Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, October 28, 1909, Image 3
A'V "That Is the Passage. ' CHAPTER I. There Is a ruby mine hidden in the heart of the mountains near a remote little city of central Asia , unknown to European travelers ; and the secret of the treasure belongs to the two chief families of the place , and has been carefully guarded for many gen erations , handed down through the men from father to son ; and often the children of these two families have married , yet none of the women ever learned the way to the mine from \ their fathers , or their brothers , or their husbands , none excepting ono only , and her name was Baraka , which may perhaps mean "Blessed ; " but no blessing came to her when she was born. She was much whiter and much more beautiful than the other gills of the little Tartar city ; her face was oval like an ostrich egg , her skin was as the cream that rises on sheep's milk at evening , and her eyes were like the Pools of Peace In the Valley of Dark Moons ; her waist also was a slender pillar of ivory , and round her ankle she could make her thumb meet her second finger ; as for her feet , they were small and quick and silent as young mice. But she was not blessea. When she was in her seventeenth year a traveler came to the little' city , who was not like her own people ; he was goodly to sec , and her eyes were troubled by the sight df him , for the stranger "was tall and very fair , and his beard was like spun gold , and ho feared neither man nor evil spirit , go I ing about alone by day and night. Furthermore , ho M-US a great physi cian , and possessed a small book , about the size of a man's hand , in which was contained all the"knowl- edge of the world. By means of this book , and throe small buttons that tasted of mingled salt and sugar , he cured Baraka's father of a mighty pain in the midriff which had tor mented him a whole week. He brought with him also a written letter from a holy man to the chiefs of the town ; therefore they did not kill him , though ho bad a good Mauser revolver ver with ammunition , worth much money , and other things u'seful to be lievers. Satan entered the heart of Baraka , and she loved the traveler wild dwelt In her father's house , for she was not blessed ; and she stood before him in the way when ho went out , and when ho returned she was sitting at the door watching , and she took care to show her cream-whito arm and her slender ankle , and even her beautiful face when neither her father nor her mother was near. But ho saw little and cared less , and was as grave as her father and the other graybeards of the town. When she perceived that ho was not moved by the sight of her , she watched him moro closely ; for she said in her girl's heart that the eyes that are blind to a beautiful woman see ono of three things : Gold , or power , or heaven ; but her sight was fixed only on him. Then her throat was dry , her heart fluttered in her maiden breast like a frightened bird , and sometimes , when she would have tried to speak , she felt as if her tongue were broken and useless ; the fire ran lightly along her delicate body , her eyes saw noth ing clearly , and a strange rushing sound filled her ears ; and then , nil at cnco , a fine dow wet her forehead and cooled It , and she trembled all over and was as pale as death like Sap pho , when a certain god-like man was near. Yet the stranger saw nothing , and his look was bright and cold as a winter's morning in the mountains. Almost every day he went out and climbed the foothills , and when the sun was lowering he came back bring ing herbs and flowers , which he dried carefully 'and spread between leaves of gray paper In a large book ; and he wrote 'spells beside them In an un known tongue , so that no ono dared to touch the book when he went out , lest the genii should wake and come out from between the pages , to blind the curious and strike the gossips dumb , and cast a leprosy on the thief. At night ho lay on the roof of the forehouse beside the gate of the court , because it was cool there. Barnka came to him , before midnight , when her mother was In a deep sleep ; she Itnolt at his side while he slept in the starlight , and she laid her head beside his , on the sack that was his pillow , and for a little while she was happy , being near him , though he did not know she "was there. But presently she remembered that her mother might wake and call 'her , and she spoke very softly , close to his ear , fearing greatly lest bo should start from his sleep and cry out. ' The ruby mine is not far off , " she said. "I know the secret place. Rubles ! Rubles ! Rubles ! You shall have as many as you can carry of the blood-red rubles ! " Ho opened his eyes , and even in the starlight they were bright and cold. She stroked his hand softly and then pressed it a little. "Come with mo and you shall know the great secret , " she whispered. "You shall fill this sack that is under your head , and then you shall take me with you to Egypt , and we will live In a marble palace and have many slaves , and bo always together. For you will always remember that it was Haraka who showed you where the rubles were , and even when you are tired of her you will treat her kindly and feed her with fig paste and fat quails , such as I hear they have in the south all winter , and Frank rice , and coffee that has been picked over , bean by bean , for the great men. " She said all this In a whisper , stroking his hand ; and while she whis pered ho smiled In his great golden beard that seemed as silvery In the starlight as her father's. "That is women's talk , " ho an swered. "Who has seen mines of rubles ? And If you know where they are , why should you show them to me ? You are betrothed. If you had knowledge of hidden treasures you would keep It for your husband. This is some trick to destroy me. " "May these hands wither to the wrists If a hair of your head bo harmed through me , " she answered ; and as she knelt beside him , the two little hands held his face towards her very tenderly , and then ono of them smoothed the thick hair back from his forehead. "You are betrothed , " ho repeated , "and I am your father's guest. Shall I betray him ? " "I care nothing , neither for father , nor mother , nor brothers , nor be trothed , " Baraka answered. "I will give you the riches of Solomon if you will take me , for I will have no other ION CBAWrORI ) 6 iV-v CQPYfUGHT/9O7 BY f . MA ft/Oft CftAWFORD "Thcro nro no rubles , " stild the stranger. "Show them to me nntl I will believe. " The girl laughed very lew , and took from her neck n bng ot antelope Bhln , no larger than her closed hand , and gave It to him with the thin thong by which It had hung. "When you have soon thorn In the sun you will want others , " she said. "I will take you to the place , and when yon have filled your sack with them you will love me enough to take mo away. It Is not far to the place. In two hours we can go and come. To-morrow night , about this time , I will wake you again. It will not bo safe to unbar the door , so you must lot mo down from this roof by a camel rope , and then follow me. " When Haraka Was gone the stranger sat up on his carpet and opened the small bag to feel the stones , for bo knew that ho could hardly see them In the starlight ; but even the touch and the weight told him something , and he guessed that the girl had not tried to deceive him childishly with bits of glass. Though the bug had been in her bosom , and the weather was hot , the stones were as cold as jade ; and moreover he felt their shape and knew at once that , they might really bo rough rubles , for ho was well versed In the knowledge of precious stones. When the day began to dawn ho went down' from the roof to the com mon room of the fore-house , whore guests were Quartered , yet although there was no other stranger there ho would not take the bag from his neck to examine the stones , lest some one should be watching him from a place of hiding ; but afterwards , when ho was alone In the foothills and out of sight of the town , searching as usual for new plants and herbs , he crept Into a low cave at noon , and sat down just inside the entrance , so that be could see any one coming while still a long way off , and there be emptied the contents of the little leathern wal let Into his hand , and saw that Bara ka had not deceived him ; and as he looked closely at the stones In the strong light at the entrance of the cave , the red of the rubies was re flected In the blue of his bright eyes , and made a little purple glare in them that would have frightened Baraka ; and he smiled behind his "great " yellow beard. He took from an inner pocket a folded sheet on which a map was traced in black and green ink , much corrected and extended in pencil ; and he studied the map thoughtfully in the cave while the great heat of the day lasted ; but the lines that his eye fol lowed did not lead towards Persia , Palestine , and Egypt , where Baraka wished to live with him In a marble palace and eat fat quails and fig paste. She came to him again that night on the roof , bringing with her a small bundle , tightly rolled and well tied up. He wrapped his blanket round her body , and brought it up under her arms so that the rope should not hurt her when her weight came upon it , and so he let her down over the edge of the roof to the ground , and threw the rope after her ; and ho let himself over , holding by his hands , so that when he was hanging at the full length of his long arms ho had only a few feet to drop , for he wished to take the rope with him. Baraka's house was at the head of the town , towar'ds the foothills ; every one was sleeping , and there was no moon. She followed the stony sheep- track that struck Into the hills only a few hundred paces from the last houses , and the stranger followed her closely. He had his sack on his shoul der , his book of plants and herbs was slung behind him by a strap , and in his pockets he had all the money he carried for his travels and his letters to the chiefs , and a weapon ; but he had left all his other belongings , judg ing them to be of no value compared with a camel's bag full of rubies , and only a hindrance , since he would have to travel far on foot before daylight , by dangerous paths. The girl trod lightly and walked fast , and as the man followed In her footsteps ho marked the way turn by turn , and often looked up nt the stars overhead as men do who are accus tomed to journeying alone In desert places. For some time Baraka led him through little valleys ho had often traversed , and along hillsides familiar to him , and at last she entered a nar row ravlno which ho had once fol lowed to Its head , where he had found It ended abruptly in a high wall of rock , at the foot of which there was a clear pool that did not overflow. It was darker In the gorge , but the rocks were almost white , so that It was quite possible to see the way by the faint light. The man and the girl stood before the pool ; the still water reflected the stars. "This is the place , " Baraku said. "Do you see anything ? " , "I see water and a wall of rock , " the man answered. "I have been hero alone by day. I know this place. There Is nothing bore , and there is no way up the wall. " Baraka laughed softly. , "The secret could not have been kept by my fathers for 11 generations If it wore so easy to find out , " she said. "Tho way Is not easy , but 1 know It. " "Load , " replied the traveler. "I will follow. " "No. " returned girl. "I will go a little way down the gorge and watch , while you go in. " The man did not trust her. How .could ho tell but that she hud brought him to an ambush whore he was to bo murdered for the sake of his money and his good weapon ? The rubles were real , so far a ho rouhl toll , but they might be only a bait. Ho shook his head. "Listen , " said Baraka. "At the other side of the pool there is a place where the > water from this spring Hews awny under the rock. That Is the passage. " "I have seen the entrance , " an swered the traveler. "It is so small that a dog could not swim through It. " "It looks so. But It is wo deep that one can walk through It easily , with one's head above water. It Is not moro than CO stops long. That Is how 1 found It , for one day I wandered hero alone In the morning for shade , when the air was like fire ; and being alone I bathed In the clear pool to cool my self , and I found the way and brought back the stone , which I have hidden over since. For If my father and brothers know that 1 have seen the treasure they will surely kill me , be cause the women must never learn the secret. You see , " she laughed a little , "I am the first of us who 1ms known it , since many generations , and I have already betrayed It to you ! They are quite right to kill us when wo find it out ! " "This is an idle tale , " said the trav eler. "Go into the pool before mo and I will bellovo and follow you under the rock. I will not go and leave you here. " "You are not very brave , though you are so handsome ! If they come and find me here , they will kill me first. " "You say it , but I do not believe It. I think there is a deep hole in the passage and that I shall slip Into it and be drowned , for no man could swim in such a place. I have but one life , and I do not care to lose It in a water-rat's trap. You must go in and lead the way If you wish mo to trust you. " Baraka hesitated and looked at him. "How can I do this before you ? " she asked. "I will not go alone , " the man an swered , for ho suspected foul play. "Do ns you will. " The girl took from her head the large cotton cloth with which she veiled herself , and folded It and laid It down on the rock by the pool ; then she let her outer tunic of thin white woolen fall to the ground round her fe < H and stepped out of It , and folded it also , and laid it beside her veil , and she stood up tall and straight as a young Egyptian goddess In the star light , clothed only in the plain shirt without sleeves whteh the women of her country wear night and day ; and the traveler saw her cream-whito arms near him in the soft gloom , and heard her slip off her light shoes. "I will go before you , " she said ; and she stepped into the pool and walked slowly through the water. The traveler followed her as ho was , for ho wag unwilling to leave behind him anything ho valued , and \\hat ho had was mostly In the pock ets of his coat , and could not bo much hurt by water. Kvcn his pressed herbs and floworn would dry again , his cartridges were quite wa terproof , his letters were In an Im pervious case , and his money wns In coin. When he entered the pool ho took his revolver from Us place and he held it above the water In front of him ns he went on. With his other hand he carried the sack ho had brought , which was ono of those that are made of Bokhara carpet and are meant to sling on a camel. Baraka was almost up to her neck in the water when she reached the other side of the pool ; a moment later she disappeared under the rock , and the traveler bent his knees to shorten himself , for there was only room for his head above the surface , and ho held up his revolver before his face to keep the weapon dry , and also to feel his way , lest ho should strike against any jutting projection of the stone and hurt himself. Ho counted the stops ho took , and made them as nearly as possible of equal length. Ho felt that ho was walking on parfcctly smooth sand , Into which his heavily shod feet sank a very little. There was plenty of air , for the gentle draught followed him from the en trance and chilled the back of bis neck , which had got wet ; yet it seemed hard to breathe , and ab ho made his way forward his Imagina tion pictured the death ho must die If the rock should fall in behind him. Ho was glad that the faint odor of Bu- raka's wet hair came to his nostrils In the thick darkness , and It was very pleasant to hear her voice when she spoke at last. "It is not far , " she said quietly. "I begin to see the starsight on the wa ter. " The passage did not widen or grow higher as It went on. If it had been dry. it 'vould have been a commodious Qaraka Was Almost Up to Her Neck. cave , open at each end , wide at the bottom and narrowing to a sharp angle above. But the pool was fed by a spring that never failed nor oyen ebbed , though It must sometimes have overflowed down the ravlno through which the two had reached the pool. They came out from under the rock at last , and were In the refreshing out er air. The Btlll water widened al most to a circle , a tiny lake at the bottom tom of a sort of crater of white stone that collected and concentrated the dim light. On two sides there were Httlo crescent beaches of snow-white sand , that gleamed like silver. The traveler looked about him and upward to see if there was any way of climbing up ; but ua far ns he could make out in the half darkness the steep rock was an smooth as If it had been cut with tools , and it sloped away at a sharp unglo like the sides of a funnel. Haraka wont up towards the right , and the bottom shelved , so that pres ently the water was down to her waist , and then she stood still and pointed to a dark hollow just above the little beach. Her wet garment clung to her , and with her loft hand she began to wring the water from her bald behind her head. "Tho rubles arc there , " she said , "thousands upon thousands of them. Fill the sack quickly , but do not take moro than jou can carry , for they are very heavy. " The traveler waded out upon the beach , and 'the water from his clothes ran down In small rivulets and made little round holes In the white sand. H& put down his revolver In n dry place , and both ills hands felt Tor the precious stones In the shadowy hol low , loosening small fragments of a sort of brittle crust In which they seemed to bo clustered. "You cannot choose , " Barnku said "for you cannot see , but I have boon hero by daylight and have seen. The largest are on the loft side of the hol low , near the top. " By the stars the traveler could see the pieces a little , as ho broke them out , for the white rocks collected the light ; ho could see many dark crys tals , but as to what they were he had to trust the girl. "Do not take moro .than you can carry , " she repeated , "for you must not throw them away to lighten the burden. " "You can carry some of them , " an swered the traveler. Ho broke up the crust of crystals with a small geologist's hammer and toro them out like u madman , and his hands wore bleeding , for though ho was a philosopher the thirst for wealth had come upon him when he felt the riches of empires' ' In his grasp , and the time was short ; and although ho knew that ho might some day come back with armed men to protect him , and workmen to help him , ho know also that to do this ho must share the secret with the over-lord of that wild ' 'ountry , and that his portion might be the loss of his head. So he lore at the ruby crust with all his might , and as bo was very strong , ho broke out great pieces at once. "Wo cannot carry moro than that , both of us together , " said Haraka , though she judged moro by the sound of bis work than by what she could see. see.Ho Ho lifted the sack with both uls hands , and ho knew by Us weight' that she was right. Under the water It would bo easy enough to 9arry , but It would be a heavy load for a man to shoulder. , "Come , " Baraka said , "I will go back first. " She moved down Into the deeper water again , till It was up to her nock ; and feeling the way with her hands she went In once moro under the rock. The traveler followed her cautiously , carrying the heavy sack under water with ono hand and holdIng - Ing up his revolver with the other to keep it dry , "I begin to see the starlight on tlio water , " Baraka said , just as before , when they had been going 'In. When she had spoken , sh heard a heavy splash not far off , and the wa ter In the' subterranean channel rose suddenly and ran past her In short waves , three of which covered her mouth in quick succession and reached to her eyes , and almost to the top of her head , but sank again in stantly ; and they passed her com panion in the sumo way , wetting his weapon. "Go buck , " Baraka said , when she could speak ; "tho rock Is falling. " The traveler turned as quickly as ho could , and she came after him , gaining on him because he carried the heavy sack and could not move UK fant as nlio. He felt bis damp hair rising with fctr ; , for he bolloved Unit , after all , she had brought him into a trap. They reached the opening and came out Into the pool again. "You have brought me here to dlo , " ho Bald. "Your father and vour broth ers have shut up the entrance with great stones , and they will go up the mountain and let themselves down from above with ropes and shoot mo like a wolf In a pit-fall. Hut you shall die first , because you have betrayed me. " So ho cocked his revolver and set the muzzle against her bead , to kill her , holding her by her slender throat with his other band ; for they were In shallow water and ho bad dropped the sack in the pool. Barnka did not struggle or cry out. "I would rather die by your hand than bo allvo In another man's arms , " she said quite quietly. Ho let her go , merely because she was so very bravo ; for ho did not love her at all. She knew It , but that made no difference to her , since no other woman was near ; If they could get out alive with the rubles she was sure that ho would love her for the sakd of the great wealth she had brought him. If they were to starve to death at the bottom of the great rock wall In the mountains , she would probably dlo first , because ho was so strong ; and then nothing would matter. It was all very simple. ( TO 1113 CONTINUED. ) Hint for a Groom-Elect. If a groom-elect has not provided an extra room to bis bouse for storing hla bride's linen ho should build It In time , for In these days whenever a girl mar ries , her mother closes her lips grim ly , goes after pa's pocketbook , and does the right thing with nine dozen towels , 15 dozen napkins , 8i pairs of sheets , etc. She doesn't expect her daughter to open a boarding house , but she bus proper pride , and Intends to do the right thing by the girl , even II it breaks pa. Atcblsou Globo.