The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-02-22
Chapter Is
TRAGIC DAUGHTER

Chapter Is
TRAGIC DAUGHTER
YxfHAT a thrilling tale Fl lisa Beth
Vel Ain had told Margaret, in her
curious English interspersed with
French phrases and Spanish and
Arab words. about the faithful
lelaYe;woman and her brother Has
san 81 Miskeen. who had taken the
child Jules from Mekazzen to Tan
tgier. and handed him over to his
Ifather. Pedro Maligni.
Had they been less faithful Of
less fortunate in their journey, she
Margaret, WonId not be sitting
there IN the castle Of Mekazzen Al
that moment. For Seaor Pedro Ma
,itgni would not have been able to
hand the 10Y over 70 his friends
Doctor and Mrs. Maykings. her par
.ents. to take home to England with
them.
What CHASTITY lives these native
women led, even those of the ruling
classes. Something Of a heroine
this poor Lady ri lisa Beth el Ain
Fancy seeing ones adored husband
two or three times q year, and ones
adored child once in two or three
lyears-and that, after separation
in which he had changed from a
child to youth.
How had she refrained from kill
ling this Zainub who had killed hel
happiness Doubtless her English
descent would have something to
do with It. That and fear OF the
terrible Abd'alIah Karin.
Does not the Koran say that wo'
men. camels. and cattle are Allah,s
gifts to men2
And there were those two women
sitting side by side. In apparent am.
,ity and peace, with all that behind
them: sitting like two European
sistersin-law at garden-party on
the rectory lawn.
But after all, their mutual atti'
tude was but an exaggeration OF
that OF Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Jones
when the former says Of the latter:
"Here comes that appalling cat.
4 How ! do ioathe the woman" and.
1Tising, kisses her fondly upon the
cheek.
+ Poor FL lisa Beth el Ain, tragic
daughter Of o tragic mother. with
lher thin lined face Q record Of q
lifetime OF suffering ana sorrow.
How pathetically happy she was IN
. this brief interlude, this rare ex.
peFience Of having both her hus.
band and her son.
Margaret glanced at Sefior Pedro
lMaligni. fat sallow and-no. she
must be strictly Just II she couldn't
be generous--not greasy. He didn't
look greasy at all, but he most GER
tainly looked what he was. distinct,
~ cosmopolitan, not to say cross.
bred.
: She must conquer this unreason'
ting distrust OF Senior Pedro Ma,
ligni. and accept his paternai kisses
with /. with :? Well, endeayor
TO @suifer them gladly" or pre-
tend 70.
At the moment he was obviously
moro interested in the girl Sara
than in herself or his wife who
watched him 30 hungrily. much as
Sara watched Jules.
What q family circlei Did ever
ian English girl drop straight into
q stranger one or. indeed. into Q
stranger placer
The Lady n Isa Beth 81 Ain
paced the ..rim stone cell that was
her BOULDER IKE Gagged tigress. rs
she had done almost daily for more
years than she conld count. more
years than she wished to remem.
Der.
In that gaunt room which. volnn.
tarily. she had made her prison. she
had grown from girlhood to middle
age and. for q quarter OF q century.
had wrsetled with devils and fought
with beasts; the devils OF murder,
treaehery and Vice: the beasts Of
cruelty. sayagery and hate.
With amazing courage she had
fought her half-brother Cor himself,
Fought 10 save him from himself:
had fought FOR the life Of her baby
against zainub. his wife: had fought
against intrigue unceasing. Cor the
success Of her husband.
For years. during the period OF
zainub's insane jealousy. she had
tasted no food that faithful slave
woman had not cooked there In
that room.
/ Life had been hard after the brief
delirium OF her marriage with Pc
,dro. and the golden Soy OF mother.
hood--those glorious days before the
coming Of the Lady Zainub--when
her baby had flled her life. and she
had been mistress OF Mekaxxen and