The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-10-09

81 think you'll be glad to have
good news of your friends" Has
san said. ''The great adventure of
your friend Michael having end
ed in disaster, he Throughout it
best to return to Damascus. He
was not badly hurt, just a bullet
through the flesh of his shoulder.
Torelli drove, I'm told, and man.
aged very we'll. Your cousin
Josie is worried about you, of
course, and I have no way Of re-
assuring her Miss Priestly is very
happy to be back at the hotel
with Torelli, and Kitty Trimble
is on her way to Beirut"
''And you think you can keep a
story like this quiet?"
''It will be nine days wonder
and then forgotten"
''Not with the body CT Slim as
evidence"
"There will be no body of
SLIM" he said. s'When there's no
body there's no crime. They tell
me it was Slim who made the
trouble. He'll make no more"
She sat silent, wondering how
she could have tolerated Hassan
for so long. He went out to battle
his face and hands, leaving her
in a misery of uncertainty. There
now seemed no hope for her in
any direction -. none of her old
weapons would do. She was done
-. finished 80.
A man came quickly from the
dusk of the inner side of the tent
beyond the perimeter of light. He
was one of the three men who
had ridden with her after the
holdup. She covered away from
him but he held up his hand,
speaking quickly in broke n
French.
"Mademoiselle," he whispered.
81 belong to the tribes Of Ell Ke-
rak. He asked me to give you this
yesterday but there was no op-
portunity until now" and he
handed her a soiled slip of paper.
She glanced at it quickly and
read the brief message. ''The
JIM is out of the bottle"
It was unsigned but a great
thrill shot through her as she
realized that Ronnie was again
near and would help her. She
turned to the messenger. "When?"
she asked him.
"Soon," he replied and, drop
ping to his knees, suddenly dis
appeared.
She moved quickly to the flap
of the tent and as she appeared
the guard outside rose and faced
her with a forbidding gesture. It
was extraordinary that no one
had noticed the stranger as he
came and went. Hassan apparent
ly was still in his dressing tent.
She turned slowly as Hassan
reentered the tent.
'And now" he said, 1--WE shall
be coy and quite ZEN famille.' I
made plans for this visit some
days ago when I hoped to get
you to accept my invitation, and
sent some food from Tadmore."
'T-I couldn't eat" she said,
F'I'm not hungry"
''After I've taken all this tou-
BILE? Nonsensel You must eat OF
my bread and salt, my dear, &C
cording to the Arabian custom, if
only to show that you're not an
cry"
'Why waste words?" she said,
forcing smile. II refused the in
vitation to go with you on car
avian because I distrusted you. It
seems that I was right"
"But here we are whether you
distrusted me or not. And don't
YOU think it would be wiser if
you made the best of it,"
"There is no best of it-only the
worst" she said with bitterness
intended to hide her hope of Ron
ME.
"Well, at least now we under
stand each other. For the first
time you're actually honest with
me. I don't mind saying it's ra-
Their refreshing. But I didn't think
you'd such a poor loser I thought
at least you were good sport"
'Your ideas of sport and mine
may be different.
ssPerhaps Will you have
wing and breast of SQUAD chicken,
or second joint? It smells very
good"
mo, thank you"
''But I can't let you starve."
She made no reply He helped
her and began eating hungrily.
s'You see, my DEAR" Hassan told
Camilla. 1--WE done everything in
the world I could think of to
please you and all I've had in