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HAROLD MacGRATH
Aufhor V HEARTS AND .MASKS
CBo ynAN UN THE BOX sm
llkislraiions 4 JI.G.Kettaibr-
COPYRIGHT 1011 by BOBB3 - nERRILL COMPANY
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It Wat Ryanne the Erstwhilo Affable Ryanne
12
SYN0P8IS.
George I'erclval
Algernon .Tone, vlcc-
di efttdont of the
Mctropoiltan uriemui
Rug company of New Vurlc, thirsting for
romanco, is in Cairo on o. uusmoHn
U. IO 111 IjHIIU Ull MHO lnn
ti!
ft
Horaces Hyaline arrives at ttio hotel
Cairo with n carefully guarded bundle,
Ityanne hoIIh Jones tlio famous holv Y 1 1 1 -ordes
rug which ho admits limine stolon
from a pasha at Bagdad. Jours mcctH
S.lajor Callftllan and Inter l Introduced to
fortunes Chedxoyo by u woman to whom
io had loaned 150 pounds at Monte Carlo
uomo months previously, mid who turns
out to bo Fortune's mother Jonei takes
Mm. Chcduoyo and fortune to n polo
game Kortuno returns to Jones the
money borrowed by her matliet Mr
Cliedswyo appears to be engaged In somo
mysterious cntcrprlso unknown to the
dfiughlcr. Hynnne interests Jones In the
united Kcnmuico nnu Auvcniuro com
puny, a concern which for n pi lee will
tirrango any kind of an adventure tn or
der. Mrs. Cliotlnoyc, her brother, Major
Culluhnn, Wulluco and Ryanne, ax the
United Itomanco and Adventure compau) ,
plan a risky enterprise Involving Jonos
ltyunue mnkos known to Mm Clicdsoye
his Intention to tnarry Fortune. Mis
Ohedsoyo declares slio will not permit It
1'lnns are Inld to prevent Jones sailing
for home, llyanno steals Jones' letters
nnd cable dlspatchos. Ho wires agent In
New York, tn Jones name, that he Is
renting house In Now York to bouio
friends, Mahomed, keeper of the holy
carpet, Is on Rynnno's trail rtynnntt
promises Fortune that ho will seo that
Jones comes to no harm as a result of his
purchase) of tho rug. Mahomed uccosts
llynnno nnd demunds tho Ylilordes rug
'mrtanno toll him Jones has the rug and
suggests tho abduction of tho New York
merchant as n mentis of socuilug Us re
turn. Tho run disappears from Jones'
room. Kortuno Quarrels with her mother
whan the latter refuses to explain her
mysterious actions. I'ortuno gets n men
wage purporting to be from Hjnnno ask
mysterious actions Fortuno pets a im-9-esgo
purporting to bo from Ryanne nsk
1 iRT her to meet him In a secluded place
mat evening. Jones receives a mcHHago
nsklnir him i
to mot Ryanne at tho unci sh
Dnr the same evening.
ine evening. Jones Is carried
oft Into tho desert by Mahomed and his
accomplices after a desperate fight. I
CHAPTER XII. (Continued.)
Tho wind blow cold against lila
-clifeKl, nnd the fact that ho could pel
thor see. uor uao his tonguo to moist
en his bruised Una, added to tho tlla
comfortB. Back and forth ho swayed
and rocked. Tho pain In his oldo waB
(gradually minimized by the torturo
Vicnrlng upon his ankles, hU kneed,
Across bis Bhouldora, Finally, when
In dull despair ho was about to glvo
up nnd Blldo off, indifferent whether
tho camelB following trampled him or
not. ft Iikk wnB cttllca. H steadied
him. Somo ono reached up and un
tied tho thong that strangled the life
In his hands. Forward again. This
was a trifle better. Ho could "now
case lilmBclf with hta hands. No ono
Interfered with htm when ho toro off
tho bandages over his oyes and
mouth. Tho camels were now urgod
to a swifter pace.
Egyptian night, well called, he
thought. Ho could discern nothing
but phantom-llko grey Bllhouettes that
bobbed up and down after tho fashion
of corks upon wntor. Before him and
behind him; how many camelB made
up tho caravan ho could not toll. Ho
could hear the faint Blip-Blip as tho
beasts shunted forward In tho fine
hoavy sand. They woro well out Into
tho dcecrt, but what desert waB as
yet a mystery. Ho had forgotton to
keep tho points of tho compass In hta
mind, And to pick out his bearings
by any particular star was to him no
moro simple than translating Chinese.
Far, far away bohlnd ho saw a lumi
nous pallor in tho sky, tho reflected
lights of Cairo. And only a fow hourB
ago he bad complained to tho head
waiter because of the bits of cork
floating In Ills glass of wine. Ah, for
tho dregs of that bottle now; warmth,
rovlval, new courngo! . . . Curse
tho lick! There went ono of- his
pumps. Ho called out. Tho man rid
ing in front and lending George's
camel merely gave a ynnk at tho rope.
The camel responded with a cough
nnd n quickened gntt.
Presently George became nwaie of
a singular fact: that ho could sec out
of ono eye better than tho other;
nnd tlmt tho aeml-UBclesa orb shot out
Uttlo stars with every beat of his
heart. Ono of his oars, too, began- to
thtob and burn. Ha felt of It. It wns
less llko an car thnn n mtiBluoom. It
had been a rattling good mix-up, any
how; and he accepted the knowledge
lather piumdly that the Georgo I'ercl
val Algernon, who hut lately had en
tered the English-Bar sprucely and
had mndo his exit In a kind of negli
gible attire, had left behind one char
acter and brought away nnothor. Nev
er again was ho going to bo shy: tho
tamo tiger, as it were, had had his
ilrat taBto of blood.
Dawn, dawn; If only the hoilzon
would brighten up a little so that he
could get his bearings. Dy now they
wero at least fifteen or twenty miles
from Cairo; but In what dlroction?
Hour after hour wont by; over this
huge grey, l oil of sand, down into that
cup-llko volley; Boundless save when
tho cnmcls protoatcd or his stirrup
clinked ngalnst a buckle; all with the
bomber aspect of a scene from Dante.
Sevornl black spots, moving In circles
fnr above, once attracted Georgo; and
ho knew them to bo kites, which will
follow a caravan Into tho desert oven
as a gull will follow a ship out to sea.
Later, a torpid Indlfforence took pos
session of him, and tho sense of pain
grew loss under the cncioachlng
numbness.
And when at last tho splendor of
the dawn upon tho desert flashed like
a Bword-blado along tho sky In tho
east, grow and wldonod, Georgo com
prehended ono thlug clearly, that thoy
were In tho Arabian desert, out of the
urnln traveled paths, In tho middle of
nowhere.
Ills senso of beauty did not respond
to tho marvel of tho transformation.
Tho dark grey of the Band-hills that
becamo violet at their bases, to fado
away upward Into Uttlo pinnacles of
shimmering gold; the drab, formless,
scattered boulders, now assuming
clear-cut shapes, transfused with ruby
and sapphtro glowing; tho sun Itself
that prosontly lifted Its rosal warm
ing circle nbovo the Btopplng-nff
place Qeorgo saw but noted not. Tho
physical plcturo wna overshadowed by
tho ono ho drew In his mind: tho good
Bhlp Ludwlg, boring her way out Into
tho Boa.
Tho Bun was frco from tho desert's
rim when tho leading camel wna halt
ed. A contusion ensued; tho camels
following stupidly Into one another, In
a kind of panic. Out of tho silence
camo a babblo of voices, a gt tinting, a
clattor of pack-baBkota and saddle
bags. Georgo, aB IiIb camel kneeled,
slid oft Involuntarily and tumbled
ngalnst n small hillock, and lay there,
without any distinct sense of what
was going on round him. Tho snnd,
fine and mutable, formed a couch com
fortingly under his nchtiiR body: and
be fell asleep, exhausted. Already tho
Impalpable dust, which hnd risen and
followed tho caravan all through the
night, hnd powdered his clothes, and
his faro was stained and streaked.
His head lay In tho sand, his soft Fe
dora crushed under his shoulders.
What with tho bruises visible, the
rents in his coat, the open shirt,
soiled, crumpled, collarlcss, ho In
vited pity; only uono camo from tho
busy Ainbs. As ho slept, a frown
gathered upon his face nnd remained
there.
When ho camo back from his
troubled drenin3, n bowl of rice,
thinned by hot water, was given him.
Ho cleaned the bowl, not because ho
was hungry, but becauso he knew that
somewhere along this Journey ho
would need strength; nnd the recur
ring fury ngninst his duress caused
him to fling tho empty bowl at the
head of tho camel-boy who had
biought it. Tho boy ducked, laugh
ing. Georgo lay down again. Let
them cut bis throat if they wanted to;
It was all the same to him. Again ho
slept, and when ho was roughly and
forcibly awakened, ho Bflt up with a
snarl and looked about.
His head was clear now, and ho
begin to tako notes. Ho counted
ten, eleven, twelve camels, a car
van In truth, piepaied for a long nnd
continuous journey. aVJtai"c.re three
JJtlWIt-VtllllUJO, iUUVII vrCJl
and such cooking uteu
nn nlr.nn mnla lnilnn W. ft .
gal Arab hnd need
of. CeiV'ly Ma-
homed was a rich man, whether Ijo
owned tho camels or hired them for
tho occasion. Upon ono of tho beasts
they were putting up a rnahmal, a can
opy used to protect women from the
sua whllo riding. Ono Arab, taller,
more robust than the otherB, moved
hither and thither authoritatively.
Wound about his tarboosh or fez was
a blight green cufla, signifying that
tho wearer had made tho pilgrimage
to Holy Mecca. This Individual
George assumed to bo Mahomed him
self. And ho recognized him aB the
beggar over whom he had stumbled
two nights gone. Pity ho hadn't
known, and pitched him Into tho Nile
when ho had tho chance.
Mahomed completed his directions,
and wnlked lelBurcly toward Georgo,
but his attention was not directed
toward him. A short distance nwny,
at George's left, was a man, stretched
out as If in slumber. Over his inert
figure Mahomed watched. Ho drew
back his foot and kicked tho sleeping
man soundly, smiling amiably tne
while; a kick which, had Moharaed's
foot been caBOd In western leather,
must havo stovo In tho sleeper's ribs.
Strange, tho victim did not stir. Ma
homod shrugged, and returned to tho
business of breaking camp.
Georgo was keenly Interested In
this man who could accept such a
kick apparently without feeling or re
sentment. Ho stood up for a hotter
view. Ono glanco was sufficient. It
was Ityanne, tho erstwhilo affable
llyanno of tho revorslblo oufta: his
feet nnd hands still In bondage, his
clothes torn, his face battered and
biulecd like a Bailor's of a Sunday
morning on shore-leave. Tho Bight of
llyanno brightened him considerably.
Although ho was slngulnrly free from
tho Bplrlt of malevolence, he was, nev
ertheless, human enough to subBcrlbo
to that unwritten nnd much denied
creed that tho misery of one man rec
onciles another to his. And here was
company Buch as misery lovea; noro
was a man worse oft than himself,
whoBO prospocts wero n thousand
times blacker. Poor devil l And hero
ho was, captive of the men ho bad
wronged and beaten and robbed. As
seen through Georgo'B oyea, Ryanno'B
outlook was not a pleasant thing to
contemplate. But oh! tho fight this
ono must havo boon I If It had taken
flvo natives to overcome him, how
many had It taken to beat Ryanne
Into Bitch a shocking condition? Ho
woo genuinely Borry for Ilyanne, but
in his soul ho was glad to see him.
Ono whlto man could accomplish
nothing In the face of thoso odda; but
two whlto men, that was a dlfforent
inatter. Ityanne, once he got his legs,
strong, courageous, resourceful, lly
anno would get them both out of It
somehow, . . . And If Ilyanne
hadn't the rug, who tho dickens had?
Tho Jumblo of questions that rose
In his mind, seeking answers to the
riddle of Yhlordea rug, subsided evon
ns they rose. Tho bundlo to tho tar
sldo of Ilyanne stirred. He had, In his
general survey of tho scone, barely
sot a glanco upon It, beliovlng It to
bo a conglomeration of saddle-bags
(made of wool and cotton) and blau
kots. It stirred again. Georgo stud
ied It with a pocullar senso of detach
ment. A woman; a woman In what
had but recently been a smart Paris
Ian tailor-made street-dress. Tho
woman, rubbing her eyos, boro her
self up painfully to n Bitting posture.
Sho was white. All tho blows of the
night past wero as nothing In com-
I parlson with this Invlatblo one which
seemed to strike at the very source
of his life.
Fortuno Chcdsoyc!
CHAPTER XIII.
Not a Cheerful Outlook.
George, his brain In tumult, a fierce
tigerish courage giving fictitious
strength to his bod j, staggered toward
ber. It was a mad dream, n mirage
df his own disordered thoughts. For
tune there? It wna not believable.
What placo had she In this tungled
web? He ran his fingers Into his hair,
gripped, and pulled, if It was a dream
tho pain did not waken him; Fortune
sat. thero still. Through what ter
rors might she not havo p. ssedtho
preceding night? Alone In the desert,
without any of those conveniences
which arc to women as necessary as
the air thoy breathe! He tried to run,
but his feet sank too deeply In the
pnlo sand; ho could only plod. He
must touch ber or hear her ice;
otherwiso ho stood upon the brink of
madness. There was no doubt in his
mind now; ho loved her, loved her as
deeply and passionately as any sto
ried knight loved his lady; loved her
without thought of reward, unselfish
ly, with great and tender pity, for un
consciously he saw7 that she, llko he.
was all alone, not only hero in the
desert, but along the hlghwajB where
men sot up their dwellings.
Mahomed, having an eyn upon all
things, though apparently teeing only
that which was under h'i immediate
concern, saw tho young man,'s Inten
tion, and more, read the secret In his
face. Ho was infinitely amuacd.
Thero wero two of them, so It seemed.
Quietly ho slipped In between George
and the glil, and his movement freed
George's mind of its bowilderment.
Unhesitatingly, ho flung himself upon
the Arab, striving to reach tho loan,
brown throat. Mahomed, strong and
unwearied, having no hand Jn tho nc
tual warfare, thrust George back so
vigorously that the young man lost
his balance and fell prone upon the
sand. He was bo weak that the fall
sJUinned him. Mahomed stepped for
ward, doubtless with tho generous lm
pulso to prove that In the matter of
kicks ho desired to show no partial
ity, when a hand caught at his bur
nouse. Ho paused and looked down.
It was tho girl.
"Don't! A bravo man would not do
that."
Mahomed, moved by somo feeling
that eluded Immediate analysis,
turned about. It was time to be off,
If ho wished to reach Sorapeum tho
following night. Pursuit ho knew to
be out of tho question, since who
was there to knafr that there waB any
thing to pursuo? But many miles In
tervened botwoen here qnd his desti
nation. Ho dared not enter Serapeum
in the daytime. Lying upon tho canal
bank aa it did, tho possibility of on
countering a stray white man con
fronted him. Evory camel-way fre
quonted by Europeans must of ne
ceaaity bo nvolded, every town of nny
size skirted, and all the while ho must
keop parallel with known paths or be
come lost himself. Not to become
lost himself, that was his real con
corn. The caravan was provisioned
for months, and he knew Asia-Minor
as well as tho lines upon his palms.
There wero Band-storms, too; but
against theao blighting visitations he
would mntoh his vigilant eye and tho
Instinct of the camels. The ono wny
In which thoso peculiar Btorms might
dlatress him Jay in tho total oblitera
tion of tho way-signs, certain rocks,
certain hills, without the guidance of
which, like a good ship boreft of its
compass, he might fall away from his
course, notwithstanding that he would
always travel toward tho sun.
And thero waB also tho vital ques
tion of water; ho must measure thq
time between each well, each oasis.
So, then, aside from these dangers
with which ho felt able to copo, thore
was one unforeseen: tho chanco meet
ing with a wandering caravan headed
by whlto men In search of rugs and
carpets. Theso fools wero eternally
hunting about the wastes of the
world; they were never satisfied un
less they were prowling Into countries
where thoy had no business to be, wero
always breaking tho laws of tho ca
liphs nnd tho Koran.
The girl was beautiful In her pale.
foreign way; beautiful as tho atar of
tho morning, aa tho first rose of tho
Persian spring; and ho sighed for
tho old days that wero no more. Sho
would havo brought a sultan's ransom
In the markets. But tho accursed
Feringhl wero everywhere, and these
sickly If handsome whlto women were
moro to them than their heart's blood;
why, ho had never ceased to wonder.
But upon this knowledgo ho had
mapped out his plan of torture In re
gard to Ryunno. Tho Idea of selling
Fortune had dimly formed In his
mind, while his blood had burned In
I anger; but today's soberness showed
Saw Fortune, Unresisting, Placed
him tho futility of such a procedure.
Ho would havo to make tho best of a
foollah move; for tho girl would
eventually provo an encumbrance. At
any rate, ho would wring ono whlto
man's heart till it beat dry in hla
breast. That her health might be ru
ined, that sho might sicken and die,
In no manner aroused his pity. This
attribute was destined nover to be
awakened In Mahomed's heart.
The klswch, tho klsweh, always the
Holy Yhlordes; "that ho must have,
even If he had to forego tho pleasure
of breaking Ityanne. Ho was too old
to start life anew; at least, too old
to stir ambition. He had wielded au
thority too many years to surrender it
lightly; ho had known too long hla
golden-flaked tobacco, bis sherbet,
bin syrupy coffee, tho pleasant loaf
ing In the bazaars with his merchant
friends. To return to tho palace, to
confess to the Pasha that his careless
ness had lost him tho rug, would re
sult either in death or banishment;
and so far aa ho wa8 concerned ho
had no choice, the ono waa as bad aB
the other. So, If tho young fool who
had bought tho tug of Ryanno told
the truth when ho declared that it
had been stolon again, then Rynnno
knew whore It was; and he could be
made to tell; he, Mahomed, would at
tend to that. And when Ityanne con
fessed, tho girl nnd the other would
bo conveyed to tho nearest telegraph
post. That thoy might at onco report
tho abduction to tho English authori
ties did not worry Mahomed. Not tho
fleetest racing-ci el could And him,
and behind tho walls of the palace
of Bagdad, only Allah could touch
him. Ho had figured it all out closely,
nnd ho waB an admirable strategist
In his way. Revenge upon Ryanno for
tho dishonor nnd humiliation, and the
return of tho rug; there waajtothlng
more boyond that.
Before Georgo had the opportunity
of speaking to Fortune, ho waa ralaed
from tho sand and bodily lifted upon
his camel; and by way ot passing
pleasantry, his hnt was Jammod down
over bis eyes. Ho sworo aa he pulled
up tho brim. Swearing waB another
accomplishment added to tho list of
transformations. Ho had a deal to
learn yet, but in his present mpod he
was likely to proceed famously.' He
readjusted tho hat In tlmo to seo Ry
anne unceremoniously dumped Into
ono of tho yawning pack-baskets, his
nrms and legs hanging out, his head
lolling against his shoulder, exactly
llko a marionette, cast aside for tho
time being. A man of ordinary stam
ina would havo died under such treat
ment. But Ryanno poasessed nn ex
traordinary constitution, against which
yoais of periodical dissipation had as
yet mado no pormanont Inroads More
over, ho never forgot to keep his chin
up and his wnlst-llne down. They put
him Into the pack-basket becauso
there was no alternative, being as no
wob lncnpablo of sitting upon a cam
el's back.
Next, Georgo saw Fortune, unre
sisting, placed upon the camel, under
canopy. At least, she would know a
Uttlo comfort against tho day's long
ride. His heart ached to seo her. He
colled out bravely to her to bo of
good cheer. Sho turned and smiled;
and ho 6aw only tho smile, not tho
Upon the Camel, Under Canopy.
swift, decisive battle against the on
set of tears: 6he smiled, and ho was
too far away to seo the Bwlminlng
eyeB.
A bawling of voices, a snapping of
the kurbash upon the flanks ot the
camels, and tho caravan was onco
moro under way. N George looked at
his watch, which fortunately had been
overlooked by tho thieving natives,
and found It still ticking away brisk,
ly. It was after nine. It waB a com
fort to learn that tho watch had not
been injured. Most men are method
ical in tho matter of time, no matter
how desultory thoy may be In other
things. There Is a peculiar restful
ncss in knowing what the hour Is,
whether It passes quickly or whether
It drags.
Further investigation revealed
that his letter oj credit was undid
turbed and that ho was tho proud po3l
sessor of six damaged cigars and a
box of cigarettes. Instantly tho
thought of being dnys without tobacco
smote him almost poignantly. He waa
an inveterate smoker, and tho fact
that tho supply was so pitiably small
gave unusual zest to his craving. He
now longed for tho tang of tho weed
upon his lips, but he held out. man
fully. Ho would not touch a cigur or
clgarctto till nightfall, and then ho
rnado up hla mind to smoke half of
either. The touch, selfish and calcu
lating, of tho miser, stolo over him.
If Ryanno was without tho soother,
so much tho worse for him. Tho six
cigars he would not share with tho
archangel Michael, supposing that
gentleman camo down for a smoke.
Forward, always forward, winding
In and out of the valleys, trailing over
tho hills, nover faster, nover slower.
Noon came, and tho brilliance of aft
ernoon dimmed and faded Into tho
short twilight. Wero they never go
ing to stop? Ono hill more, and
George, to his infinite delight, saw a
cluster of date-palms ahead, n nillo
or so; and ho knew that this was to
be tho haven for tho ship of the des
ert. The caravan camo to It under
tho dim light of the few stars that
had not yet attained their refulgence.
Under tho palms wero a few deserted
mud-houses, huddled dejectedly to
gether, like outcasts seeking the near
ness rather than the companionship of
tho co-unfortunates. Men had dwelt
here onco upon a time, but tho plaguo
had doubtless counted them out, ono
by one. They mado camp near tho
well, which still contained water.
Prayers. A walling chanted forth
toward Mecca. "God la great. Thero
is no God but God."
George had witnessed prayerB so
often that ho no longer gavo attention
to the muezzin calling at eventide
from tho mlnarot. But out hero, in
tho blank wilderness, it caught him
again, caught him as It had never
dono before. A shiver stirred tho hair
at tho baso of his neck. Tho lean
bodies, ono not distinguishable from
tho other now, kneeling, Btnndlng,
sweeping tho arms, touching tho fore
head upon tho rug, for even tho low
est camel-boy had his prayer-rug,
ceaselessly Intoning tho sot phraBoa
Georgo felt shame grow In his heart.
Was ho as loyal to his God as thesa
wero to theirs?
70 DC CONTINUED.)
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