The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-08-21
By George Gibbs

carelessly and then added, "a
short interlude in cur friendship
yours and mine, Joe"
"He must have been very CRATE
full to you for helping to save his
life
Gle said he was" and then she
thought it about time to end the
catechism. do you know any.
thing about that shooting. Joe?,
she asked. 'Who did it and why!
81 know nothing about it"
It was, of course, what she hao
expected him to say.
She was getting nowhere ano
she knew it. She must choose, ike
Asad, the oriental way of saying
little and listening much.
They climbed the hill to Che-
OBS and, after the usual express
sions of awe and rapture, went
down the rocky road to the
Sphinx, which would be posing
for them by the time they reached
it, with the moon at just the exac'
angle to show the monstrous et-
figy it's worst and at its hes.
Mustapha Ali, with the air OF
mystery that made his job expen-
sive. advised them all to keep
together under the protection OF
his men; for frequently, he said,
inouisitive tourists wandered OIL
into the sand and were seen no
more.
"Hooey," Slim said, splitting IN
the general direction of the Pyra-
mid of Cheops.
Nevertheless, the desert called
to Camilla, and she could under
stand it's lure-"Allah's Garden
they called it, where peace was
as only peace on earth could be
found.
The voices of her companions
impinged on ears that she had at
tuned to silence and she wandered
off, eluding Asad, who was occu'
pied with Josie, finding her way
beyond the shadow of the near
est tombs and out upon a mouno
of rocks where she could face the
desert and fill her unquiet spirit
with solitude.
The figure of a native startled
her by appearing among the rocks
beside her. His kaffiyeh was
pulled down over his eyes, meet
ing the scarf wrapped around his
neck, from which emerged a ia
miliar voice. Haven't you wan
dered too far, Camilla?"
She gave a quick glance
around at her friends who had
gone toward the Sphinx. Appar-
emily her absence had not beer
noticed. ooh, Ronnie," she said
joyfully. Il thought I'd never see
you again"
He laughed as he took her In
his arms and she saw that his face
was stained and dirty and that
only his voice was familiar. 'The
jinni in the bottle" he said. ''YoU
wanted me and so I came"
II did. Where do you come
from? Where have you been?"
Camel driving. Don't I look it?
But I had to see you before
went to Jerusalem. I'm flying to-
morrow. I've had some news to-
day. Ayub has confessed"
"Is Asad implicated?'
He nodded slowly. II came tc
tell you that. Has he behaved
HIMSELF"
"The soul of discretion.
Sounds of voices calling her
name from the path below. "You
must go now. I'll manage to see
you in Jerusalem"
Again the sound of voices
"Goodby," Ronnie said, and dis
appeared.
Coming" Camilla cried, wav-
ing her hand and moving over the
rocks toward the Sphinx. Asad
climbing the rocks to meet her.
"Don't you realize that's very
dangerous thing to do?" he grum-
bled.
"No," she said cheerfully. GIVE
been communing with kismet."
Ronnie had flown to Jerusalem
and Asad had gone to the Kasr-
ed-Doubara to attend to ''impor-
tant business Josie and Janet
had gone shopping and Camilla
intended to improve her time on
a mission that she had planned
since yesterday. A conversation
with Mustapha conducted in re-