Show I I I By E. E M. M HULL Sons of 1 Sequel t to The ing Story Sheik t Absorb Absorbing C Copyright 1925 Small M Maynard Co I I I Continued from yesterday H He had had given her his love lov love and and she had betrayed him He had trusted her her and and she sho had lied to him dim And now now to avert her punishment pun pun- Ishm nt she would lie to him again Trained in treachery and deceit false as he had proved her to be she had played her part Just now with consummate skill weeping and clinging to him with a semblance semblance sem sem- blance of sincerity that would have convinced him had he not had the remembrance of that other time when she had wept and and clung and trapped him Did she think that love for her still lingered In his heart Did she think him so great greata a fool It would take more than tears and clinging arms to heal the wo wound nd she had nad dealt him to make him forget torget the brief dream of ot happiness happiness happiness hap hap- that shattered had killed his ills illusion and destroyed his trust L Love vo was gone Only the Joy JOY of o vengeance was was' left to him With shaking fingers he lit a cigarette and anti flung out of ot the room closing the door behind him In the little anteroom he found food waiting Too excited all day to eat much he did not feel teel Ul like e eating now He was conscious only of a burning and he drank cup after cup up of scalding black c cOffee smoking innumerable cigarettes while he sat scowling at the almost supper before him And to him at last came Ramadan Rama Rama- dan clan and the former forner grave and end serious eyed eed as was his wont th thc tho latter smiling his customary enigmatical enigmatical enig ems smile For the first time It oc occurred to him ilm to wonder if his elaborately e de detailed detailed detailed de- de tailed and stringent orders had been carried out exactly or If the lawless lawless law- law less ess band of adherents he had as assembled as- as had been tempted in a moment mo mo- ment of ot excitement nt to their directions and seize on the op or- or for personal gain and license li license li- li cense or even w worse rs There were many amongst them themI who vho held life lICe cheap man many countless count count- less ess who had old scores of ot own to pay off there oft there had been one notorious money lender at least amongst the crowd in the cafe to to- to night He knew that he had taken takena a a. big risk and the knowledge of it deepened the scowl on his face ahe as a ashe he le turned to the two brothers with witha a 0 curt Inquiry Any trouble Ramadan shrugged slightly None one lord he answered with almost a hint of regret In his deep voice Dice All went as as' as thou dl st or order order order or- or der to Allah the praise There will wm be bb 6 some sore sore heads beads tomorrow but none lone were hurt There was nothIng nothing noth- noth ing ng on the Moor he Moor he fought like ten devils the unbelieving d dog g. g On th thelder the tho theelder elder stranger stranger this He laid a bulky pocketbook on tho the table We left eft them bound in a ditch with a knife near near nean them They will free the themselves before tho the morning morning- Allah curse them It would have been bett better r t to kill them lord They poison polson the earth Ignoring his followers comment Ahmed took the pocketbook and looked hastily at the contents But Buthe the he closely filled sheets were written written writ- writ ten en In a language unknown to nim and cramming them back into the leather eather case he tossed It on to on-to to the table able with a gesture of disgust wiping his fingers as if It he had touched something unclean And tho the sentry he asked look look- lug ng up at his men again This time timet It t was who answered his smile broadening He lie sleeps sweetly In Ina Ina ina a bed of ot onions lord he chuckled Ramadan had to hit hard they hard they have heads of ot Iron ironS these For a little while longer he detained de- de tamed them listening to further details details de- de tails ails of ot the evenings evening's work and givIng Ins Ing ng orders orders for for the next day before dismissing them And for long after they were gone sone he sat on at the table staring gloomily at the pocketbook lying amongst the plates and dishes If Ift It t contained what he was convinced It t did the sooner It was In in In the hands lands of the authorities the J better etter it If f he had made a mistake it could be e returned to its owner with owner with s. apologies But he did not think that hat it would be returned He had hada a deep inward feeling that he had made no mistake with regard to these suspicious foreigners that their heir presence was a menace to the country he loved And to serve that country he was willing to risk something S If this evenings evening's aU affair lr had ended seriously he knew there would have been only one thing left for him to todo todo todo do he would have had to surrender himself to the French commandant and anti face the consequences But as asIt asit asit it had turned out there was no need for heroic In view of the present situation tics ties would most probably ignore a 0 fracas that had terminated without bloodshed And if it trouble did come of it there was still time for him to come forward and make his amende honorable Meanwhile the pocketbook should go to tho the commandant tomorrow with a covering note that could be bemore bemore bemore more or less ambiguous And to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow to- to morrow was not yet A dull flush crept over his face and starting to his his' feet he began to pace up and down as he had paced th the adjoining room an hour ago Up and down up and down his face set his heart pounding he strode from end to end of the narrow narrow narrow nar nar- row room What stayed him What lingering lingering linger Unger ing scruple hindered the accomplishment accomplishment accomplishment 1 of ot his firm purpose Love w was I dead dead but but d desire re re- re Desire that s sent nt the hot blood racing madl madly through his veins that gathering strength momentarily mo mo- was like a raging fire consuming him Passion wrung the color faded slowly from ron ron-i his and he grew strangely pale under hi his deep tan His ills smoldering eyes ranged the room with almost a look of ot anguish In them and from time to time broken whispered words burst from his compressed lips Once he paused by the communicating eating cating door and stood looking at It fixedly his hands tight locked be behind behind behind be- be hind him He had long since thrown aside his heavy s lk silk bound bound turban and the light from a hanging lamp above him shone brightly on his cut close-cut dark The warmth of It penetrating seemed to oppress him for tor he moved moed a away way stripping ot off his short embroidered jacket and and I his silk ink ilk shirt more thore widely 1 open at the throat before resuming his monotonous tramp Up and down again he went his feet lagging lagging lagging lag lag- ging now until at last with a agro gro groan n he dropped on to a a. divan burying his h head ad in his hands She had lied to him why him why should he spare her She had betrayed him why him why should he not punish her He lIe felt no pity for her helpless helpless- ss ness What gentleness had been in his composition was burnt out of him gone with the love that had died so swiftly Moreover he had sworn and by Allah he would keep his oath What was wall scruple to stay him What had she done to Reserve his mercy Sh She was to his do with withas as he would The hold he had l kept ept over himself himself himself him him- self snapped suddenly Tortured by bythe bythe bythe the physical longing that all at once nce became unbearable conscious only of ot the overwhelming need that was driving him he went swiftly with fiercely beating heart and throbbing throbbing throbbing throb throb- bing pulses But But on the threshold of the Innermost room he paused with outstretched hand his face tormented Then with a smothered oath he dashed the curtains violently aside It was but little past the dawn when he left lett her Slipping silently to his feet he lingered for a moment looking down with weary brooding eyes She was asleep at last heavily dreamlessly asleep l lying with a achild's achild's achild's childs child's unconscious grace of or pose one tiny hand buried burled In the tangle of dark hair spread out on the pillow pillow pil pil- low the other stretched at her side clutching tightly the silken coverlet Even In sleep her face was sorrowful sorrowful sor sor- her parted lips drooping slightly the tho thick curling lashes that veiled her eyes still sun wet and matted with tears He lie bent lower gazing at her in in- in How young she looked looked and and how beautiful But what was her beauty to him now Merciful Allah A if it In h co coonly COonly only forget But he wo woUld ne forget never forgive the tread treacle made madea of b ba hJ that seemed to have a thing of ot stone He lie shivered suddenly at U th the of the night What had those hours ot 01 V brought him He had done what what he had 5 1 to do do and and the pleasure h anticipated had been denied She had paid for her faM with tears and anguish a as promised himself sh th ld an and his triumph was as of ashes In his mouth The The- expected 8 St faction n he had w w and there strangely lacking dull ache In his heart that he c COnot CO c J not understand With a II hal h ji patient half bitter sigh he tur and went slowly away The atmosphere of ot the a dj II andt room room heavy with incense ana with the scent of ot faded fw floe filled him with sudden t tAt At that moment he would given much to be able ble to dust of from his i leeta ride away Into the clean ing freshness of the desert to i e. e wished to forto for lor lorto lorr behind him all he a to go home like the start life Ufe afresh Continued tomorrow 5 |