must not be-"
How dare the Arab censor my ac-
tions and interpret my feelings?"
cried Jil-Bett hotly.
For this reason" continued the
old man. The has concluded your mar
riage must be fastened"
Daniel Bannock did not look at jill
Bett as he uttered the words He
had been trying to nerve himself up
to meet the anger which he knew full
we'll those words would invoke. She
was a Bannock: there was not one
of the race who did not possess n
fiery temper. Would she make way
with herself. rather than yield?
A Bannock was difficult to manage.
He dared not think of what the con-
sequence might be if she refused. set
might, she would not-wed the Arab.
His abject fear of Ben-Ali choked
out his love for his granddaughter.
1t would be case of Bannock
against a Bannock. He wondered
which would win.