Argosy, Vol. 111, No. 1 — page 92: what you’re looking at

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

82 ‘Well, he didn’t know American wo- men!” ‘“’Merican woman? no ’vented then.” ‘She certainly was not!” concurred Eileen, much amused. ‘“ Are you married, Rabbit ?”’ ‘“ Married—Rabbit? Sure. Plenty time married. Rabbit have two wife, put away three wife; now look for ‘nother. Oh, boy!” ‘You're perfectly awful, Rabbit!” ‘* Sure! Perfec’ly awf’lly!” assented Rabbit cheerfully. Then, after a slight pause: ‘‘ What you mean?’ “What do I mean! Why—well, it’s wrong to have so many wives, Rabbit. Don’t you know that?” - *"Merican woman he “Wrong? Whaffor wrong?” queried Rabbit. ‘‘’Merican he ’vorce wife if he want, huh?” : | “© "Vorce ’? Oh, divorce, you mean. But he doesn’t have several wives at once.” “Once? Course not!” assented Rabbit. ‘““No man drink sev’ral bottle wine same time, huh? When he tired that bottle white wine he put away. Sure. Take red wine. Good. When he tired two times he take. brandy. More better!” ‘“‘ Good Heavens, what an idea!” ‘Dea’? Sure! You think like that cos you opening new bottle wine.” Rabbit glanced appraisingly at Morden. ‘ Your lover white wine, too, yessir. He taste good, huh? Bimeby you tired same taste. You want red wine. Course. He no like white wine. Want red wine. He put you away. Sure,” very confidentially. “You don’t understand love, Rabbit,” said Eileen, in a graver tone. ‘‘ We very seldom divorce anybody.” “What!” gasped Rabbit. ‘‘ What you do? You go on drink wine you no more like! Strawdin’ry! Awf?lly strawdin’ry!” “Morden! Morden!” cried _ Eileen, laughing. ‘“ Do come alongside and listen to this extraordinary creature’s ideas! They’re the funniest ever!”’ ‘“‘ You strawdin’ry wise person!”’ growled Rabbit disgustedly. ‘ You want drink nothing but white wine till you sick!” But when Morden came alongside by jabbing strenuously at his hack’s flanks Rabbit refused to continue his philosophical THE ARGOSY. remarks for the “‘ white wines ” benefit. He smoked placidly, listening to Eileen’s ver- sion of his remarks. Much to Seagrove’s disgust Rabbit kept them going steadily until noon, avoiding every sign of a village or a hamlet. At length, within a sheltered dell carpeted with flowers blue and white, he consented to call a halt and to provide his clients with boiled chicken dragged from the recess of a saddle bag wrapped up in a dirty paper. Sheer hunger drove Seagrove to violate his restaurant instincts; after which con- tentedly he went to sleep in the sun. However, Rabbit was as cruel as the Moor is reputed to be, for he permitted them but a brief half-hour, stating as the reason that one never knew in Morocco when wild men were about to materialize; yet he persisted in-remaining as obscure as ever regarding the time of their arrival in Tangiers. They were on the road by a few minutes after one o’clock, winding down another long valley. Toward four, when Seagrove had begun to protest that they halt for the night anywhere, even under the nearest tree, they rose to the ridge of a saddle in the hills and saw, far-away, the blue sheen of the Mediterranean, misty in the drooping sun. Away beyond a distant hummock was, Rabbit assured them, the white roofs of Tangiers. The assurance served, at any rate, to en- courage Seagrove to bear the indignities of his aching body for yet a few more hours, and acted as a tonic to Eileen, who worked off some of the youthful energy evoked by the early prospect of a real bath by drum- ming at her steed’s bony flanks until her unaccustomed heels were sore. At last, as Rabbit had promised, a dis- tant glint of white heralded the approach of the real bath so ardently desired -by Eileen. But upon the immediate left, clear white in the sun, was a circle of tents having a larger one in the center. . “ Mehalla,” said Rabbit, in answer to Eileen’s question. ‘Soldier man _ b’long Sultan.”” And jabbing at their mount pro- ceeded to edge seaward, adding: ‘“‘ Him no good for ’fidel!” “Why?” demanded Eileen. GOMIIG OOO S (CO