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COPYRIQHT 1911 y BOBB3 - MERRILL COMPANY .
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Hllli If
"Mono Comes a Pack of Card or
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8YNOP8I3.
Ceprgo Pcrclvnl Algernon Jones, vice
president of Urn Metropolitan Orluntul
Kug company of Now York, thirsting for
romance. In In Cairo on a business trip.
Horace Ityimno arrives nt tlio hotel In
Cairo with a carefully gunrdeil bundle.
Ityanno sells Jones tlio famous holy Yhl
ordes rug which ho admits having Btolon
from a pasha at Uiigdad. .Touch meets
Major Callahan and later Is Introduced to
Fortuno Chedsoyo by a woman to whom
fie had loaned lfii) pounds nt Monto Carlo
omo months previously, and who turns
out to bo Fortune's tnotlier. Jones takes
Mrs. Chedsoyo and Fortuno to u polo
frame Fortune returns to Jones tlio
noney borrowed by her mother. Mrs.
Chedsoyo appears tO cnguged In soma
mysterious enterprise unknown to tlio
daughter. Ityanno Interests Jones In the
united Itoniunco and Adventure com
pany, a concern which for a prlco will
Arrange any kind of an adventure to or
der. Mrs. Chedsoyo. her brother. Major
Callahan, Wallace and Uynnno, as tlio
united Itoniunco and Adventure company,
plan a risky enterprise Involving Jones.
Ityanno makes icliown to Mrs. Ohcdsoye
his Intention to marry Fortune. Mrs.
Chedsoyo declares sho will not permit it.
Plans uro laid to provont Jones sailing
for homo. Ityanno steals Jones' lotters
and cablo dispatches. Ho wires ngent In
Now York, In Jones' name, that ho Is
renting houso In Now York to somo
friends. Mahomed, keener of tlio holy
carpet, U on Hyaline's trail. Hyntinfc
promises Fortuno that ho will sco that
Jones comes to no harm as a result of his
furclmso of tho rug. Mahomed accosts
lyanna and demands tlio Yhlordos rug.
Ityanno tells him Jones has tho rug and
suggests tho abduction of tho New York
merchant oh a means of securing Its to
turn. Tho rug disappears from Jones'
room. Fortuno quarrels with her mother
vhen tho laltor retimes to explain her
tnystorlous actions. Fortuno getH n mes
ago purporting to bo from Hynnne ask
trig her to meet him. In a secluded placo
that ovennig, Jones receives it messago
asking him to meot Uynnno at tho English.
Bar tho samo ovonlng, Jones Is enrrted
off Into tho desert by Mahomed and his
accomplices aftor a desperate light. Ho
discovers that Ityanno and Fortuno also
Are captives, the former Is badly battered
.and unconscious. Ityanne recovers con
sciousness and tho sight of Fortune In
captivity reveals to him tho fact that
Mahomed Intends to get vongeuncu on
him through tho girl. Fortuno ncknowl
lges that sho stolo tho rug from Jones'
J 00 in. film offers to return it to Mahomed
( ho will free nil three of them. Mn
lomed agrees to liberate Fortuno und ono
of the men In return for the rug. A cour
ier Is sent to Cairo for tho rug, but re
turns with tho Information that Mrs.
Chedsoyo and her brothor have sailed for
STew York. Fortune spurns offered freo.
am which does not Includo her two com--panlono.
Tho caravan continues tlio Jour
ney toward Ilugdud. Ityanno tolls Jones
that Mrs. Chedsoyo Is Mia most adroit
smuggler of tho age, and liFoverhonrd by
Fortune.
CHAPTER XVI. (Continued.)
Rynuno folded his amis and atnrod
at tho buikI. Qcorgo tint down and
aimlessly hunted for the Btub of tlio
cigar ho had dropped; a kind of reflex
action.
Tho two men wore ull ulono. Tho
camcl-boyo were asleep. Mahomed
had' now ccasod to bother about a
guard.
"I can't boo whore alio gotB title
ridiculous nenso of honesty," said Ry.
hnno gloomily.
Goorgo loaned over and laid hla
Jaand upon Hyanno'a knee. "Sho gota
it tho name way I do, Ityanno from
here," touching hla heart; "nnd sho
Is right."
'I bellovo I'vo missed overythlng
worth while, Porclval. Till I mot you
I always hnd'n encnklng Idea that
Bioney mndo a man evil. Tho boot
eom'a to bo upon tho other foot."
''Ityanno, you Bpoko about becoming
honest, onco you got out of. thin. , Did
you mean It!"
"I did, nnd still do."
"It may bo that I can give you a
a Bottle of Wine, and Back I Slip..'
lift. You worked In your fnther's
bank. You know something about 11b
uros. 1 own two largo fruit-farms
hi California. What do you say to a
hundred nnd fifty n month to start
with, nnd begin lifo over again?"
Ityanno got up nnd restlessly paced.
Nonc'halanco had been beaten out of
him j tho mercurlnl humor which hnd
onco been bo plcnsant to oxcltc,
which' had once given him n foothold
In such moments, wns gone. He had
only ono feeling, a keen, biting, bitter
shame. At length he stopped In front
of George, who smiled and looked up
expectantly.
"Jones, when you Btlck your finger
Inlo wntor nnd withdraw It, what hap
pens? Nothing. Woll, tho man who
gives mo n benefit is sticking his
linger Into water. I'm Just as un
stable. How many promises have I
mndo nnd broken! I menn, promises
to myself. I don't know. Thla mo
ment I swear to bo good, and along
comes a pack of cards or n bottlo of
wino, una back I Blip. Would It bo
woryi whllo to trust a man so damned
wenk as thnt? Look at me. I am six
foot two, normally a hundrod nnd
eighty pounds, no fat. I nm na sound
ns a cocounut. Thero Isn't n boxor jn
tho States I'm afraid of. I can ride,
shoot, fence, light; there Isn't a gamp
I can't take a credltnblo hand In. So
much for that. Thero's tho other sldo.
Morally, I'm putty. When It's soft you
can mold It any which way; when It's
hard, It crumbles, Will you trust a
man llko thnt?"
"Yes. Out thero you'll bo away
from temptation." .
"I'erhnps. Woll, I accept. And If
ono day I'm missing, think kindly of
tho poor dovll of an outcast who want
ed to bogood nnd couldn't bo. I'm
fagged. I'm going to turn In. Good
night." He picked up hlsblankotnnd anddle
bags nnd mndo his bed a dozen ynrdB
uway.
Georga set his gaze nt tho fire, now
fnlllng hi plncoB and allowing incan
descent holes, A month ago, lu tho
rut of commonplace, moving round In
oiled grooves of mediocrity. Hang!
like a rocket. Why, never had thoao
Hnra lu tho smoke-roums recounted
anything halt so wild nnd strange as
this adventure. Smugglers, onrd
shrtrpB, an ancient rug, n enravnn In
the desert! Ho turned hla hoad and
looked long and earnestly at tho little
tent. Love, too; lovo thnt hnd put
Into his dlflldont heart tho thrill "nnd
courage of a Dayard. Love! He saw
her again bb sho stopped down from
tho carriage; In tho dining-room nt his
sldo, leaning over tho parnpet; Inef
fably aweot, hauntlngly sad Would
uho accept tho refuge he hnd offered 7
Ho knew that old Mortimer would
tnko her without question. Would bIio
accept tho shelter of that kindly roof?
Bho muBtl If sho refused and went
her own wny Into tho world, ho would
lose hor for over. Bho must accept!
Ho would plead with all tho eloquence
of Ills soul, for hla own hnpplness, and
mnyhnp hers. Ho roso, faced tho
tonl, and, with n gesture not unllko
that of tho pagan In prayer, registered
a vow that novor should alio want for
protection, novor should Bho want for
tho comforts of life. How ho was
going to keep such nf vow wan a ques
tion that did not enter his hend. Some
how ho was going to accomplish tho
feat.
What mattered tho ragged beard
upon hla face, tho ragged clothes upon
his body, tho tattered cloths upon hla
feet, tho grotesque altitude and en
semble? Tho Lord of Life saw Into
his heart and understood. And who
might Hay with what 1ov Pntulnrn.
gnzed upon her work, knowing ns she
cjki what still remained within her
caskct7
From these heights, good occasional
ly for any man's soul, George came
down abruptly and humnnly to the
prosaic question of where would he
maKo his bed thnt night? To Ha down
at the north side of tho fire meant a
chill In the morning; the south side,
the intermittent, acrid breath of tho
flro Itself; so ho threw down his blan
ket and bags east of the lire, wrapped
himself up, and sank Into slumber,
light but drenmlcBS.
What wn8 that? Ho sat up, alert,
straining his cars. How long had he
been asleep? An hour by his watch,
What had awnkened him? Not a
sound anywhere, yet something hnd
startled him out of his sleep, He
glanced over the camp. Thnt bundle
Wns Ryannc. Ho waited. Not a move
ment there. No sign of life among tho
camel-boys; nnd tho flnps or tho two
tents were closed. Bnh! Nerves,
probably: and ho would linvn lnin
down again hnd his gaze' riot roved out
toward tho desert. Something moved
out thero, upon tho misty, moonlit
space. He shaded his eyes from tho
fire, now but a heap of glowing cm
bora. Ho got up, and shiver after
Bhiver wrinkled his spine. Oh, no;
it could not bo n dream; ho was
awake. It was n living thing, that
long, bobbing camel-trnin, coming di
rectly townrd tho onsls, no doubt at
traded by the firelight. Fascinated,
Incapable of movement, he watched
tho approach. Threo white dots; and
thoso grew nnd grew and nt length be
came ... pith-hclmdts! Pith
helmets! Who but white men wore
pith-helmets In tho desert? White
men! The temporary paralysis left
him. Crouching, ho ran over to Ry
anno and shook him.
"What . . "
But George smothered tho question
with his hand. "Hush! For God's
sake, mako no noise! Get up and
stand guard over Fortune's tent.
There'B a caravan outside, and I'm
going out to meet It. Rynnne, Rynnne,
thero's a white man out there!"
Georgo ran ns fast as he could
toward tho Incoming caravan. He met
It .two or throe hundred yards away.
The'broken line of camels bobbed up
and down oddly.
"Aro you white men?" he called.
"YeB." said n deep, resonnnt voice.
"And stop where you nre; thero's no
hurry."
"Thank God!" cried Georgo, at the
verge of a breakdown.
"What tho devil . . . Flanagan,
hero's a white man In a dreBs-Bult!
God save us!" Tho speaker laughed.
"Yes, a whlto man; and there's n
whlto woman in tho camp back there,
a whlto woman! Great God, don't you
understand? A whlto woman!" George
clutched tho man by tho foot desper
atoly. "A whlto woman I"
Tho man kicked George's hand nwny
nnd slashed nt his camel. "Flnnagan,
and you, Williams, get your gunB In
shape. This doesn't look good to mo,
twenty miles from the main gamelloh.
I told you It wbb odd, that fire. Live
ly, now!"
Georgo rnn after them, staggering.
Twlco ho fell headlong. But ho
laughed ns he got up; nnd It wasn't
exactly human laughter, cither. When
ho reached camp ho Aw Mnhomed
and tho threo Btrangors, tho lntter
with their rifles ,held menacingly. For
tuno stood before tho flnp of her tent,
bowlldorod at tho turn In tholr affairs.
Behind tho lender of the new-comers
was Ryannc, and ho was talking rap
Idly. "Well," tho leader demanded of Ma
homed, "what hnvo you got to say
for yourself?"
"Nothing!"
"Take cnrel It wouldn't come hnrd
to put a bullet Into your ugly hide.
You can't abduct whlto women these
days, you beggar! Woll, what have
you to say?"
Mahomed folded his arms; his ex
pression was calm and unafraid. But
down In hla heart tho fires of hell
were raging. If only ho had brought
his rifle from the tent; even a knife;
nnd ono mnd moment if ho died for It!
And ho had been gentlo to the girl;
ho had withheld tho lash from tho
men; ho had not put Into action a
slnglo plan, arranged for their misery
and humiliation! Truly his blood had
turned to water, and he was worthy
of doath. Tho whlto man, always and
over tho whlto man won in tho end.
To have como this far, and then to be
cheated out of hla rovengo by chancel
Kismet! There was but one thing left
for him to do, nnd ho did it. Ho spoke
hurriedly to his head-boy, Tho boy
without hesitation obeyed him. Ho
ran 10. thO rnrlt1rr.r.lltnl nnnllnJ n
kick, flung on the saddle-bags, stuffed
dates and dried fish nnd two water
bottles. Into them, nnd wnlted. Ma
homed wnlked over to tho animal and
mounted.
"Stop!" The white man leveled his
rlflq, "Get down from thoro!"
Mahomed, as if he had not heard,
kicked tho camel with his heels. The
beaBt lurched to its feet resentfully.
Mahomed picked up the guldlng-rope
which served as a bridle, and struck
the camel across the neck.
Click! went tho hammer of tho rifle,
and Mahomed was at that moment
very near death. Ho eavn nn IippH
"No, no!" cried Fortune, pushing up
the barrel. "Let him go. Ho was
kind to me, nfter his fashion."
Mahomed smiled. Ho had expected
this, nnd that was why he had gono
about the business unconcernedly. "
"What do you say?" demanded tho
stranger of Ryannc.
Rynnne, having no lovo whatever
for Mahomed, shrugged.
"Humph! And you?" to" George.
"Oh, let him go."
"All right. Two to one. .Off with
you, then." to Mahomed. "Hut wniH
What nbout these beggnrs of yours?
wnat aro you going to do with them?"
"They have been paid. They can
go back."
' The moment tho camel felt tho sand
under his pads, he struck hla gait
eastward. And when the mists, and
shadows crept In behind him and his
rider, that was the last nny of them
ever saw of Mahoraed-Bl-Gebel, keeper
of tho Holy Yhlordes In tho Pasha's
palace at J3agdad.
"Now, then," said tho leader of tho
strango caravan, "my name Is Ack
ermann, and mine is a carpet-caravan,
In from Khuzistan, bound for Smyrna.
How may I help you?"
"Take ub as far as Damascus," an
swered Ryanno. "Wo can get on from
there woll enough."
"What's your name?" directly.
"Ryanno."
"And yours?"
"Fortuno Chedsoyo."
"Next?"
"Jones."
Tho humorous bruskness put a kind
of spirit Into them nil, and they an
swered smilingly.
''Ryanno nnd .Tones are fnmillar
enough, but Chedsoye la a new ono
Hero, you!" whirling suddenly upon
the boys who wore pressing about.
Ho volleyed somo Arabic nt them, and
they dropped back. "Well; I've honrd
some strango yarns myself In my
time, but this ono beats them all.
Shanghaied from Cairo! Humph! If
somo ono had told mo this, anywhere
else but here, I'd havo called him a
liar. And you, Mr. Rynnne, went Into
Bagdad nlone and got away with that
Yhlordes! It must havo been the
devH'e own of a Job."
"It was," replied Ryanno laconically.
Ho did not know this man Ackor
mann; ho had nover heard of him;
but ho recognized a born leader of
men when ho saw him. Gray-haired,
lean, bearded, sharp of word, quick
of action, rude; ho saw In this carpet
hunter tho same lndomltablo qualities
of tho Ivory-seeker. "You did not
stop at Bagdad?" ho asked, after tho
swift Inventory.
"No. I came direct. I always do,"
grimly. "Better turn In and sleep;
we'll be on tho wny at dawn, sharp."
"Sleep? Rynnne laughed.
"Sleep?" echoed George.
Fortune shook hor head.
"Well, an hour to let tho reaction
wear away," Bald Ackermann. "But
you've got tosloep. I'm boss now,
and you won't find mo an cosy one,"
with a humorouB glance at tho girl.
"Wo are all very happy to bo bossed
by you," she said.
"Twenty days," Ackermann mused.
"You're a plucky young woman. No
hysterics ?"
"Not oven a sigh of discontent," put
In Georgo. "If It hadn't been for her
pluck, we'd have gono to pieces Just
from worry. Are you Henry Acker
mann, of tho Oriental Company In
Smyrna?"
"Yes; why?"
"I'm Georgo P. A. Jones, of jfortl
mer & Jones, New York. I'vo heard
of you; nnd God bless you tor this
night's work I"
"Mortimer & Jones? You don't say!
Well, If thla doesn't beat tho Dutch!
Why, It you're Robert B. Jones' boy,
I'll sell you every carpet in tho pack at
cost." He laughed; nnd It was laugh
ter good to hear, dry and hnrsh though
It was. "Your dad was a flno gentle
man, nnd one of tho best Judges of
his time. You couldn't fool him a
knot. Ho wrote mo when you came
into thla world of sin and tribulation.
Didn't they call you Porclval Algernon,
or something llko that?"
"They did!" And George laughed,
too,
bbLHImHm )lri:VsB(w,)liryFWsB' isH
g nw r, ism uv I Mb
HI 19 W I it
'I'm George P. A. Jones, of
"You'ro a sight. Any one sick? Got
a medicine-chest aboard?"
"No. only banged up and discour
aged. I say, Mr. Ackermann, got an
extra pipe or two nnd somo 'baccy?"
"Flanagan, see what'B In the chest."
Shortly Flanagan returned. He had
half a dozen fresh corn-cob' pipes and
n thick bag of tobacco. George and
Ryanne lighted up, about as near con
tentment as two men in their condi
tion could possibly be.
Said Flanagan to JTortUne: "Do you
chew?"
Fortune looked horrified.
"Oh, I mean gum!" roared Flnnagan.
No, Fortuno did not possess that du
bious accomplishment.
"Mighty handy when you're thirsty,"
Flanagan advised.
They built up the flro and sat round
It cosily. They were all more or less
happy, all except Fortune. So long as
she had been a captlvo of Mahomed,
Bhe had forced the thought from her
mind; but now It came back with a
full measure of misery. Never, never
would she return to Mentone, not even
for tho things that wero rightfully
hers. Where would sho go nnd what
would sho do? Sho was without money
nnd the only thing sho possessed of
value was the Soudanese trinket Ry
anne had forced upon her thnt dny
in tho bazaars. Sho heard tho men
talking and laughing, but without
sensing. No, Bhe could not accept
charity. Sho must light out her battle
all alone. . . . Tho child of a thief:
for nover would her clear mind nccept
smuggling ns other than thieving.
. . . Neither could sho accept pity;
and sho stolo a glance nt George, ns
he blow clouds of Bmoko luxuriantly
from hla mouth nnd nose, his eyes
half closed In ecstasy. How little It
took to comfort a man!
Ryanno suddenly lowered his pipe
and smoto his thigh. "Hell!" ho mut
tered. "What's up?" nsked George.
"I want you to look at me, Perci
vnl; I want you to take a good look
at this thing I'vo been carrying round
ns a hend."
"It looks all right," observed George,
puzzled.
"Empty ub a dried coconnut! I
never thought of it till this moment
I wondered why ho was in such a
hurry to got out. I've let that copper
hided devil get away with that nine
hundred pounds!"
CHAPTER XVII.
Mra. Chedtoyo Hat Doubts.
Mrs. Chedsoyo retired to her room
early that memorable December night.
Her brother could await the return
of Horace. She hadn't tho least doubt
na to the result; a green young man
pitted against a seasoned veteran's du
plicity. She wished Jones no harm
physically; In fact, she had put down
tho law against ltt Still, much .de
pended upon chance. But for all her
confidence of tho outcome, a quality of
restlessness porvnded her. Sho tried
lo nnnlvzo It. ineffectually nt first.
-PcThaps she did not look deep enough;
pernapa biiouiu not care thoroughly
to oxnmlno tho sourco of It. Insistent
ly, however, It recurred; and by re
Mortimer &. Jones, New York."
peated assaults it at length conquered
her. It was the child.
Did she possess, after all, a latent
sense of motherhood, nnd was It stir
ring to establish Itself? Sho really
did not know. Was it not fear and
doubt rather than motherly instinct?
Sho paused in front of the mirror, but
tho glass solved only externals. Sho
could not iseo her soul thero In tho
reflection; she saw only tho abundant
gifts of nature, splendid, double-handed,
prodigal. And In contemplating
that reflection, she forgot for a space
what Bho was seeking. But that child I
From whom did sho inherit her pe-
cullar ideas of life? From somo Purl
tan ancestor of her fnther's; certainly
not from her side. Sho had never
bothered her head about Fortuno, save
lo house nnd clothe her, till the past
forty-eight hours. And now it was to
late to pick, up the thread she had
cast nslde ns not worth considering.
To no ono is given perfect wisdom;
nnd sho recognized the flaw In hora
that had led her to Ignore tho mental
attitude of the girl. She hnd not oven
mado a friend of her; a mistake, a bit
of stupidity absolutely foreign to her
usual keenness. The child locked'
little of being beautiful, and In threo
or four years she would be. Mrs. Ched
soye waB without Jealousy; sho ac
cepted beauty In all things unreserv
edly. Possessing aa sho did an Incom
parable beauty of her own, she could
well afford to be generous. Perhaps
the true cause of this dlsturbanco lay
In tho knowledge that there wns ono
thing her daughter had inherited from
her directly, almost identically; in
deed, of thla pattern tho youngor pos
sessed tho wider mnrgin of tho two:
cournge. Mrs. Chedsoye was afraid of
nothing except wrinkles, and Fortuno
was too young to know this fear. So
then, tho mother slowly began to com
prehend tho spirit which had given
life to this singular perturbation. For
tuno had declared that she would run
away;- nnd she hnd tho courago to
carry out tho threat.
Resolutely Mrs. Chedsoye rang for
her maid CeleBte. ThoughtB llko theso
only served to disturb tho marblo
smoothness of hor forehead.
Tho two began to pack. That Is to
say, Celeste began; Mrs. Chedsoye
generally took charge of theBo maneu
vers from tho heights, ns became tho
ofllcer lu command. Bending was
likely to. enlarge tho vein In tho neck;
and all those beautiful gowns would
notbe worth a soldi without tho added
perfection of her HnelesB throat and
neck. Sho was getting along in years
too, a fact which was assuming tho
proportions of a cross; and more and
more sho must husband those linger
ing (not to say beguiling) evidences of "
youthfulnesB.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
No Monument to Eve.
Tho proposal to erect a statne la
honor of Evo may bo dismissed with
out inquiry as to tho worth of tha
woman. It simply wouldn't do. Tho
gnrb of tho first woman of tho land
does not lend ltsolf both to tho Btntu
ary scheme nnd tho growing Bonsltlvo
nesa of tho nubile as to tho nmount of
drapery necessary to mnko a marblo
person nu fait. Lob Anseloa Trlbuno.
1
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