FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148  
149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   >>   >|  
n her that evening. Even Billy's sense of humor was unstirred by the half-cynical sympathy of the night-clerk's gaze; Billy didn't feel a laugh anywhere within him. He was balked. The dancer had vanished with her story, and that story was essential to the consul. Like a fool he must return empty-handed with this yarn of her disappearance and the consul would be justified in declaring that he had no actual proof to act upon. Which was precisely what the consul did, but he offered, impressed with Billy's earnestness, "to take the matter up," with the proper authorities. It seemed the best that could be done. Billy urged him to prompt action, and to himself he promised some prompt action of a totally unofficial character. He knew now what he was going to do, or rather he thought he did, for the day still held its unsettling surprises for him, and as he set forth on business bent that afternoon he found himself besieged by a skinny little boy in tattered blue robes, who danced around him with a handful of dirty postcards. "Be off," said Billy, in vigorous Arabic, and the little boy answered proudly, in most excellent English, "I am a messenger, sir. I am the boy who held the canoe that night. Buy a postcard, sir? Only six piastres a dozen, six piastres, Views of Egypt, the Sphinx, the Nile, the----" Impatiently Billy cut him short. "Never mind the bluff. No one is listening. What's your message?" "The streets have ears, sir. Buy a postcard?... I have come from the palace. I brought in the bread. I--_I_ got in under their nose while the big Mohammed was turned away without sight of his uncle," bragged the little Imp. "I am a clever boy, I. No one else so clever to find out things. The American man did well to come to me." "What the devil, then, did you find out?" "Five piastres a dozen, then, only five.... Go on walking, sir, I will run alongside. Keep shaking your head at me--very good.... I find out where she are." "Where _who_ are?" The little braggart had roused Billy's suspicions. He determined to be wary. "The young girl with the very light hair. Mohammed send me to ask of her. You know, sir," the little fellow insisted, hopping up and down beside him. "Only four a dozen--very cheap!" he screeched at him in a tone that must have carried for blocks. "I run in with the bread and take it to the kitchen where women are working. And I pretend make love to one very pretty girl, tell her how I come
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148  
149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
piastres
 

consul

 

action

 

prompt

 

Mohammed

 
postcard
 
clever
 

bragged

 
listening
 

message


streets

 

palace

 
brought
 

turned

 
screeched
 

hopping

 
fellow
 
insisted
 

carried

 

blocks


pretty

 

pretend

 

kitchen

 

working

 

walking

 

alongside

 

American

 

Impatiently

 

shaking

 

determined


suspicions

 
roused
 

braggart

 

things

 

actual

 
declaring
 

justified

 
disappearance
 

precisely

 
authorities

proper
 

matter

 
offered
 
impressed
 

earnestness

 

handed

 
cynical
 

sympathy

 
unstirred
 

evening