Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
II Story Selected for Merit, Written
by One of America s Leading authors.
The Best Short Fiction of the Year Is
Selected for the 0. Henry Memorial
Aevards, and This Particular Tale Non
High Place, According to a Decision
of the JUICES.

at Columbias School of Mines and had served
an apprenticeship in Colorado and Arizona-the
Cabell Smelling Co. Of New York had sent him
out to the land of Moab as manager of its newly
acquired little antimony mine
The mine-a mere prospect shaft-waS
worked by about 80 fellaheen-native laborers--
supervised by a native guard of IL Turkish SOLE
diers Small as was the plant, it was riclie
property and it was piling up dividends for the
Cabells. Anthony, in the East is used in q
score of ways-from its employment in the form
of kohl, for the darkening of women's eyes, to
the chemical by-products, always in demand by
Syrian apothecaries.
KirbyS personal factotum, as well as superin-
tendent Of the mine. was this squat little Syrian,
Najib who had once spent two blissfully use
less years with an ALI Nations Show at Coney
Island; and who there had picked up Ian
guage which he proudly believed to be English.
and which he spoke exclusively when talking
with the manager.
Kirby's rare knowledge of the East had en-
abled the mine to escape ruin a score of times
where manager less conversant with Oriental
ways must have Numbered into some fatal error
in the handling of his men or in dealing with
the local authorities.
Remember, please, that in the East 1t is the
seemingly insignificant things which bring dis
aSter to the feringhee, or foreigner. For ex-
ample, many an American or European has met
unavenged death because he did not realize that
he was heaping vile affront upon his Bedouin
host by eating with his left hand. Many for
eign manager of labor has lost instant and COM
plete control over his fellaheen by deigning to
wash his own shirt in the nearby river or for
brushing the dirt from his own clothes. There
by he has proved himself laborer instead OF a
master of men.
Yes, Kirby had been invaluable to his en-
ployers by virtue of his Unborn knowledge Of
Syrian ways Yet, now, he was not enough Of
an Oriental to understand why his lecture OIL
the strike system should thrill his listener.
LIE did not pause to realize that the idea Of
strikes was one which carries true appeal
to the Eastern imagination. 1t has all the ele-
ments of revenge, of coercion, of trapping, of
willy give-and-take and of simple and logical
gambling uncertainty which characterize the
most popular of the Arabian Nights yarns and
which have made those tales remain as Syrian
classics for more than 10 centuries.
ut is of an assuredly a pleasing and noble
plan," applauded Najib when Kirby finished the
divers ramifcations of his discourse "If the
stroking ones may not be lawfully attacked by
the pashalik troops, indeed must the gen.
eral-"
Presently, in his absorption in his work, the
American forgot the whole incident. It was
the beginning of rush period at the mine
the busiest month in its history was just setting
in. The MISUNDERSTANDING shipment of the
morrow was but the first of IL big shipments
scheduled for the next 90 days.
The restoration OF peace and the shutting out
of several Central European rivals had thrown
an unprecedented sheaf of rush orders on the
Caben mine.
It was a big chance Kirby had explained
at some length to Najib, during the past few
weeks. At his beheSt the little superintendent
had used every known method to get extra
work and extra speed out of the fellaheen; and,
by judicious baksheesh, had even impressed to
the toll several members of the naughty Turk
isf guard and certain folk from the nearest
hill village.
AS result the first shipment was ready for
the mueteers to carry eastward full week
ahead of schedule time.
The work was progressing finely Kirby
thrilled at the thought. And he was just a little
ashamed of his recent impotence at Najib
when he remembered how The superintendent
was pushing the relays of consignmentS along.
After all, he unused, it was no reflection on
Najib's intelligence that the poor little chap
could not grasp the whole involved Occidental
strike system in one haSty lecture, and that his
simple mind chung to the delusion that there
was some fierce general involved in it.
But soon after dusk, Kirby had reason to
know that his words had not all fallen on
barren soil At close of the working day, Najib
had brought the manager the usual diurnal re-
port from the mine. Now, after supper, Kirby,
glancing over the report again, found gap or
two in the details This was no novelty, the
Syrian mind not lending itself readily to the
compilation of terse yet complete reports And
occasionally KirbV was Obliged to summon his