Argosy, Vol. 1 (December 9, 1882) — page 382: what you’re looking at

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

A FAIR SLAVE TO THE MAHDI. 375 valescent was reclmmg m a broad wicker chair, gazing over the placid waters. To an artist’s eye it was not a scene of picturesque enchantment, to the poet unsuggestive of sublime flights; but to the giad heart of the pale faced woman it was sweet beyond compare. Over the bleak volcanic ridges to the westward no longer rolled the somber echoes of battle. Up from the lowlands trembled the weird song of the camel boy or the call of the muezzin from his tower, a sepia silhouette against the faint purple of the troptc clouds. “Yes,” murmured the favored child of destiny. “ God is good, God is great!” Then she fell to dreaming of the miracle of her deliverance from the valley of death, and her restoration to health again. Relapsing into a half doze of perfect content, Dorothy idly watched through her closing lids the flying fish. Then there was a famihar stir beside her—a presence she had learned to divine. “ What! awake?” said the newcomer softly as the wan face turned and gave him a smile of welcome. “ You were lying so still, 1 thought you were sleeping.”’ “Only dreaming,” she murmured. Then, as her soft eyes met his, she added. “And you bring good news—I can see that. Tell me.” Bardoff smiled. “ You women are 2 mystery,” he said, gathering closer and drawing forth a sheet of blue paper. ‘ You divme things by intuition. Now, I doubt not that you know the contents of thts telegram without my read- ing it to you.” The convalescent started. “I do not read so deeply as that; but from your face, prince, I gather that it is nothing evil.” ‘Your brother is on his way here from Suez. He will be here within a week.” The fair listener drew a deep breath and reached forth her hand to clasp the sweet message. “ My dear brother, my Tom, is coming!” she exclaimed. ‘* Heaven be praised! You make me well already.” * It is all very wonderful,” resumed the prince, glancing at the telegram. “T obtained the facts through the official departments. It seems that your brother arrived at Cairo some weeks since and fried to get permission to go up the Nile in his steam yacht. The authorities thought him mad till they discovered his reason. He offered to transport a whole garrison as escort at his own expense, feeling confident that you must have reached the upper Nile valley in the balloon, and that somehow he would find you dead or alrve. He vowed that he would never go back to America without knowing your fate, and was actually preparing to run the gantlet, against the advice and commands of the Egyptian government when the message by the vulture reached the forces at Otao. It was telegraphed to him by the American consul at Cairo. “ He thinks you are too ill to recerve or send messages, so he has found out your whereabouts and your condition through the department. At every sta- tion possible on the route he has stopped and asked for mformation by wire from Suakim. He seems perfectly frantic with joy and haste to reach vou. He 1s certainly a jewel of 2 brother.” COM @ YN| OOO CO