Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 16, 1921 — page 70: what you’re looking at

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

EYES OF THE DEAD. awaken. She opened her eyes, then shut them so quickly that he was not able to see into their depths. He glanced about. The tents were gone! He stared at the place where the drom- edaries had been, at the marks that showed where the tents had been. He stared at the prints of the feet in the sand that had* not yet been effaced by the dawn-wind’s sifting. Then he stared back at the girl, just emerging from under the sand heap. She had her veil down as she sprang up- right. She came quickly toward him and took his face in her two hands. He felt their chill. She drew him up to her, and he kissed her through the veil. She had no warmth of lip to give him; she was cold. ‘Your people?” he asked. ‘‘ Where are they?” She laughed, low, sweet, yet with a hol- low resonance in her laughter. It sounded ‘like forgotten music, minor, far-away. “They will be here again soon,” she said. “Perhaps they have gone into El Yaoub, and will send back some one for me.” “Then come with me. I shall find them for you—or stay with me.” There was a succession of dismal howls on the summit of the great sand hill. was the jackal, hymning his desire to the coming sun. To the east the horizon was showing red. Near at hand the shadows of false dawn were somber; every hither slope of sand was umberously solemn. “Tf you could open the door of the old tomb, I could wait in there. I should not fear,” she said. ‘“‘ You must go now.’ “ But may I return?” “Yes, to-night.” “You will be safe here, alone?”’ ‘““'Yes: I am sure. Come, lift the door. I shall help. 2 Under a compulsion he could not resist he bent over, side by side with her. ‘Their hands found the huge ring in the stone slab. Together they tugged at it, and it seemed to come up easily. At her suggestion he laid it back and she went to the top step, turning to face him. ‘“And do you much desire to see me again?” she whispered, her hands on his shoulders as his eyes tried to pierce the veil that shielded hers. It 61 “Yes,” and his voice had in it a deep appeal. “Then shut your eyes, my lover.” He shut his eyes. ‘“*T will place a kiss on each of them— a kiss that will give you vision to see me when I am gone—/fo see those who are not!”’ He waited in expectant ecstasy. He felt her breath, then her lips, on each eyelid. He heard the jackal howl. The dawn-wind came, coolly sweet. He heard a rustle, sensed an absence of that which had been near and dear—opened his eyes—swayed —felt that he was fully erect, arms out- stretched as if he had been grasping for something that had vanished. It was full dawn. The sun was coming fast. Birds were winging overhead, sing- ing cheerily. The palms of El Yaoub were waving in the breeze. The great sand hill loomed beside him. The sand was cool. It bore the impress of his body. There was no trace of tents, of people, of a stone door in the desert’s floor. Cocks in the mud huts of the simple folk of the town’s outskirts were crowing lustily! He felt as one who had slept heavily. He began to walk about, then to run. Then he took firm hold on himself and steadied. He walked—toward the town. He felt deeply moved, yet dared not dwell upon the affair too much. But he determined to put it to the test. He stopped at the caravan- sary and questioned the gate-tender: ‘Tell me, O keeper of the gate, did a small tribe, with great dark dromedaries, leave this morning?” “Even so, O most just. They made their camp near the great sand hill for the night, and left early for the Waddy of Zin—” “ Early!” “Yes; they passed before the dawn, and they went mourning.” “Mourning?” “Yes; the old sheik, their leader, told me that his daughter, a maiden of great beauty, died in the night, and they were going to their home oasis to give her sep- ulture. The body was bound on the back of the great black dromedary that led their herd. I saw a stain, as of blood, on her robes.” Go DOOLK = a (C@