Show yellow IT aral W men V q by JEREMY LANE 4 copyright byne century C L 13 CHAPTER XIV continued 17 7 later march said out tt his somber thinking 1 I cannot believe that my althila Is gone levington could mrika no reply it seemed that march his bride as she was el gheen years ingo ago time had not until now touched that sacred porticos coi of his life and they have taken my little child touched her eyes with the drug until she Is no longer mine but theirs she refuses to go to america my own daughter slie she has been made to forget her mother con was overwhelmed lie he stretched out his hand and found marahs arm it was tr bling were not done for said levinston levington seemed not to hear nelen helen does not love me scarcely cares to eftie pir my acquaintance never wished to see me perhaps that Is nir my punishment for thinking of her always as an infant with a glorious mother and elthon has been dead for 1 levington was alarmed concerning his fri who was slipping deeper into do dependency ne ile forgot ills his wol I 1 tor for the united states government liis ills ion long labors in the humanity and ill his thought centered upon liia 1118 personal disaster ne ile was close to a traffic unbalance levington said quick 1 i nut but helen arys her mother Is not really dead yov you have vours yourself elf told me that this lite life Is but the camp of on right in a long journey that the better ar a r of the hills hills Is just beyond slowly march smiled and sadly the fhe entac of one night yes a long darl dark night we have work to do now urged the younger er man work that may ay bring our dawn it was useless to try to td cheer cl the bereaved man who merely replied they tire are causing little lieten to forget all her mother gave to h her r they ey are giving her to that yell yellow w man doll not cried levington not yet andrew march tangled laughed at him bitterly in some subtle potent mil manner riner the gobi was too much tor for white men they could not remain the same march llarch was slipping down bill levington was not his former self ea easygoing sy goin and slow to kindle a dreamer ile he had bad grown tensa of nerve keyed up BP strangely high wah a whole new fet bet of passions in his breast ile he was expanded set free despite the pitchy caverns ile he arose now and moved away from his comrade elbowed through the shifting shit ting crowds a goliath by contrast they made way tor for him the 4 Z laz they are coming for you at sunrise she said they will kill you pr aral arab called something lie did not catch ue he had a desire for a breath of upper air and was going toward the base of the shaft it was dark at the top still 1111 night the blot ofa of a sentinel there con went up by the aid of the long vine which liar had been worn smooth by the putting pulling of anany hands day after day the hd hunched riched one who r vat Clied at the top made way lor for ill him in but did not dot otter offer a hand the stars were falling fading by the nearness bearnes l of new day leaving behind him all the smoldering life below the warped sapped wasted hundreds the mentalities of sad child children ren leving levington ton left the mouth ot of the oe shaft and strode up the rise rlue ue he drank the cool air of the open to ae east a low band of dusty yellow above and around the pale smooth smoke of waning night only the larger stars remained aloft white WW endly plats fal r rt arri ri r closer than america westward the city its palace like something built in a mighty yesterday by giants and left behind for men dark now but plainly outlined from the crest levington viewed the shadowy secrets of the sha sio and presently his eyes stopped on a point in the road at the head of bf the ravine ile he stared through the twilight and saw a motionless horseman there ile he must know taking his former pill path h down the furth further er side of the lie ridge and around to the cut he hastened la in the loneliness of that gray dawn creeping Cree near he bli could not mistake the 1 arge ile limp hat the distinctive thic tive fling of the cloak the pony ne ile stood up and ran toward helen what Is it lie asked they are coming for you at sunrise 11 she said they will L kill 1111 you we ive are ready to receive them tie be said the miners are not at work and are not sleeping they are walting waiting armed the plan Is to fall upon the soldiers if they come into the mines you have caused this yes he answered F for or what reason freedom for your father and myself for the four workers who were taken yesterday for the whole underground city of miners and for you F for or me ine I 1 do not ask it you want to be queen yes and she implied that bothin nothing in could be so natural she was surprised at the question you can be a queen in america lie he said with ills soul limping and who will remain here for your rule when we have done with nith your army she did not know whether to smile or be terribly displeased ile he dared not be serious lest his heart break in the gray of thy the morning she was as lovely as a great moth in an enchanted ga garden aden you would not be interested in ruling here said tier fier lover if you zeally icalla belonged here it is your white blood that gives you this strength all asia Is only a stage setting for you let me fight today for you let me lead in your name Is it so much to be queen of a solitary city where strangers never come never she repeated atter alter a pause he asked what brought you out so early this morning yesterday you were displeased because I 1 rode la in the full sunlight she parried him ue he saw at once that he could not e expect x to be given any true reason for her presence here now unless 1 I am thankful I 1 did not noi miss you he be said the dawn colors are full of yonder wonder she replied evading again that is true are you afraid to die she asked point blank biank yes im not going to I 1 want to live yesterday I 1 told you why but you were asleep 1 I could not respond said the princess glagla away at the dark horizon but I 1 heard distinctly jour our words Leving tons checks burned sud suddenly deply at the revelation she continued to too 1001 away from him 1 I meant ray my words all of them he sned steadily still she did not turn hack back to him and he be asked why do you allow them to give you the drug 1 I am not so lonely when I 1 dream it places you more securely in it the hands of chee ming and be Is no mans friend ile he has been my father always stia she said eald this sleep of yellow men Is not life not for you ou oil give me unhappiness gain again he felt the bremen tremendous tons doubt unit that she might be 1 laugh lug at bilm from behind her earnest lovely ees she looked full in his face for her answer 1 I will riot not go away without you said levington you may not go at all said helen that Is why I 1 came here it was troublesome to arrange gut but I 1 wanted to tell you what it if my soldiers kill you it Is not because I 1 hate you thanks murmured lev ington 1 I could have died for less come with my mk father fi ther the way you came yesterday and I 1 will do what v hat I 1 cabi can you humble rne me with so mu much ell lionor honor said the one who stood below her but I 1 expect to be very busy with gitil the miners I 1 the copper light touched her face the pony blinked at the east and tar far away con saw the purple mantle slip from the city a line of faint gold upon the loftiest loft iest tiles ot of the palace sweetly across the empty world came the voice of the hour bour gong flom the city the last stars were melting into a pallid sky shy that was shot across with crimson violet and russet gold lev Ing tous tons heart was full but all lie he longed to say he had told her yesterday that intimacy was renewed by the he thought that she had beard atad and remembered everything he be had bad said i fm ile he blushed something came to him of her struggle a fantastic kingdom almost within her grasps a throne front from which every whim was law a city of weird power and much gold cold her own for the taking and only one young white man almost a stranger to draw her away irom from it nil all she had been born to love yet all her training was vas toward power and queen cratt and there was koresh He helen lent 1 he said softly i speak ile he could not the wave on which he had bad ridden had passed the old silence was upon him the wordless intensity in the presence of beauty timidity before the woman who bo could set him free it if she would A quick sparkle crossed the dead wilderness to the east twilight fled away and tha th world whitened still the princess did not move she too was silent then from uie the distant gate a horseman stood forth levida ton waited go she said there Is only one coming it Is the prince will lie he lead your soldiers ile he will never lead anything helens voice had become suddenly filled with weariness levington roused again to the joy of making her unhappy 1 I shall ride away she threatened please wait let him come for what reason 1 I wont hurt hint him said con you have no weapon said the princess ile he may have enough tor for both of us 1 I see no others upon the road they are very sure they do not haste it Is early came on dou bUess having learned of the absence from the city of his bride elect levington waited beside the large stone hidden bidden from the prince A world of meaning came to him from the fact that helen remained she was not unwilling to decoy her prince levington himself was acting more upon intuition than by any reason or plan what would you she inquired 1 I 1 wont hurt him he repeated 1 I dont knew in her calm way she was looking straight at levington and he had regained enough of yesterday to return her gaze ills eyes eyes were robbers now boldly taking the slender stender curves that lay beneath the gray cloak another wave was coming coining that would carry him blin the prince as he be rode alon along to the head of the ravine was a me mere re pale shoot of royalty with the sun dazzling his eyes ile he was long lon boned bonk languid his blanty eyes peering from beneath a white satin turban ringed with pearls the pennon hung bung limp from his lance ile he was brave with knives ills his loose sleeved arms were tax lai evidently weary with holding out the lance he made no bow of greeting to his intended lady giving her but a word of oriental speech helen scarcely noticed him but continued to study the sunrise levington arose from concealment anil and too took the jeweled bridle the fright of prince was painful ile he poured a rapid series or syllables upon the white man who grinned at him and took down the lauce I 1 ance then the waxen wasen face chinin shinin shining in the new sun was obscured by a pair of upraised hands dared not face what nhat had find befallen him lie he forgot the princess soft moans came from behind the flowered sleeve levington lifted him dun duin from the saddle saddie a relaxed turm furm the prince had fainted faInt cd con led the diadem ed mount down the ravine to the valley bloor beyond and started the animal away to the bouth ile he shouted and hurled a stone in a panic horse ran with one sparkling bit of color in one stirrup dangling still helen had riot not changed chan ed her position the prince lay upon the sand tilt levington evin gion sald said to her this is the story to tell them when you gallop back yr your fauter father and I 1 sio secured cured horses from a large party of white meu inen hn capic came in from the south you saw them a great number all mounted the wind Is coming coining up so BO it can cover the tracks they made cut but they seized and bore him away each moment ut the prince Is belp being carried further and further away to the I 1 south you wish me to speak falsely tal sely yes replied leving levington ton it Js Is no davisin devising of my own it Is for or your choice he said simply I 1 quietly helen said glancing down at the fallen one 1 I will go and tell thern them CHAPTER XV I 1 the tawny rose droops she touched silver spurs to her mount and galloped to the city bearing the false alarm levington regarded its his perfumed prisoner deku tol had revived but was playing dead no doubt feeling each instant a hundred biting eases of steel upon his person an agony of imagination con cau picked him up and bore him alone the slant of hill toward the deep shaft figured silks fluttered about his chin I 1 one or of the royal sandals was missing the 1 other sparkling akl ing brIg bUy flapped on a long ion foot levin levington ton was keenly alive to the press of time lie he realized that the swift delicate affairs of the moment and all brutal consequences consequence a were now in the lap of the gods before helen had reached the city gate he had bad shoved the helpless deku tol over the ridge and down to the tha hole bole the mongolians mong Mongo ol lians lans slim hands were convulsed with horror and he shrilled like a mouse when lie he felt the emptiness below his legs con let go and the shaft swallowed up the prince ile he went lown after him through the flying dirt torches again n the heavy gloom of the pit bottoms ills his eyes grew aecus accustomed cus tomed to the depths from all directions the strange little men came running the babble of excitement fell into sudden hush bush when they saw the prisoner more closely they pressed backward murmuring levington felt a groat great need for march ile he found the arab and still did not see his comrade where Is my friend the ex es seaman made inquiry round about then thed one timid hunchback with knotted queue came forward lie ile pinched LevIng tons sleeve and showed willingness to lead on out of the confusion high upon one of the ledges in the adjoining rock room lay andrew starch marell they had cushioned him upon a pallet of grass and his sleep was deep con had difficulty in getting him to open his eyes there was a lightning thread of y 41 had revived but was pa playing abing aying dead don clon and he held a torch down close to marahs face the story was plainly written ills eyelids ivere grayed over with koresh and its deadly spice was in the air cinnamon and lees con knelt closer quite sure that his friend could bear and understand through the vell veil if not reply it was wag a black moment a cold rising wave ot of failure we have the prince down here captive alone helen Is sending the warriors on a goose chase we must move upon the city while they are away marahs mouth twitched and eltta a great effort be mumbled do not nog wait a I 1 t but I 1 need you they trust you j because you speak their language try to rouse yourself dont wait we way may not have time to cotal cona back tills this way go gasped the sleeper im not worth it levington loft left him there sought out the arab and gave orders for a hammock to be borne by four men to carry march along in the rear of the charge chaise we go into pa palace lacer asked the arab yes as soon as the riders go forth to find cud their prince 1 the sailor comprehended and rather brightened at the plan it was better than lall fall ing upon the soldiers in the dark of the mines ile he called to his men the swinging palanquin was taken in for march marc t in that ri final B at minute in the caverns ca veins con had a word iab with him its nil all right said the younger man marahs eyelids remained calmly almli closed but ills his voice raine came in a dry rustle I 1 biome men grow brave in their sorrow but I 1 was not one of them I 1 halted so long you understand boy I 1 if you pet got awny away make the report show them how to find trin tan iuan to scotch this curse of the horld orld it possible levington gave assurance then ran after the hie arabian who had taken a position near the base of the shaft here still lay upon ills his back although no bond held him no one dared go near him the twi retained their superstitions concern concerning i royalty now in |