Show 0 E. E M. M HULL I of f the h. h Sheik Sh k By S 0 t e el S Sequel qu to Tho ing s 's Story Sheik k A Absorb Absorbing oh J Copyright 1925 S Small r Co u I It Continued from yesterday And for some time after acter the tho Sheik ceased speaking ho said I IThen Then very slow slowly he e glanced up looking at his father strangely You have cursed me for what 1 I have done he whispered with shaking Ups lips but how did did- did jou you pu take tale talethe the little mother The Sheiks Sheik's face went suddenly white as his own and he flinched as If If a bullet had touched him I You j know that now that he said heavily And In a quick re revulsion revulsion revulsion re- re of ot feeling unable to endure the the look of ot torment that had leaped Into the dark eyes eys fixed on him the boy turned away his head hend his short lived triumph gone hating himself for the revenge that a moment ago had seemed so sosweet sweet I 1 have always known since I was wasso wasso wasso so high he answered very slow his hand reaching down to the level of ot othis his knee and ana Gaston nearly killed the man who told me The Sheik made no comment Sweeping his hla hand across his face tace he swung back his as If It the weight of It oppressed him and moving to the tho door stood with his back turned to the room looking unseeingly out Into the night wrestling wrestling wrestling wres wres- with the bitterness and shame that filled him The repetition of or his own sin sinThe The remembrance of ot his own mis mis- doing brought home to him vividly the in-the person of his son to whom he had transmitted the vicious strain that was In his blood How could he Judge who had done similarly How even resent the taunt that had been thrown at him It was his fault fault tar far more than the boys boy's for tor the taint was heredi- heredi tary An And knowing It Jt had he failed in the responsibilities that parenthood parenthood parent parent- hood had laid upon him He had warned arnea It was true not once but many times But Immersed In the affairs of or the tribe had ho he doneall doneall done doneall all that he might have done had he gone far tar enough down to the root of ot the matter Had he not rather taken the easier way punishing where he should have advised and shutting his eyes to what In any other country but this he could not have countenanced Too much the chief too little the father he had allowed allowed al al- al lowed more freedom than was ad advisable advisable ad- ad under the circumstances trusted too much to the steadying Influence of time not realizing how acute had become the necessity fox foi Interference And now this now this open liaison with a n native girl With a n heavy sigh he turned back to the tho room and going to a a. divan motioned the boy nearer Since you jou know so much he said and the words came from him it will make plain sp speaking easier between us You have thought fit tit to remind me me and and andI I admit your provocation that provocation that what you have done I did before you I cannot deny what Is known to every man who was was with me at atthe atthe atthe the time time even even If It I wanted to vv which I do not not though though I 1 have always alwa's prayed for your mothers mother's sake that yoU jou might never know the shame shanie I put upon her But you cannot shelter shelter shel she ter ten yourself behind my sin sin- You will wUl have to pay as I paid You may mayI I argue that It is a common enough ing lug your wild oats as the majority occurrence that you are ara only sowIng sowing sowIng sow- sow Ing your wild oats as a a. a majority of men do do-as do as I I. I did myself But because I was a blackguard and a seducer am I to make no po protest when I see my own son own son going the wa way I went vent Because your mother In her divine love and charity was able Heaven able Heaven alone knows how how to to forgive me the wrong I did her do you think I have forgiven n myself God pity you If U you over ever experience the same regret and self loathing that has been my punishment t for tor twenty years And remembering the foul insult she suffered at my hands do you think I can cart forgive you now the Insult you do her by bringing this girl here You must have known that It was wa-s an Insufferable Insufferable able a damnable thing to do Have you ou lost all sense of decency or did you think my example sufficient excuse that excuse that knowing what my own morals were I should be Inclined to condone your want of prin principle I Ican Ican can hardly expect any son of ot mine mineto mineto to be a saint but I would not have believed that you could have ex exposed exposed ex- ex posed your mother to such an Indignity Indig Indig- The Dhe scorn In his flashing eyes the bitter contempt of his tone sent the color rolling In a dark wave over the boys boy's face tace I never meant to Insult her he be burst out passionately tely I never meant her to know That Is why I Iam Iam Iam am here at EI El I was going on south But I had no tents no nomen nomen nomen men with me but Ramadan and and I had to have an escort and andI I had to see you OU for tor matters that came to my knowledge while I was in and before I reached matters that have to do with the disturbed state of the country I dont don't offer it as an ex excuse cx- cx cuse cuse fox for being absent without leave for breaking my word I ask your our pardon and I am ready rendy to take any punishment you may choose to Impose upon me rae Nothing can make me feel less respect for myself that I do nothing can be worse than the hell heIl I have lived through these last weeks B it Bi-it t the girl Despite himself his eyes wandered to the curtains that divided the two rooms I have to keep There e was wasa a sudden huskiness In his voice that made mado the Sheik look at him nar nan narrowly You her he asked AndIn And AndIn In a flash Iash of memory time slipped sUpped away and he seemed to be listening to Raoul de Saint Hubert asking that same anie question twenty years years be be- be fore Not But the very vehemence Of f the emphatic denial left the She Sheik k wondering won won- on dering Then why did you not leave lea herin hex her nerIn In he said dryly The boys boy's hands bands went out In n a gesture of ot helplessness i With whom could I have left lefther lefther I her he cried With Sliman or any of ot his kind to use as I have used her for for a day a vv eek yeek till the fancy lancy passed and then to throw throwaway away i ito to greater shame than I h have ve I brought her to Vile as I am I am ant amnot amnot not so vile vUe as that For all the hateful life she led with the foul toul brute who owned her she was unsoiled unsoiled un- un soiled clean and pure as her own name name flower until I took her and made her what she Is His voice broke and for a moment he could ld not speak he ho went on hurriedly But even If it she were not what she Is I could not have let her go for she has knowledge that I have not t yet been able to get from her that is necessary to us that Is concerned with those matters matters matters mat mat- of which I have to tell telI you His father looked ed up quickly Is this matter urgent Very urgent Then you ou had better tell me now The other difficulty difficulty- The Sheik nodded towards tho Inner room room room- can be settled lat later r. r It was only a bald outline o 0 ol facts the boy rehearsed but fresh from his own experience It was sufficient sufficient su- su suf suf- to give the Sheik food for thought that momentarily became more serious and pressing There was much that coincided with his own deductions much that made him even surer than he had been that he was on the right track that he had been correct In itt his conclusion conclusion sion aba that hat the hidden power operating operating operating ing hi In the country was a foreign one And the luck of It the sheer amazing luck of It It By Dy chance the boy had stumbled on what had evaded his own arduous and persistent persistent per per- search had perhaps found the key to the whole situation And the boy whom boy whom he had thought I Immersed In his own follies had proved himself to be not so wholly Indifferent to the w welfare of the country as he had Imagined A softer expression came over his face as he turned with an abrupt question O Of course you saw Mercier l In and told him of this this' The boy shuffled and looked away No I so I there re were difficulties he stammered flushing deeply For Forthe Forthe Forthe the Incident of the cafe maure was wasa a detail he had omitted from front a narrative that had been full of blanks and only sketchy In outline Checking the natural question that sprang to his lips Ups the Sheik clicked his tongue against his teeth and j Jerked himself onto his feet teet Continued tomorrow |