Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-07-23
CHAPTER 10


of savages." Poor laundering Nor
man-why did he put his reason that
way? "a countrywoman!"-t it
was not she that had inspired his
self-sacrifice! She smiled bitterly
even yet she told herself her colossal
egotism persisted. She had dared to
assume that it was for the sake of
Anne Cleeves that the courageous en-
gineer had run such risks.
At that moment a heavy tread re-
sounded in the stohe-flagged stairs
leading to the tower, and Selim, bare
ly waiting for the command to enter,
burst onto the platform, his flat, fe-
rocious countenance was lit with eX-
citement as he rushed forward.
"Sidi!" he stammered 1.-THE Targui
have gone! Their camp is abandoned
and many lie dead among their camp
fires. Among them must have been
fighting. This morning I saw them
they filled their goat skins and
watered their camels, and l wonder
ed"
"They are gomez" breathed Anne,
and curious expression spread over
her unhappy face. She seemed al
most aghast at the announcement.
"Ya, lalla," repeated the black. "Of
a truth are they gone"
In the engineers heart there was
a great lifting sensation, and, for the
first time since he had left Insalah
a real smile lit his face.
Instruct the sergeant of tirailleurs
to at once reconnoiter the region thor
oughly. He'll report to me this even
ing"
Selim flung up his hand in stiff
salute; then turned on his heel and
stalked from the room.
"What a landslide of luck!" he cried
and got to his feet. "We couldn't have
lasted much longer. And now" he
said with a glance at the floor
"Thank God, you can get back to the
comforts you should have" He step
ped so close to her that she had to
raise her head to see him. "Anne,"
he stammered, 81 can't tell you how
very very wonderful you've been
I've learned how you kept up the mo-
rale of the whole garrison-how your
cheer and help among the wounded
saved many a man that would have
died without d-and-I"-He
stopped suddenly in awkward silence.
Anne's head tilted further forward
and the hands in her lap began to
CULVER. "It was nothing" she muir
INJURED. at was very little-I'm very
inexpert, Pm afraid-but-but-" Ag-
itation quite unfathomable stopped her
lips.
Roberts, noticing it, hesitantly
reached out to put great brown hand
over both of them. With sense of
shock he began to realize that when
Anne left, the desert would be des-
ert indeed, there would be dismal
void which could be filled by nothing
but her radiant, cheerful personality.
"I'll be terribly sorry when you're
gone, Anne DEAR" he murmured, land
l don't quite know what well do
without you" If only she weren't
the daughter Of Amos Cleeves!
Then on the back of that brown
hand fell two tears and suddenly Anne
got up.
ooh, Norman" she choked in sti-
fled voice, "you don't understand how
terrible it is to think of going off
again-it's so lonely, so dreadful"
eyes, this wilderness is all of that"
he agreed, and slowly got to his feet,
the mass of bandages on his shoulder
giving him a queer, misshapen look.
ooh, Anne, only wish you were diff
ferent. It's really not so bad here in
the desert-it's really beautiful, but
l know you could never be happy
here"
poor blind Norman! Why don't you
see?" she asked herself miserably.
With a smothered sob, she turned
and ran from the platform with a
light patter of her small riding boots,
leaving completely wretched and be-
wildered Roberts behind.
Deliberately he sank back in the
chair and for the first time he &C
tually brought himself to weigh the
possibilities of Anne Cleeves' marry
ing him. At once he saw it was i'm
possible-there were a thousand OBJ
jections. First, her enormous wealth.
Against this he checked off his re-
sources. For single man, he was
not badly off, but his all would have
been a laughably small item in the