Albert Payson Terhune

“ This temporarily love-crazed little native was unspeakably valuable in the mine service. For years Kirby had trained him. It would be impossible to replace him satisfactorily. No new man could be broken in for many months.
Kirby felt as though his job and all his hopes were crashing down about his ears. He knew enough of Oriental character to steer clear of interference with a native who was in love. He knew, too, that Najib had every intention of keeping his weird love vow of following Christiana across the world. ”

“ Najib, beholding, screeched aloud, once more, in stark dismay. He eyed the mouthing woman with fright; and he clutched Kirby's arm for protection from. the awful apparition. False teeth were unknown to him and to his kind. Najib looked on the toothless Christiana, now, as might an American at a woman whose entire face had fallen away from her skull.
Kirby himself was startled at the tremendous difference made in her aspect by the loss of those two rows of horselike and gold-and-silver-inlaid dentals. She looked thirty years older and indescribably hideous. ”

“ Cabell recoiled with a little cry of disgust and, seizing her husband by the shoulder, drew him along with her to the tent. The maid followed, still bewailing her loss.
“Well!” mused Kirby, as he went back to dress, “it's happened now, all right! If anything had been needed to add a nightmare touch to this failure Christmas, the stealing of those extra-illustrated teeth did it! They'll never believe it wasn't somehow my fault! I knew, when they encouraged those hillfolk to hang around, that something was likely to be swiped. Good Lord! ”

“ Kirby led the way to the knoll top prepared for the visitors' tents—about a hundred yards from his own weather-soiled tent and another hundred yards from the huddle of huts around the mine mouth. Already, the dragoman was bossing the job of erecting these guest tents—instructing his stolid brown servants in high-pitched Arabic blasphemy, and exhorting them to haste with a series of insults which, in a civilized land, would have served as ample defense in a homicide trial. ”

“ Besides, they would not eat at the same table with a woman—an unveiled woman, at that.”
“Why not, I should like to know!” challenged Henry Cabell. “If my wife isn't good enough to break bread with any saddle-colored Turk——”
“It isn't that!” Kirby hastened to explain. “It's—it's the way women are regarded over here. In a sense, the Moslems have a higher ideal of womanhood than Yankees have. Outsiders don't realize it; but it's so. A self-respecting woman can travel, day or night, through any Mohammedan city, without being insulted. But they have a more—a more exclusive idea of them than we do. ”

“ Through the groundswell of Christiana's indignant grief, Kirby gathered that Najib had addressed her tenderly as an “obnoxious old catamaran.”
Mrs. Cabell, in hot wrath at her dear satellite's distress, demanded that the miserable little native be dismissed, forthwith, from the mine service. Cabell sternly indorsed her decree. But he followed Kirby away from the scene of tears and mumbled:
“Keep the fellow out of sight, till after we've gone, to-morrow morning. If he's a good worker, you needn't fire him, so long as you can keep my wife from finding he's still here. ”

“ Cabell substitute it for her proposed trip to the mine. The so-called roads between here and the Jordan are the roughest mountain trails. Nor are camp fare and camp accommodations, here in the wilderness, at all suitable for any woman. If, in spite of this, you and she decide to come to the mine, I repeat I shall do all in my power to make your stay agreeable.
Sealing the letter, he shouted for Serkeese, the mine's scrubby little muleteer. Kirby bade him saddle a fast horse and set forth at once for Jerusalem; there to deliver the envelope at the United States Consulate. ”

“ You get your raise, Kirby. You get it. I'm cabling my secretary from Jerusalem, anyhow, and I'll mention that in my cable. This is a hell hole to live in. Man deserves a raise for staying here. One of these days I must get you something to do in the home office. Merry Christmas! So long, Kirby! ”

“ I'll get you to write out the menu for me in full, so I can incorporate it into my article. Mind you, Mr. Kirby—a typical Syrian Christmas feast. And now for the guests——”
“The—the what?” asked Kirby.
“The guests, of course. I want it to be a rousing big banquet. I want all the local people of any importance asked to it. It is short notice, I know, but——”
“But, Mrs. Cabell!” protested Kirby, “the only people of any importance for a hundred miles in any direction are in this luncheon tent, at the present moment. In the mud villages, hereabouts, are only fellaheen and hillfolk.” ”

“ I am given to understand that the roads are good and more than moderately safe. This will also give me a long-desired opportunity to inspect in person our property there.
You will please see that everything possible is done for our comfort, and that every facility is given to Mrs. Cabell to study Syrian Christmas customs. Our party will include Mrs. Cabell, myself, and Mrs. Cabell's maid—in addition to such dragoman and grooms as we may bring from Jerusalem as our escorts, et cetera, on the three-day journey. ”

“ Christen. Crisp. Chris;” explaining, as he reached the last: “The pressed-agent person at Coney's Island entitled himself 'Chris.' It is a name. It is the shortness—the abbreve—for 'Christopher.' Oh, howadji, I have betaught me the spell of many a English word, this hour! I have learned me to spell them in a shortness. To abbrevify them, as you——”
“Stop!” groaned Kirby. “Let it go at that. It would take ten hours for me to explain. And I haven't ten hours or even ten minutes to waste in teaching the mysteries of the English language to a man who murders English as you do. ”

“ Then he went to his own tent. He was worried, not only over the danger to his job, but because of a certainty that these natives would not stay away from the visitors' encampment. They were sure to steal back, under cover of night, for further inspection of the wonders displayed in the Feringi outfit, and, more than probably, to lay hands on anything portable which chanced to be within reach.
Before entering the tent Kirby made his way downhill to the barrack hut of the Turkish guards. ”

“ But, for the love of Mike stop jarring my nerves by calling it 'yowltide!' It's——”
“But those children yowled most sweetly,” urged Najib. 'Those children I belistened myself to, at Coney's Island. The children who beyowled themselfs about the three wee kings of Orientar.”
“Are you trying to quote: 'We Three Kings of Orient Are?'” asked Kirby. “If so——”
“Yes, howadji. Even as I quotioned it, but now. The yowltide chant. I call it 'yowltide' because I cannot say the sound of its last name. ”

“ I know also that if he seek to wed with her so swiftfully as among believers, he is likesome to find himself downward and outward in his woo. So I have made me up the mind. When she departs here on the morrow after the morrow, then I shall depart here in pursuance of her. ”

“ The letter—which had set Kirby to worrying over future lost time and had set Najib to seeking closer information on yuletide customs—was from Henry Cabell, Sr., president and chief stockholder and titular head of the Cabell Smelting Company. It announced that Cabell and his wife had been touring Europe; and that they had decided to run over to Syria for the Christmas season. Cabell explained this odd decision by saying:
As you may or may not know, Mrs. ”