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YOUNG JACK HARKAWAY
He would do anything to curry favor witii atid gain the coii1i-
dence of the Sharina.
Ttirtiiigii her good graces and those of the Kisla Agha lay the
road to prosperity.
No one could travel this road without it.
Vishiio heard the sound of voices in the empty moat. which
st-eined unusual.
was the Queen of Queens being robbed of her revenge in a sur-
reptitious manner‘.’
He thought so.
The niooti was rising, and without saying aiiything to anybody,
Visiino, who hail his bullet head cleverly screived on, took a tiiid-
night walk.
Ttie liuiiuchs. who were in personal attetidaiice on Her llajesiy, were
allowed at any hour of the night or day, to go out into the city of
Te-lieraii, through the garden gate of the Seraglio.
This, as we know, ivas kept by Allu, the friend of Altmet.
lle lived in a small lodge atiioitiiiig the grate, all hy himself.
Wlien Allii came-. to the lodge, he saw a light inside.
It was iiecessary to ring a small bell to call the gate-keeper's atten-
tioii.
He did so.
Preseiity Alli) and Ahmtit came to the door with utzstvatly footsteps.
After their return from Pavone'si farm, where they had left Clara
under Jack's auspices, they had dPl.9f‘lltlllt:‘tl to have a little eiijoyinent.
Jack had poiiri-.d toinaums into their hands.
It is very hard for hahitually poor people to avoid spending money
when it comes to them iitiexpectetllt.
What does the poor man do when he has a legacy left him or strikes
' 9
lie generally spends his money recklessly, and is haiikriipt in a few
months.
The Pt-rsians, thoiigh disciples of the prophet, ilo not refuse to drink
wine, and several bottles of a sweet vintage called Shiraz, were oti the
tattle inside.
some were empty, some were fall; it seenind as if Allti mid A htnet
would sleep oti the tloor that night and dream that they were in the
seventh ht,-aveii, where all the htiuris, the tlowers aiiil the birds are
pl'0Illl.-it'll to the faithful.
-- Walk in; you areas welcome as the roses in Jiiiie,” said Allti.
“ Ntti-; l have tio time. I :itii sent on an vrrantl," answered Vislitit).
“ .-tllatil Go your way! May your path he siiiootlil"
Sayitig this. Allu opened the t,:at.+-. and let the I-Itizziicli into the street.
Vislinii went straight to the ditch. Here he foutid nothing but scat-
tervd hat’.
The truth ’l.’lWl'lt‘ll upon him.
Tlitzre hziil lIt’t‘ll a device and a rescue.
'I‘ht- slave hail not tweii killed. ltI‘Cl( broken, spine smashed, mangled.
Who was at the hottoiii of it.’
Not a drop of htiiod was oi; the hay.
it was a inys:t=ry.
Visiiiio, though only thirty years of age, was a thinker. and to sotne
extent a sch:-met‘.
If he could acciimtilate a certain sum of nion:-y and give it to the
Aghn, fl6‘;Ct)lll4l hiiy his freedom at once.
This he do-Lermiiied to do as soon as he was a. fiill-tletlgc-tl capitalist.
Fora time he had to wait.
lie fancied he saw his opportunity now, though, and meant to
grasp it.
Rettirning, to the htlge gate of the gardetis of the Zt‘ll.’lll.'t, he was
let itito the rootii where Allu and Ahinet were liiiliiiiig their convivial
lll9Pllfl.‘.!.
EVHl')’[lllll2 was very giiy. More liottles oi wine had coins out of at
cave Where Allu, the .-zate-keeper, kept his editiles aiiil piitaiiles.
“ Are you C6'lQl>f‘uLlllg your hirtlitlay?” asked Visliiio. ‘- You seem
to he very nierry."
‘‘ We have hevn well paid for a simple affair," aiisvvered Allit.
“Allah he prai.-‘Pd! I like to see my friends prospt-r.”
“ Ahinet introduced the job to me."
H lt‘iiat was it?"
“ The Khaiiotim, Sultana, Sliarada. or what:-ver she likes to call
herself, was jealoiis of :1 female slave, and this slave was thrown into
the ditch toviiiglit."
“ I want to look for the corpse. No body-iio h.oo.lewliere has it
goth‘? I Want to know," tisketi Vishnu.
Allu laughed in a drtinkeii iiiaiiner.
" If you rI‘qllll'i’ p:irticiilat.=i," he .‘Il.'Ilnll'lPI'0tl. “ apply to the foreign
devil, iiiagiviaii. or whatever you please to call littii, Jack llai'ka'.vay,
at the N-ililu tlaraviiiiserai."
“ Who is lw‘."‘
“ A Hplvlltlltl ft-llow, by the heard of the l’rophet. and the holy
Koran.”
“ llusli! hold thy peace," interrupted Aliinet, “0rI will beat you
Willi tiiaiiy stripes."
" What for!“
“ You have said too much to suit my piirpost-."
Aliniet give ltllll ati angry piieh which aunt liitii rolling on the tloor.
He was too tipsy to get tip and rt-ttiainetl ivliiviv ho lliltl ltPHlI rtitlttly
made to fall.
“T.Ikt' little notion of him,” said Ahiiwt. “He talks like a fool.
You caiitio. place any rt-ltaiit-.0 on 'iiiin or coiiliilo-iicet in what lie It‘llE<)
you."
"I know he is bad when under the iiilliioiice ol' wine, but he has his
AND THE SHAH OF PER$A.
lleaveii. What iloes our poet say?
and hell only 3. soul on tire.”
“ Ah! You quote our divine tlaliz correctly.”
“ Who is this llurkaway he speaks oi?"
“Ati liiiulish or Atiiericaii traveler. Iknow not which. The two
peoples are so much alike, they tall: the saute, dress the same and act
as one.
This was eiiougli for VlElll1’.‘.
He worked the tliiiig out in his own mind as if he was solving a
prohleni of Euclid, and at last rediiced it to a Q. E. D.
Ahtnet iitid Allti were friends. 'l'hey knew llarkaivay and were in
his pay. it was no secret to them that Clara was t.o be got rid of that
night.
llay was provided to break her fall, and with the connivniice of Jack
llarkaway and others she was saved and taken to some little secret
place, where ho one would ever think of looking for her.
This was news for the Klrllit Agha. Froiii him it would go to the
Khanoutn, and from her to the Shah.
>uri-ly he would be well rewarded by the three for the itiformation
he had to furnish.
it was not the custom in the Palace of the Sun for the initiates to go
to hell early.
They found front tea at night till six in the morning the coolest and
pleasatitest part of the tweiity-foiir hours.
ltlesrour. the Kisla Aglia, and Kalif, the Vizier, were in the. habit of
hohiiohliing l<lgt‘LlIt‘f' in .'l .<FCllldt!<l tllVllZ! overlooking the gardsiis.
The Sliali stnoked and listeiied to tntisic.
Tlie Sultana talked to tier ladies, ate ice cream and Freiicli sweet-
nieats, and occasiotially ordered a slave to read or play some iii-
strtinieiit.
I"irsi of all, Vislitio made his way to the Klianoiiiii’s hotiiioir.
lie deinaiidt-.d an aiidietice and was aditiittt-,d after Eolllt! deinur.
ller Ilighuess did not like to be interrupted at that ])<‘l‘lOtl of the
iiigiit,
Wlieii she heard that the EuiiiicIi's news was of pressing importance
she coiisented to receiw liitii.
Ilia told her the strange story which l.e had made up out of what he
had gluaiied.
It was just like putting the pieces of a pazzle together and chaos
into sliiipt-.
“Ill lie had made it clear to his own mind.
This was only the pi'elti.le to inakiiig it transparent to the others.
The Kllitllulllll was greatly iiiceiisotl at ht-aring that her slave had
e.-icapeil the death penalty she had iiiv'etl out to tier.
It was stipptitwd that it ftireigiit-r of the iiaiiie of llarkiiway had an
iiiterest in the girl. that lie had heard of her intended exectitioii, atid
liatl cotilrtvetl to save her.
But wlii-re had he lilt'.(ll’lI her?
That was the qitesiioii.
She was (-oiicvaled sonieivlicre; there could not possibly be any
douht about tli:it.
Iliirkiiway wait 1!. guest at tlit- Noble C:ti‘tit'at;st-rai.
Thiri fact was uscertitiiiv-ti and (‘.t'l'llllt‘tl for hy Visthno.
The Ktiaiioniii ,9:-‘ll! roiisly Jttw Virihiio :i ptiriw nf gold.
“ (lo and repeat your tale to the Aglia atid Kalil; you will lind thein
togetlir>r." she "iiti.
“On my ht-,:id ha it, tna‘atn,” he l'1'[lllt’(l.
Ovvryoyeil at his FlllCCI‘Srl. so far, wh' -‘ had exceetlt-,tl his niiist stin-
guiiie t'X[t(’('l1tf,l4tllF, he litisteiii-il to the Agiia‘s llllill‘[vX‘.4.
As the Kliaiioniii had predictetl, he dii-co'.t-reii Mosrtiiir and Kalli,
the vizier, in it private room.
Tliey were playing a yaw :1 of chance for high stakes.
liivoterate gittiilileis are the high toned l’ereiaii:-I. Tliey Will hot,
on any eveiit if they can get the odd‘. Froin the lllL(llt‘Sl to the
lowest it is an infirmity. We might call it an liereditary neakiisss,
for it is born in them.
Vishnu repeated his story to them, just as he lind done to the
Sultana, and crt-ateil an itiiiirt-ssioii.
“Accept a purse of gold," said .'lIesrour, givitig him out-.
These presentation ]tlll'Sv'S only contain one hiiiidi-i-,d to'iiatins.
At the statue time tlii-y are 17lW1l)>l very at-ceptiihle to tliost- who are
fortiinate enough to merit and receive lll6‘Ill.
“ My ltirtl is too good to his sliive," replied Vishtin.
“ Not at all. You are gr-title, atteiitive, faithful, and shall he atl-
vaiiitoti."
Tin‘ Vizier Kalif also giive him money. A ili=cii.=sioii tool: place.
Visiino W.’tllt‘tl to he askeil qllt‘Hll<Ill&l if it was nt-cc-suai'y to verify lil3
stiiteiiii-tits.
" l atii llICllllt‘tl to think," retiiiirkeil tho L(l'IHlll vi7,iI‘t‘, “tit-it Hark-
.’lW:l‘t'l.-111Cti[iS[)]l‘:t[,itl’;llllflllllill, K], spy. l<Ingl:iiid Wftlllrl ', ir :lll‘!llll‘t'.
So tloi-s lliissiii. l'I.it'li power wt.-tlii-.-t Io hiillil tho l-'.tipliriitw- Valley
llatlroad, but they niii-it coneidt r its h--fore they lt(':Ill."
“ Wit 1 is the woiii:tii‘,"' asked the Atglitt.
“ l’rohalili' a i<woutlit-tirt of llarkaway'i-I.
about that thzxn l."
“ She ii‘:i.n liroii:l.t horn and sold liy an Atiitiricziii iianiol llii:i.<toii."
“ You hotight li4'f‘ tor i!.i- Kliztiitiii-ii."
“ The fl"1l.ll>'Jl(‘.lltiH tool-L pl:ii'o- tiiriii-tly lit-ttvanti its, tlitiiigh l ,q.il;gi]
no qll"4'lUf‘ii’4 ahotit the woiit:iii,” >':tI<l l(altl; “ iht-ro l:l soiiit-tliiiig
tt'rtiiig,"
“ What do ytill :-tiiapi-t‘t?"
“ ’l'h.- It’4lri'>l(lL'Isl-I i av.- iii-mi ('ilIll‘1lllf('tl hy the priests."
" What do lltvt pro-lit-i""
“ An early :i:<siitIeiii.itititi of the >'li:iIi!"
Heaven is but a fultilled desire,
You -illLfltl to know more
.rx..;r..- .