The Argosy, March 27, 1920 — page 46: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a oo % 196 THE ARGOSY. the reproduction that he saw even the tiny picture of the dog who dozed in the sunny square. “O Ayesha!” said the young man. “ As thou livest in bliss, show me where my treasure lieth.” He looked long at the pearl and said: “O Mohammed, if ever thou hadst com- passion on young lovers, show me the way to my treasure.” For a long moment he looked; then took a deep breath, and gave the gem back to its owner. : “Thou hast had thy wish?” said Ali. “Thou hast seen where thy treasure is?” “ Aye,” said Kahleel, “I have seen.” He counted out the other five gold pieces. * And was it as thou didst say? Eyes of the gazelle, grace of the nightingale, and the rest of it?” cs Ves.” * And is the treasure near to thee now?” “ There was nothing in the contract to make me tell thee that,” said Kahleel. “As thou wilt,” said Ali, pocketing the pearl and the gold pieces, “but be sure that I can see in the pearl as well as thou.” “So be it,” said Kahleel. “T would not have thee go so soon,” said Ali, “TI could listen to thy talk of love for all the morning. Thou hast fired my heart with all this poetry. I, too, would have a wife such as thou hast described.” ‘Allah will bring thee that as he hath brought all other things,” said Kahleel, He put his hands to his forehead, bowed, and departed. Ali Hassan shifted in his seat to watch the young man cross the square. The youth went straight to the caravansary, * Where any fool would have gone to find a traveller,” said the owner of the pearl. “ Ali Hassan, it is the foolishness of men as much as thine own with that maketh thee what thou art.” But the young man went straight through the caravansary without stopping. The Keeper of it ran out to him and cried: “A camel, sir? I have here a young camel of the true Oman breed, as fleet as any horse.” He pointed to a flea-bitten beast so old that her hump had almost disappeared. Kahleel shook his head, and passed through the ankle-deep dust of the square and out into the lane. Over the tops of the mud walls that lined it leaned date fronds, and he could hear the plash and gurgle of water within the walled gardens. Ahead of him lay a slight rise of ground— on top of it stood the towered house which he had seen in the pearl. A heavy gate, iron-clad and barred, stood in a deep recess in the wall, and over it jutted the carved work of the second story. A* beggar sat in the shade by the gate, and held out a skinny hand to Kahleel. “Alms, young man, alms for the love of Allah!?’ Kahleel paused before him. ‘How long hast thou been here, O fa- vored of God?” he asked. “Longer than thou hast lived, youth,” said the beggar, “ and naught but pain for me all that time.” “ Knowest thou,” said Kahleel, balanc- ing a coin on the tip of his finger, ‘« knowest thou if any woman hath entered this house within the last week?” “One came two days ago,” said the beg- gar, “in a train of four camels. A man rode one—two carried baggage—there was a litter on the fourth, and I heard a woman weeping. It was a gray Oman camel, and I have not seen the like of it for grace. There were four bales of rugs in the baggage, and such pots and pans as a man might take on a long journey.” “What manner of a man was it?” “An old man, small, with eyes like a kitten’s,” “ Knowest thou his name?” * Najob Azoura!”’ Kahleel struck his palms together. ‘How came she to be with him!” “Tam not Allah,” said the beggar, “ to see into all things.” “IT am content,” said Kahleel. “Here is thy fee.” He dropped the coin into the beggar’s lap, and let a second follow it. ‘“ Remember,” he said, “ thou hast never seen me, nor dost thou see what I do now.” He looked up and down the lane; save for himself and the beggar it was empty. A young date palm grew by a rill of water that trickled through the lane; he climbed it and rocked it until the sap oozed from Comicloolkx<s.conn §