Evening star., 1924-10-07
Continued from Yesterdays Star)

did / hurt you, my own?" said
Ortho, contrite.
mo. my lord, but you have snapped
my necklace" she laughed. 1T Is
nothing"
He picked up the black beads, won
dering how he could have done it,
and. she put them down on the rug
beside her.
"It is a poor thing. but a great
saint has blessed it My king. take
me in your arms again."
They sat close together while the
rosy peaks faded out and the swift
Winter dusk filled the room, and he
told her of the great things he would
do. Elation swept him up. Every
thing seemed possible now with this
slim. clinging beauty to solace and
inspire him. He would trample on
and on, scattering opposition like
tain of destiny. She believed in his
bravest boasts. Her lord had but to
will thing and it was done. Who
could withstand her lord? Not /, not
l." said she. "Hearken, tall one. !
said to my heart night and day. Hate
this Roumi askar, hate him, hate
him!-but my heart would not listen,
it was wiser than l."
She nestled luxuriously in his arms,
grooming endearments, melting and
passionate, sweeter than honey in the
He went to the door and called for
the brazier.
And tea" Ourida added. II would
serve you with tea, my hearts JOY"
The negress brought both.
Ourida rubbed her head against
his shoulder. "Sweetmeats?" she
cooed.
He jerked his last blanquiIs to the
slave with the order.
Ourida sQuatted cross-legged on a
pile Of cushions and poured out the
sweet mint tea, handed him his cup
with mock salaam. He did obeisance
as before sultana. and she rip
pied with delight. They made long
speeches to each other
after the manner of the court, played
with each others hands, were very
childish and merry.
Ourida pressed a second cup of tea
on him. He drank it off at gulp and
lay down at her side.
Rest here and be comfortable" )"
said she. drawing his head to her.
Tell me again about that battle
with the Bou Khari."
He told her in detail, omitting the
salient fact that his horse had bolt ed
" I'LL liou6hp III lie HdQ
almost forgotten 1t himself by now
"All alone you faced them! Small
wonder Sidi Mahomet holds thee in
high honor, my hero. And the fight
in the Riff"
He told her all about the guerrilla
campaign among the rock Businesses
of the Djebel Tiziren, of single
mountaineer with knife crawling
through the troop-lines at night and
so ham-strung horses in the morning.
ing.
Ourida was entranced. go on, my
lord, go on"
talk. He was most comfortable ly-
ing on the cushions, his head on the
girls soft lap. Moreover, his heavy
day in the sun and wind had made
him extraordinarily drowsy-but he
went on. He told her of massacres
and burnt villages, of ambushes and
escapes, of 800 rebels rising out OF a
patch of cactus no bigger than a
sheep pen and rushing in among the
astonished lancers, screaming and
slashing. The survivors of that af-
fair had fled up the opposite hills fat
on their horses necks and himself
among the foremost, but he did not
put it that way; he said he "organ-
lied the retreat
More" breathed Ourida.
He began to tell her of five fanatics
with several muskets and quantities
of ammunition shut up in a saints
shrine and defying the entire She
reefian forces for two days. but be-
fore he had got half way his voice
tailed off into silence.
You do not speak, light of my
life?'
'I am sleepy-and comfortable,
dearest
Ourida smoothed his cheek. "Sleep
then, with thy slave for pillow
He felt her lips touch his forehead,
her slim fingers running through his
curls. through and through
through and through
My lord sleeps?" came Ourida's
voice from miles away, thrilling
strangely.
'Um ah! almost" Ortho
mumbled. Where you GO
ing? She had slipped from under
him; he had an impulse to grasp her
hand, then felt it was too much
trouble.
Listen, Said ell Ingliz," said Ourida
in his ear, enunciating with great
clarity. You are going to sleep
forever. you swine!
I1C AoASco AiS lluS apart
She was bending right over him. He
could see her face by the glow OF
the brazier. transformed, exultant;
her teeth were locked together and
showing; her eyes glittered.
Forever" she hissed. DO you
hear me?"
"Drugged, by God!' thought Ortho.
'Drugged, poisoned, fooled like a fat
palace eunuch!"
Fury came upon him. He fought
the browse with all the power that
was in him, sat UP, fell back again.
The girl laughed shrilly.
He tried to shout for help, for the
negress, achieved a whisper.
She has gone for sweetmeats and
will loiter hours" Knocked the girl
Call louder; call up your thousand
fine lancers. Oh, great Kaid Rahal,
Standard Bearer to ber'
"Osman-they will crush you . .
between stones for this
he mumbled.
She shook her head. mo, great one,
they will not catch me. have three
more poisoned beads" She held up
the remnant of her black necklace.
So that was how it was done. In
the tea. BY restoring her the tran
kets he had compassed his own end.
His eyelids dropped, he was away,
adrift again in that old dream he had
had. rocking in the smuggler's boat
under Black earn, floating through
star-trembling space, among somber
continents of cloud, a wrath borne
onwards, downwards on streaming
airways into everlasting darkness.
Great Lord of lances," came a
whisper out Of nowhere. when thou
art in Gehenna thou wilt remember
me, thy slave"
He fought back to consciousness,
battled with smothering wraps of
swansdown, through fogs of choking
gray and yellow, through pouring
waters of oblivion, came out sweating
into the light, saw through a haze a