Evening star., 1924-10-07
THE OWLS HOUSE
A Thrilling Adventure Story
BY Crosbie Garstin
Copyright. 1874 BY Frederick A. Stoke, Co.

"ouldSt burn before thy time?
Burn on. Thou wilt take no more
women of my race against their wish,
kaid-or any other women-though
methinkS thy lesson is learned over
late. 49, --s-
Why fight the sleep, Roumi? 1t
will come, it will come. The Riff herb
never fails" On she went with her
bitter raillery. on and on.
But Ortho was holding his own. He
was his mothers son and had inherit
ed all her marvellous vitality The
pain in his burnt foot was counter
acting the browse, sweat was pour
ing out of him. The crisis was past.
Could he but crawl to the door? Not
| yet; in minute or two. That
negress must be back soon. He bit
| into his bleeding lip again, closed his
eyes. The girl bent forward eagerly.
ut is death, Kaid. Thou art dying,
| dying"
mo, nor shall J." he muttered. and
| instantly realized his mistake
She drew back, startled and
swooped at him again.
open your eyes," She forced his
| lids up.
"Failedr'
"Failed"' Ortho repeated.
bah! there are other means" she
snarled, jumped up, fitted around the
| room, stood transfxed in thought in
the center, both hands to her cheeks.
| laughed, tore off her orange scarf and
dropped on her knees beside him.
"Other means, Kaid." She slipped
the silk loop round his neck, knotted
it and twisted.
She was going to strangle him, the
time-hallowed practice of the East.
He tried to stop her, lifted his heavy
hands, but they were powerless, like
SO much dead wood. He swelIed his
neck muscles, but it was useless; the
SILK was cutting in all round, a red
hot wire. He had a flash picture of
osman Baki standing over his body
wagging his head regretfully and
saying, Il said so,' Osman Baki with
the Owls House for background. 1t
was all over; the girl had waited and
got him in the end. Even at that mo-
ment he admired her for II. She had
spirit; never had he seen such spirit
Came a. pang of intolerable pain, his
eyeballs were starting out, his head
was bursting open-and then the
tension at his throat inexplicabIy re-
laxed
Ortho rolled over, painting and
retching, and as he did SO heard foot
steps on the stairs.
A fist thumped on the door, a voice
cried, "Kaid! Kaidi" and there was
Osman Baki
He peered into the room. holding
lantern before him. "Kaid, are Won
there? Where are you? There is a
riot OF Draouia in the Djeema Ell
F'na; two troops to go out Oh, there
you are-Bismillah. What is this?"
He sprang across to where Ortho
lay and bent over him.
What is the matter? Are you i'll?
What is it?'
Nothing" Ortho croaked ..rrv-
nothing at all See to troops
yourself =. go now" He cough
ed and coughed.
"Hasheesh"' The Turk shifted.
stared at him suspiciously. glanced
round the room. caught sight of the
''Ha-ha!" -=-.se.z'----y-~-,
The two stood rigid, eye to eye, the
soldier with chin stuck forward, every
nalr brlstling. like a mastiff abouts to
spring, the girl unfiinching, three
beads Of her black necklace in her
teeth.
"Ha-ha" osman put the lantern
deliberately on the ground beside him
and stepped forward, crouched dou-
BILE, his hands outstretched like
| claws. You SNAKE" he muttered.
You Arab viper, I'll {. III
Ortho hoisted himself On fsis elbow.
The girl was superb. So slight. and
yet so defiant "Osman," he rasped.
osman, friend, go, The riot! Go, it
is an order"
The Turk stopped. stood up, relax
ed, turned slowly about and picked
| up the lantern. He looked at Ortho.
| walked to the door. hesitated. shot a
plazlng glance at the girl, gave his
| mustache vicious tug and went out.
Silence but for the sputter of the
brazier and the squeak of a mouse in
| the wall.
Then ortho heard the soft Mind
| plud Of bare feet crossing the room
and he knew the girl was standing
| over him.
We'll, sweet" he sighed, come to
complete your work? 1 am still in
your hands"
She tumbled on her knees beside
| him. clasped his head to her breast
and soobed, sobbed. sobbed as though
she would never stop.
CHAPTER XIII.
! Ortho spent that Winter in Morocco
| City, but in the Spring was sent out
with force against the Zoua Arabs
south of the Figvig Oasis which had
been taken by Muley Isnail ana
was precariously held by his de-
| scendantS. They spent a lot OF time
and trouble dragging cannon up, to
find them utterly useless when they
got there. The enemy did not rely
| on strong places-they had none
but on mobility. They played a game
of sting and run very exasperating
to their opponents. 1t was like fight
| ing a cloud of deadly mosquitoes
The waStage among the crown forces
was alarming; two generals were re-
| called and strangied. and when
Ortho again saw the Koutoubia
minaret rising like a spear shaft
from the green palms of Morocco it
was after an absence of 10 months.
| Ourida met him in transports of
| Joy, 2-month baby in her arms. 1t
was a son, the exact spit and image
! OF him, she declared, a person or
already incredible sagacity and fero-
| cious strength. A few years and he,
| too. would be riding at the head OF
massed squadrons, bearing the green
| banner of the prophet.
| Ortho, burned black with Saharan
| suns, weak with privation, sick OF
the reek of fostering battlehelds,
| contemplated the tiny pink creature
| he had brought into the world and
| swore in his heart that this boy OF
| his should follow peaceful ways
Fighting men were, as a class, the
| salt of the earth, simpie-hea
| courageous, dog loyal, dupes OF the
cunning and the cowardly. But apart
| from the companionship he had no
| illusions concerning the profession
| of arms as pracuced in the Shereefian
| empire; it was one big bully main
| tanning himself in the name of God
against a horde of lesser bullies (also
| invoking the Deity) by methods that
would be deemed undignified in a
| pot-house brawl He was in it for
| ha