The Argosy, March 1907 — page 57: what you’re looking at

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

cnn “Om ee Te little head to the intonations of her soft voice, spoke of birth and breeding. He wondered, dully, that he-had not noticed this before. And even as. he wondered the memory of her searing opinion of himself returned with re- newed vividness, making him turn his face away from her with a scowl. The queries of the others were inter- rupted by the entrance of the party’s dragoman. “Well, Halil,” queried Mr. Gault, “how about the dahabiyeh? [a sort of house-boat propelled by steam or sail]. Has one been chartered? And when are we to start up the Nile?” “It has been chartered, Aowadji,” re- plied the native, in moderately good English, “and we can start as soon as you desire to. You must forgive my delay. These foolish rumors of uprisings among the back-country tribes have made many of the boat-owners timid, and they would not rent out their dahabiyehs. The company’s own boat, the only one now in commission, is too small to hold so many with comfort. So I have, on my own responsibility, hired another. If you will deign to inspect it, and if it ? meets the approval of all, we can pro-. vision and be ready to start within three days.” “You speak about uprisings among the tribes,” quavered an angular spinster from Missouri, Miss Halpin by name. “Maybe we would be wiser to wait till we're sure everything is safe? ”’ “Pardon, Siit/ I spoke of ‘ foolish rumors of uprisings.’ I have inquired closely. I have also consulted a very holy man—Farragh, a priest—who is but just returned from the upper Nile. All my investigations prove the country to be as safe as Chicago, the capital of America.” 3 3 “In that case,” dryly observed Mr. Gault, “I shall certainly carry two re- volvers. Shall we go down and now take a look at this dahabiyeh?”’ * *K K K 2K The vast, barn-like Presence Hall of the Khedival Palace was ablaze with Tamps and full to suffocation with a throng that had gathered to bid farewell to Egypt’s idol, ‘‘ Chinese” Gordon, on the eve of his departure for the Sudan. LAST HOPE. - The only especial outward difference in appearance between this assemblage and any one of a hundred similar gather- ings at any of the European capi- tals consisted in the fact that among the men present scarcely one in _ five was bareheaded, and an equally large percentage wore clothes so grotesquely ill-fitting as to cause an unaccustomed outsider lke Madge Brant to stare in wonder. In other words, four-fifths of the men present were Egyptian or Turkish offi- cials, crowned with the never-absent fez or tarboosh, and dressed in a manner almost to justify the French diplomat’s . famous remark, “The Turk wears the cast-off clothes of Europe.” The remaining fifth of the male guests wore, for the most part, the uniforms of the various nations to whose diplomatic corps they belonged, while here and there the somber evening clothes of a civilian stood out lke black smudges on the car- nival of color. ‘The women—all of whom were Euro- pean or American—were in ball costume. Not a native woman was visible, but an occasional flutter of drapery from behind a high screen in the gallery betokened the unseen presence of the Khedive’s wives and their attendants. In a niche at one side of the vast hall sat Madge Brant. The excitement had brought warm color to her cheeks and a light to her brown eyes. All evening a little group of attachés had been clustered about her. Mrs. Chittenden had glared at the girl in malignant envy from her own isolated position near by, while Barry “Clive, be- hind his aunt’s chair, had gazed on her in growing amaze and admiration. He could not realize that the jolly, obedient little girl in brown holland was_ one and the Same with this radiant crea- ture to whom half the young diplomats of Cairo were struggling to speak. Twenty-four hours earlier he had at- tempted to teach her her place. To- night she had found a place of her own, wherein he had no part. So he stood, looking on morosely at the swirl of gaiety and beauty whence he was ostracized. He recalled his views of his own importance, his ideas of Madge’s insignificance, and wondered ws J 3 ee ; Us , . ' S) Ue ee ta ae AMET RS a al « has | hy oa SSRI ROD TS AeA Red at es her ne Nai. mad $ ai } [My A Beets —" 4 = Comicbooks.com