Show THE H GIFT WIFE a- a r rC J C 0 RUPERT HUGHES HUGHES SERVICE B By y R RUPERT U P E RI H HUGHES HUGHES' U G H E S SYNOPSIS On board the Nord Nord Express with Ostend as his immediate destination Dr David Jebb is bound for America With him is ls year old old Cynthia Thatcher his temporary tempo tempo- racy ward On the train they meet Bill Games Gaines former classmate of Davids David tells Gaines of his outstanding weakness weakness- an overwhelming desire to drink He feels the urge coming to him again and wants to safeguard the thc child who Is returning to America with him During a stop Gaines leaves the train to bu buys buy Cynthia a present The train leaves without him Then Jebb Is painfully injured in a minor accident A fellow passenger revives him with a drink which makes his desire for liquor all the strong stronger r. r At the next stop David and Cynthia thia leave the train David begins drinkIng drink crink Ing tag The next thing he is conscious of is a strange sort of chanting He looks around dazed and sick A door opens and nd in ln walks a strange Negro closely followed by a woman heavily veiled and dressed in flow v. ing robes She tells him that he is in that her name name is and that she is the gift gift wife of the Pasha who has another another an other wife wile and who is husband in name only to Minima She knows nothing of the missing child CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 6 6 Now if I could have some light lightwood wood wood wood-a a cigar box or something to tomake tomake tomake make a splint Would thees do I said pointing to 10 an inlaid Yes but its it's too handsome said Jebb ebb J Her answer was to pick up the thelow thelow thelow low table and smash it on the floor bringing two of the slender legs to Jebb And now if I could have some or muslin muslin or a long strip of cloth Swish She had ripped off yards of her robe And now he said would hanim han han- im effendi please hold these boards so here so-here here and here while here while I bind it all together Two hands came out of the cloud and rested right under her eyes I In binding t the e splints together it it was necessary for Jebb to touch those hands They seemed to singe him like white fire Tell him to wear the sling for fora a week and acid the splints for two weeks he said as he ne finished regaining regaining regaining re re- re- re gaining a professional acerbity of tone Ask him if he found out anything about the child The question was repeated Mi Mi- ruma spoke with wonderful gentleness gentle gentle- ness No poor Jebb Effendi he not the child He is search the all of Nobody is see a girl of the Franks The Franks Franks no no no she is an American child All you and Europeans are Franks to us Briefly he poured out to her his story only he did not tell the cause of the great hiatus in his l life e. e He simply said that he became ill He had not the bra bravery very to confess the truth It was the crowning ignominy of his plight flight that he must stoop to beggary beggary beggary beg beg- gary or to starvation He postponed postponed postponed post post- the admission of his penury to the last moment and then postponed postponed postponed post post- it again And the answer to his nauseating apology was that she had known it all the time J Jaffar finding him unconscious unconscious unconscious un un- un- un conscious in the street had at t her orders undressed him bathed him put him to bed and taken his clothes drenched as they were with rain to dry them in the kitchen and to iron them while the other servants servants servants ants slept Jaffar had reported that there was not a thing in all the strangers stranger's garments only garments only the usual pocket dust not a not a acard acard acard card not a coin not even a bronze baish baish As delicately as might be she strove to put Jebb at his ease It shall be pleasure to me to geeve to Jebb Effendi what I have of money Seeing his look of horror horror horror hor hor- to amend And she hastened he shall shall pay it again when Allah sends him once more But Jebb put up his hand to check her He could not endure this I have hoort the feeling of Jebb Effendi by to offer him of mine mine she said Now Allah has s- s P ered to me how Jebb Effendi shall Pearn earn mooch money and mooch power and fame Tell me in in-Allah's in Allah's name Jebb Effendi is effendi No no Im I'm not English I am American ees alia alla the same to an Jebb Effendi is great phee- phee great In our country we the Frank doctors doctors doctors doc doc- tors work Of old time believed that Allah sent one e ne ness and and and-and- and She paused in dread of the great word which the Moslems avoid may avoid may he keep far from you you the the the Cup-bearer Cup of the Sphere At the promenade today to today to- to day Jantine Hanim is expected But she not She says her son her son Gani Gant Bey is inmost in pain most frightful The Bey somebody is give heem of poison to have enemies enemies ene ene- is too young but hut h he e mies and he does not die in his Jebb Effendi can cure that If pain the father pays ays mooch The father fa- fa aIS a- a san can flier ther the i ino i is a very rich bey There are jp doctors here hero Jebb Effendi I no gIO gnon o could leeve in and become most for The thought of living in was not so appalling to Jebb as it would have seemed a few hours be be- fore The thought of money was always always always al al- al- al ways agreeable I will see this man at once h he he said It is bad etiquette but I Iam Iam Iam am desperate I will tell him that I will cure his son I 1 can if anybody can s palms were up in protest pro pro- test It would never do to go direct to to the Bey Jebb would be treated as a fraud he would not be permitted permit permit- ted to see the son Things were not done in Turkey in straight lines The like nature love a curve Wh what Wh what am I 1 to do then said J Jebb ebb There is in a large khan khana khan khan- a hotel hotel the Hotel Jebb Effendi Effendi Effendi Ef Ef- Ef- Ef shall go there and command I the best room and wait I I can command the room but do doI I get it I have no money not money not even baggage Of that also I have said the amazing woman You shall say your baggage is to Stamboul l. l You stop but for one two days That accounts for the baggage But shall I say that my money was sent on to Stamboul too The money that money that you take from me But J Jebb ebb put out his hand ana Thank you and God bless you hanim ef- ef J g t ty y i a Lk b bs s 0 4 r ti f 1 t 1 I Ii i Dont Dont go yet Remember this is Turkey for your good heart but I You she persisted I dont don't need it hanim I have this ring I will pawn it Jaffar shall take the she said and you mooch more money as you could touch He shall say ees my It looks a womans woman's Then a gasp It ees perhaps a some lady the effendi No no I bought it myself myself myself-in- in Cologne And And added with perfect truth It has no associations for forme forme forme me whatever With which he twisted twisted twisted twist twist- ed it from his finger and held it out to her Suddenly a truth stabbed J Jebb ebb to the heart he saw that this woman for whom he had begun to feel a tenderness had begun to feel a jealousy jealousy jealousy jeal jeal- of him The implied proprietorship proprietorship proprietorship did not irritate him It delighted delighted delighted de de- de- de lighted him and the delight was the keener for being edged with fear Tomorrow morning while yet the effendi is sleep Jaffar shall have goed and corned back backwith backwith backwith with the money But how can I slip out in the daylight without being seen Also that I have I tell you tomorrow day for now is ver late Allah send you the sweetest sweetest sweetest sweet sweet- est of sleep Dont go gol he pleaded But she was gathering herself together to stand up He leaped to his feet to help her To ri rise e from a cross- cross legged position is something of a feat It is one of the few that harem laziness permits rose straight in air like a lark leaping upward from a meadow But as she stepped forward her foot caught on the hem of her robe She lost her poise swayed would have fallen But Jebb had risen from the divan he put out his arm her weight was upon him so suddenly sudden sudden- ly that he had no little difficulty with his own equilibrium The recovery recovery recovery re re- re- re covery of both was a matter of brief and busy delay Minima gave a little cry of alarm at her plight another nother of dismay at finding herself in a mans man's arms And then she fled fied soft footed sort footed spire spiritual spiritual like a dark cloud trailing along alonga a mountainside He put out the lights and groped his way to the window where the moonbeams beat in and show showered red the floor CHAPTER IV At the Hotel Jebb was accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac on his own recognizance He found that his English was of no use but his German rusty as it was elicited the good news that there were British Austrian and Russian consulates in the town He made haste to the British building but the Albanian kavass on guard informed him in a few broken English phrases that the consul was wasill wasill wasill ill and was not likely to be well weIl for some days Jebb stood irresolute ute then went to the Austrian consulate Here he was informed that the consul was in conference with his Russian confrere and nd the two governors governors governors gover gover- nors of the Turk and the Christian and the affairs of Turkey were in such confusion added to the increasing disorder of the district district dis dis- dis- dis itself itself- that there was little hope of seeing the consul Jebb looked so downcast at this that his informant asked the nature of of- his errand and introduced himself himself himself him him- self as Herr Xavier Franz Heller von of Vienna Jebb introduced introduced introduced in in- himself as a former student student student stu stu- stu- stu dent at the University of Vienna and the young young mellowed imme imme- They adjourned to a coffee coffeehouse coffeehouse coffeehouse house for a h humble wooden structure with an awning over the walk and cane-bottomed cane stools But what brings you Herr Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor Yep to this dismal cemetery of I an Jebb shook his head with a dreary Ich weiss and then poured forth in halting German and with halting courage as much of his story as he felt it discreet to divulge That is a problem indeed Herr hemr Doctor Yep Now if you knew where you lost the child child child- If I only knew 1 If you knew where you had lost her it would be easier And yet not easy at that If she had disappeared disappeared disappeared dis dis- dis- dis appeared in Vienna or Berlin or Paris we could telegraph and the great engine of the police of Europe could be set in motion But we are in Turkey and Turkey is in tion Nobody knows what will happen hap happen happen hap hap- pen tomorrow Nobody knows what happened yesterday We only know that Constantinople is captured by bythe bythe bythe the revolutionists and that the Sultan Sultan Sultan Sul Sul- tan is is' is prisoner had told Jebb nothing of this either she had known little of it or had forgotten it in the stress of more personal events The Sultan a prisoner Jebb gasped Turkey in revolution And the little child lost among these savages sav sav- ages What Vh at did you say the childs child's name was f Cynthia Thatcher Tat Tat it itis itis itis is an name to say Bomben Herr Doctor Yep if somebody asks the child her name and she tells it nobody willbe will willbe willbe be able to repeat it or to remember remember remember ber it You must help me I will do my all and gladly It will take much money In Turkey nobody moves not moves not even the Sultan I without baksheesh You have much money yes Jebb tossed his hands I have havea a hundred and fifty dollars dollars about about six hundred marks You have a difficult problem Herr Doctor We must see what we can do Your passports are in good shape I hope Passports I never had any You must have had to get into Turkey And you must have had a or you could not have traveled trav trav- If I had them I lost them and I dont don't know where Where were you last did you say In Salonica I think All I know is that the train from Salonica brought me here Bomben It Itis Itis Itis is the very home of the revolution Everything started there And you have been in Salonica without know know- ing And how did you get there You probably reached there by the railroad from Constantinople Have you been in Constantinople I dont don't know Did you have the child with you in Salonica I dont don't know I may have had I cannot tell shook his his' head in dismay dismay dismay dis dis- dis- dis may and exploded his Bomben in a whisper Past the cafe where J Jebb ebb and Hell- Hell wall sat pondering flowed the eddying eddying eddy eddy- ing traffic of the street Now and then a Turk a Russian an Austrian or a Macedonian saluted after the manner of his race or station station station sta sta- sta- sta tion and the Austrian answered in kind At length a sound of distant wailing wailing wailing wail wail- ing and a hint of doleful chant began began began be be- gan to define itself above the clat clat- ter The cr crowd wd paused and massed to give way to a funeral procession led by bearded priests of the Greek Church in gorgeous vestments marching slowly and singing The procession turned the corner and disappeared Among those who had paused to watch the cortege was wasa a a. venerable white bearded Turk in fez and frock coat he seemed to tobe tobe tobe be deeply touched After the crowd had dispersed he still stood in dej de de- j said to Jebb That is Akef Bey one of the leaders of the Young Turks His eldest son is an officer at the citadel His younger son sen Gani Bey is very ill and the doctors here can do nothing for I h. h him J Jebb ebb started at the names of Akef Bey and his son He was about to say that he was waiting to be sought by this very man when he realized the indiscretion of such a remark Akef Bey saw and greeted greet greet- ed him with a sad cou courtesy tesy in a sweeping salute from the brow rose saying to Jebb Excuse me I must ask him how his son is today He went to the old man anc and questioned questioned questioned ques ques- him in what Jebb assumed t to tobe tobe be Turkish Akef Bey answered with much excitement and vivid gestures gestures gestures tures of pain and despair listened with evident sorrow Then he seemed to brighten with an idea He beckoned Jebb I have just told Akef Bey that you are one of the most eminent physicians in America and that I knew you well in Vienna when you studied at the greatest of all Uni Uni- It is near enough to the truth for a diplomat As he was saying this to J Jebb ebb the Bey was pouring fluent Turkish into his other ear translated in short asides He is asking me if you cannot come to see his son at once once once-don't don't dont accept look accept look solemn you solemn you are busy you you are leav leaving ng town town the the ot other er physicians have failed to help h him ll he says they says they are ignorant dogs hIs dogs his hisson son cries aloud in agony But don dont don't- t- t accept too readily Dont Don't go yet Remember this is Turkey They ex expect expect ex- ex to bargain for everything He Heis Heis Heis is rich You need much money But J Jebb ebb agreed and on the way they passed a miscellaneous miscellaneous bazaar bazaar where a meager supply of drugs was kept for the foreign population There J Jebb ebb managed to find a large hypodermic needle and a supply of tablets which he purchased along with a few of such simples as the hane hane a-hane possessed The home of Akef Bey was important important important tant in large enough to be called a Konak TO BE CONTINUED |