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FOURTEEN
(Continued)
TV* flays passed The chief of tha
Ixrlganda was growing restles*. Ifs
finally declared that unles* the ranaotn
waa delivered that night he would rid
himself of them all The tiger waa
starving In order to prove that ha
waa not chattering Idly he had the
pr la on ere tied to the wheela of tha
Cage It would at leaat. amuae him to
watch their growing terror.
"look! Some one la doming!" cried
Kathlyn.
The chief aaw the caravan at tha
atemn time, and lie act up a ahout of
pUanure Three fat bnga of silver ru
pees'
TJmbaJla, the good Samaritan, bar
gained with the chief He did not
want all the prtaonars. only one Three
hagH of allver would be forthcoming
ttpon the promise that the young wom
an and the young man abould be dis
posed of.
“By the tiger?"
Umballa shrugged To him It mat
tered not ho» The chief, weary of hi*
vigil, agreed readllv enough, and I'm
balla Itirm-d over the allver
“The guru, my Kir You see’ This
1a the end Well, Imn tired A filigree
basket of gems!"
"So!” said I'mballa, amlllng at Kath
lyn "You and your lover ahall In
deed be wed by lho atrlped one! A
sad tale I ahall take bank with me
Yon were both dead when I arrived"
Preacntly Bruce and Kathlyn were
alone. They could hour the brute In
the cage, snarling and clawing at the
wooden door
CHAPTER XIII.
i
In the Jackal'* Lair,
The golden Bands, the purple cliff*,
the translucent blue of the heavens,
and the group of picturesque rascals
Jabbering and gesticulating and presa
Ing about their chief made a picture
Kathlyn waa never to forget.
"Patience, my little ones!" said the
chief, showing hla white, strong teeth
In what waa more of a annrl than a
smile. 'There la plenty of time.”
Bruce leaned toward Kathlyn
"Stand perfectly still, just as you
are I bellove I can reach the knot
back of your handa. This squabbling
la tha very thing needed They will
not pay any attention te ua for a few
minute* and If I cam read algna they'll
all be at aach tuber's throats short-
IT"
"But even If w* get free what can
we do?"
Kathlyn waavbeglnnlng te loee both 1
faith and heart The tight of her
father being led back to Allaha by
Durga Ram. after ail the misery to
which be had been subjected, shook
the eourage which bad held her up
fheee long, unhappy weeks For the
rankled that her father waa still weak, j
and that any additional suffering
would kill him
"You muetnt talk like that" an Id
Bruce. "You've been In tighter placca
than thla If we ran get free, leave
the real to me Ho long aa one can tte
and hear and move, there's hope”
"I'm becoming a coward Do what
yon can I promise to obey you tn all
thing* "
Bruce bent a* far aa he could, and
went desperately to work at the knot
with hla teeth Hncceaa or failure did
not realty matter, simply, he did not
propoae to die without making a
mighty struggle to avoid death Tbs
first knot became looee, then another.
Kathlyn stirred her bands cautiously
"Now!" he whispered
She twisted her handa two or three
times and found them free
"Mine, now!" said Bruce "Hurry!"
It »i« a simple matter for her to re
lease Bruce.
“God Mesa those rupees!" he mur
mured "There'll he a flue row In a
minute Keep perfectly a til], and
when the moment oomee follow toe lu
te the cave. They have left thetr guua
In there "
"You are a brave and ready man.
Mr Bruce.''
"You called me John once."
"Well, then, John," a ghost of a
•mile flitting across har lips. Men
war* not generally sentimental in tbs
face of death.
"There are nine of ua'" err earned
one of tbe brigands
"And I claim one bag beoaune with
oat my help and brains you would bars
bad nothing." roared the chief "Who
warned you agalnat the opium* Ha
Pig!"
The first blow wae struck. Instant
ly tbe chief drew hla knife and lunged
at the two nearest him
“Treachery'"
"Ha! riga' Dogs! Coma I'll show
yon who la master!"
“Thief!"
Tha remaining brigands cl need tn
upon their loader and bore him down
upon bis book
“To tha tiger with him!"
"Howl" cried 1 truce
Ho flung tha rope from hla handa
naught Kofhtyn by tha arm. and. run
ning and stumbling, they gained th*
gjv*, gilh** Ignored ot unobserved hr
The Adventures of Kathlyn
By HAROLD MAC GRATH
- - ■ - ■ ——
Illustrated by Picture* from the Moving Picture Production ot tbe Sells Polys cap*- Co.
tbe victorious brigand*
They dragged the atonned leader to
bis feet and haled blm to the cage,
lnehlng him to a wheel. Nert, they
seised the rope which operated the
door and retired to the mouth of the
cave
"Rob us, would he!"
“Take the lion's share when we did
all the work!''
"8wlne!"
"1 will give It all to you!" whined
th* whilom chief, mad with terror.
"And knife ua In the back when we
sleep! No, no! You have kicked and
cuffed ua for the last time!”
Bruce picked up one of the rifles and
drew Kathlyn farther Into the cave.
"(Jet! behind me and crouch low.
They'll come around to us presently."
The rascals gave the rope a savage
pull, and frotn where he stood Bruce
could are the lean strip'd body of the
furious tiger leap to freedom.
"Keep your eyes ahut. It will nod be
a pleasant thing to look at," he warned
the girl.
But Kathlyn could not have closed
her eyes If ahe had tried. She saw tha
brute pause, turn, and strike at the
helpless man ul the wheel, then lope
off, doubtless having In mind to teat
his freedom before he fed.
The remaining brigands rushed out
and gathered up the bags of rupees
This was the opportunity for which
Bruce had waited.
"dome There may be some outlet
to thla cHva Here 1s another rift*.
I.et us cut for It! When thieve# tall
out; you know the old saying.”
They ran back several yards and
discovered a kind of chasm leading
diagonally upward
"Thank Ood! We ean get out of thla
after all Are you strong enough tor a
stiff climb?”
"I've got to be —John!"
"Truat me, Kathlyn," he replied sim
ply. He had but one life, but he de
termined then and there to make It
equal or outlast the six live* which
stood between him and liberty.
The brigands, having succeeded In
their mutiny, bethought themselves of
therlr prisoners, only to And that they
had vanished Familiar with the cave
and Its outlet, they started eagerly In
pursuit. They reasoned that If an old
man was worth three hag* of rupee*,
two yuong people might naturally be
worth twice us much. And besides,
being tigers, they bad tasted blood.
A shout caused Bruce to turn In
stantly he raised hla rifle, and pulled
the trigger. The result was merely a
snap The gun had not been loarded
11a snatched Kathlyn'a rttle, but this,
too, waa useless. The brigands yelled
exultantly and began to swarm up the
ragged cliff Bruce flung aside tha
gun and turned hla attention to a
boulder. Half way np the chasm had
a width which waa little broader than
the shoulders of an ordinary man. He
watted tIU ha aaw the wretohr* within
a yard or ao ot thla epot, then pushed
the boulder It roared and crashed
and bounded, and before it reached
the narrow pathway I truce fled started
a mate to It Then a third followed.
Thla oauaed a terrtflo allde of rocka
and boulder*, and the brigand* turned
for thetr lives
"That will be about all for tha pres
ent." said Bruce, wiping hla forehead.
"Now If we can make that village we
shall be all right. Bala Khan’* men
will not laave with the c*m«ds till they
learn whether we are dead or alive. It
will be a hard trek. Mias Kathlyn. Ten
miles over sand Is worse than 50 over
turf I don't think wa ll see any mors
of those ruffians."
"Kathlyn." she said.
"Well Kathlyn!"
"Or. better aitll, at home they caR
me Kit"
They smiled Into each other's eyea,
and no word* wens needed Thu*
quickly youth discards Its burdens!
That he did not take her Into his
arms at once proved the caliber of the
man. And Kathlyn respected him
non* the less for hts control She
knew now, and she was certain that
bar eyes had told him as frankly as
any words would have done; and she
fall Into h'.i stride, strangely embar
rassed and not a little frightened. Tha
firm grasp of hts hsnd as here and
there he steadied her sent a thrill of
•Iqulslt* pleasure through her
Love! She laughed softly; and h#
■topped and eyed har tn astonishment.
"What ts It”'
"Nothing," rite answered.
Bnt she went on with the thought
whtoh had provoked her laughter
Love! Danger all about, unseen, hid
den; misery tn the foreground, and
perba >* death beyond, her father back
In chntna, to face she knew not what
horro.-#. and yet she could )<auee by
the wav aide and think of love!
"There was something." he tnatsted.
"That wasn’t happy laughter. What
cause 1 ks
"Bom* day 1 will tell you—ts we
live."
"Ldre?" Then he laughed.
And she was not alow to roongnixe
the Homeric quality of his laughter.
"Kit, I am going to get you and your
f*th*~ out of all thla. If but for on*
tbtag." .
{Ospyrlgkl by Harold MaeUratb)
- Ard what la that?" curious In her
turn.
"I'll tell you later.” And there the
matter stood.
The Journey to the village proved
frightfully exhausting. The two were
In a sorry plight when they reached
the well.
The camel men were overjoyed at
the sight of them
For hours they had waited In dread,
contemplating flight, which would take
them anywhere but to Bala Khan, who
rewarded cowardice In one fashion
only. For, but for their cowardly In
activity, their chargee might by now
be safe In the seaport toward which
they had been Journeying. So they
brought food for the two and begged
that they would not be accused of
cowardice to Bala Kahn
"Poor devils!” sold Bruc*. "Had
they shown the least resistance those
brigand chaps would have killed them
off like rats "He beckoned to the head
man. “Take us back to Bala Khan In
the morning, and we promise that n*
harm shall betall you. Now, And ua a
place to sleep,"
Nevertheless, it was hard work to
keep that promise. Bala Khan stormed
asid swore that death waa too good for
the watery hearts of hi* camel men.
They should be oruclfled on tbe wall.
Kathlyn'a diplomacy alone averted the
tragedy. Finally, with a good deal of
reluctance, Bala Khan gave hla word.
So Bruoe and Kathlyn planned to
retarn to Allaba, and It waa the khan
himself who devised the method. The
two young people should stain their
skins and don native drees. He would
give them two camels outright, only
they would be obliged to m&ka tha
Journey without servant*.
‘Hut if harm oomes to you, and I
hear of it, by the beard of the prophet.
I'll throw Into Allaha such a swarm
of stinging beea that ail Hind shall
hear of IL Go, and may Allah watch
over you, Infidels though you bal"
TTmbaUa sent a messenger on bo
fore, for he loved the theatrical,
which is innate In all orientals. Ha
desired to enter the city to the shrill
ing of reed* and the booming of tom
toms; to impress upon tbit unruly
populace that be, Durga Ram, was a
man at his word, that when he set out
to acoompliKh a thing It waa aa good
aa done. His arrival was greeted with
cheers, but there waa an undertone of
groona that was not pleasant to his
keen ears. Deep In bis heart be canted,
for by these sounds he knew that only
the froth was his, the froth and senm
of the town. The iron heel; so they
would hare It tn preference to hla
friendship. 0. for some way to trap
Ramabai, to hold him up In ridicule,
to smash him down from hts pedestal,
known but so yet unseen!
He wondered If be would find any
more of those anonymous notes re
lating to the Inviolable person of Ro
me bnl Woe to him who laid them
•bout, could he bnt pat hie hand npon
him! He, Durga Ram. held Allaha in
tbe hollow of hla hand, and this day be
would prove It.
So he put a rope abont the waist of
Colonel Hare, and led him through th*
streets, as tbe ancient Romans he had
read about did to the vanquished. He
hluiself recognised the absurdity of
all these things, but his safety lay In
the faot that the populooe at large
were Incapable of reasoning for them
selves; they saw only that which was
visible to the eye.
On the palace steps he harangued
the people, praising his deeds. He
alone had gone tnto the wilderness
nnd faced death to ransom thetr law
ful king. Why thane bonds? The
king had shirked his duty; he had be
trayed his trust; but tn order that tbe
people should be no longer without a
head, this man should become thetr
prisoner kin*; he should be forced to
etgn law* for their betterment With
out the royal signature the treasury
could not be touched, and now th*
soldiers should be paid In full.
From the soldier* about came wtM
huszahs
Ahmed and lei Singh, packed away
In the heart of the crowd, exchanged
gloomy looks Once the army wae
Umballa*. they readily understood
what would follow: Umballa would
acclaim himself, and the trap pa would
back him.
“We have a thousand guns and ten
thousand rounds of ammunition," mur
mured Uil Singh
“Perhaps we had beat prevail upon
Kainatmt to strike at once. But watt.
The colonel sahib understands He
knows that If he signs anything It will
directly prove his death warrant
There Is still an obstacle ag Umballa'a
feet. Listen!"
Badly I'mhalta recounted his ad
venture in full. The daughter of the
ktug and hts friend, th# American hun
ter, were dead He, I'mballa. had ar
rived ton late
The colonel, mnd with rage, was
about to give Pinball* the lle-ptibllcly.
when he saw a warning hand uplifted,
and below that hand the face of Ah
med Ahmed shook his head The
colonel s shoulders drooped, in that
alga he read dona or.
THE AUGUSTA HERALD, AUGUSTA, GA.
iney live," said Ahmed. "That is
enough for the present. Let us begone
to the house of Ramabai.”
"The Colonel Sahib is safe for the
time being."
"And will be so long as he refuses
to open the treasury door to I'mballa.
There Is a great deal to smile about.
I-al Singh. Here Is a treasury, guard
ed by seven leopards, savage as sav
age can be Only the two keeper;
ever dare approach them, and thee'
keepers refute to cage the leopard'
without a formal order from the kin"
Jr queen. Superstition forbids Umbal
la to makp way with the brutes. The
people, your people and mine. La
Singh, bellqve that these leopards art
sacred, and any who kills them com
ilts sacrilege, and you know what
hat amounts to here. 8o there he
dodders; too cowardly to fly in the
face of superstition. He must torture
;nd humiliate the Colonel Sahib and
’its daughter. Ah, these white people!
They have heads and hearts of steel.
I know."
"And I'mballa has the heart of a
flea bitten pariah dog. When the time
comes he will grovel and squirm and
whine."
"He will.” agreed Ahmed. "His feet
are even now Itching for th* tread
mill.”
The colonel was taken to on* of the
palace chambers, given a tub and
fresh clothing. Outside In the corri
dors guards patrolled, and there were
four who watched tha window. He
was a king, but well guarded. Well,
they had crowned him, but never
should Umballa, through any signature
if his. put his hand Into the royal
treasury. Besides, this time he had
"•en pity and sympathy In the faces
if many who had looked upon his en
■ ranee to the city. Th# one ray of
comfort lay 1n the knowledge that
faithful Ahmed lived.
He dared not think of Kathlyn He
forced his mind to dwell upon his sur
roundings, hla own state of misery.
Bruce was there, and Bruce was a man
of action and resource. He would give
a good account of himself before those
bronze devils In the desert made away
with him. He feared not for Kath
lyn'* death, only his future. For they
doubtless had lied to Umballa They
would not kill Kathlyn so long as they
believed she was worth a single ru
pee.
Umballa came In. followed by four
troops, who stationed themselves on
each side of the door.
"Your majesty—”
"Walt!" thundered the colonel. Sud
denly he turned to the troopers. "Am
I your king?"
"Yea. majesty!” The four men sa
laamed.
“Then I order you to arrest this man
Durga Rem for treason against tha
person of your king!”
The troopers stared, dumfounded.
first at the colonel, then at Umballa.
"I command It!"
Umballa laughed. The troopers did
not stir.
■'Ah." said the colonel. "That Is ail
I desire to know. I am not a king. I
am merely a prisoner Therefore those
papers which you bring to me cannot
lawfully be signed by me.” The colo
nel turned his back to Umballa. sought
the latticed window, and peered forth.
"There are ways.” blazed forth Um
balla. ®
"Bah! You black fool!" replied th*
colonel, wheeling. "Have I not yet
convinced you that all you can do la
to kill me? Don’t waste yonr time in
torturing me. It will neither open my
lips nor compel meato take a character
brush In my hand. If my daughter la
dead, ao be IL At any rate, she la at
present beyond your clutches. Yon
overreached yours*U. Had you brought
her back U Is quite possible I might
hare surrendered. But I am don*
now."
“You refuse to tell where the fill
gree basket la hidden?”
“I do."
“You refuse to exercise your pre
rogative to open the doors of tha
treasury ?"
"I do.”
Umballa opened the door, motioning
to the troops to pi .as out He framed
the threshold and curiously eyed thla
unbendable man Presently he would
bend. Umballa smiled.
"Colonel Sahib. I am not yet at tha
end of my resource i,” and with this hi
went out, closing tie door.
That smile troubled the oolonet
What deviltry was the scoundrel up tc
now? What could he possibly do?
I.a ter. as he pared wearily to and
fro, he saw something white slip under
the door He stooped and picked np a
note, folded Kuropean fashion. “Ah
med and l shall watch over you. Be
patient. This tlm-J l am pretending
to be your enemy, and you mult act
accordingly. A metsenger has arrived
from Bala Khan. T our daughter and
Bruce Sahib are alive, and, more, on
the way to Allaha In native guise. Be
of good cheer Ramabai."
And Umballa ae he lifted hla fruit
dlah at supper, espied another of those
sinister warning*. "Beware!” Thla
time he summoned his entire house
hpld and threatened death to each and
all of them If they did not Immediately
disclose to him the person who had
placed thla note under the fruit dish.
They cringed and wept and walled, but
nothing could be got out of them He
had several flogged on general prin
ciple*.
Kathlyn and Bruce returned to Al
laha without mishnp Neither animal
nor vagabond molested them. When
they arrived they Immediately found
mean* to acquaint Ramabai. who. with
Pundit*, set out to meet them
In thetr plctureeqae disguise* Kath
lyn and Bruce made a handsome pair
of high caste natives. The blue eye*
alone might have caused remark* but
this was a negligible danger, since
color and coauirn* detracted. ,
lyn’s hair, however, was securely hid
den, and must be kept so. A bit of
carelessness on her part, a sportive
wind, and she would be loot. She had
been for dyeing her hair, but Bruce
would not hear of thla desecration.
So they entered the lion’B den. or,
rather, the Jackal's.
At Ramabal's house Ahmed fell on
hla knees In thankfulness not that his
memsahlb was In AllaJva, but that she
was alive.
During the evening meal Ramahel
outlined his plot to circumvent Umbal
la. He had heard from one of his
faithful followers that Umballa intend
ed to force the colonel Into a native
marriage; later, to dispose of the colo
nel and marry the queen himself. Sutj
tee had fallen Into disuse in Allaha. He
Ramabai, would now apparently side
with Umballa as against Colonel Hare,
who would understand perfectly. As
the oolonel would refuse to marry, he,
Ramabai. would suggest that the colo
nel be married by proxy. However
suspicious Umballa might be, he
would not be able to find fault with
this plan. The betrothal would take
place In about a fortnight. The mem-
Overcoming th* Bandits.
sahfb would he chosen as consort out
of all the assembled high oasts ladles
of the state.
Ahmed threw np hts hands tn hor
ror, but Lai Singh bade Mm be pa
tlent What did the memsahlb say to
this? The memsahlb answered that
she placed beraelf unreservedly In Ra
mabai's hands; that Umballa was a
madman and must be treated as one.
"Ramabai, why not strike now? -
suggested Ahmed.
“The promise Umballa has made to
the soldiers has reunited them tem
porarily. Have patience, Ahmed.” Lai
Singh selected a leaf with betel nut
and began to chew with satisfaction.
"Patience?" said Ahmed. "Have I
none?"
So the call went forth for a bride
throughout the principality, and was
answered from the four points of tbe
compass.
Between the announcement and the
fulfilment of these remarkable pro
ceedings there arrived in the biasing
city of Calcutta a young maid. Her
faoe wae very stern for one so youth
ful, and It wae aa fearless as it waa
stern. UmbaM&'s last cord, had she
but known the treachery which had
lured her to this mystic shore. The
young tnaM was Winnie, come, as she
supposed, at the u/gent call of her fa
ther and sister, and particularly
warned to oonflde In no one and to
hide with the utmost socraoy har daa-
Unattoo.
OMAPTTO XM.
The Garden of Bride*
From the four ends of the princi
pality they came, the veiled candi
dates ; from the North, the Fast, the
South, and West. They nuns in
marvelous paianqnlns. In curtained
howdaha, on camels, in splendid bul
lock o&rts. Many a rupee resolved
ltaalf Into new-bought finery, upon the
vague chance of getting It baok with
compound interest
What was most unusual, they oatne
jrlthoot pedigree or dowry, thla being
Ramabal's idea; though, In tnitn,
Umballa objected at first to the lack
of dowry. He had expected to Inherit
this dowry. He gave way to Rama
hoi because be did not cars to have
Ramabai suspect what his tuner
thoughts were. Let the fool Ramabai
pick out his cbestnuta for him Um
balla lai -hed to hia voluminous sleeve.
Borne one of the matrimonially tn
dined houria the colonel would have
to select; if he refused, then should
Ramabai do the selecting. More, he
would marry the fortunate women by
proxy There was no possible loop
hole for the colonel.
The populace was charmed, enchant
ed, as R always la over a new excite
ment. Much as they individually de
spised Umballa, collectively they ad
mired hla Ingenuity In devising fresh
amusements. Ultra feast days came
one after another. The oriental dle
likee work; and any one who could
invent means of avoiding It waa
worthy of gratitude. So. then, the
populace fell In with Umballa'a scheme
agreeably. The bhang and betel and
toddy sellers did a fine business dur
ing the festival of Rama.
There was merrymaking in the
streets, day and night. The temples
and mosques were filled to overflow
ing Musicians with reeds and tom
toms paraded the bazaars. In nearly
ev*ry square the nautch girl danced,
or the juggler plied hts trade, or there
was a mongoose-cobra light (the cobra,
of course, bereft of its fangs), and
fakirs grew mango trees out of noth
ing. There was a flurry in the slave
mart. too.
The troops swaggered about, over
bearing They were soon to get their
pay. The gold and allver were rot
ting In the treasury. Why leave It
there, since gold and silver were mint
ed to be spent?
There were elephant fights in the
reconstructed arena; tigers attacked
wild boars, who fought with enormous,
razorlike tusks, as swift and deadly as
any Malay kris. The half forgotten
ceremony of feeding the wild pig be
fore sundown each day was given life
again. And drove after drove came
in from the Jungles for the grain,
which was distributed from a plat
form. And wild peacocks followed the
pigs. A wonderful sight it was to see
several thousand pigs come trotting
In, each drove headed by its fighting
boar. When the old fellows met there
was carnage; squealing and grunting,
they fought. The peacocks shrilled
and hopped from back to back for such
grain as fell upon the bristly backs of
the pigs. Here and there a white pea
cock would be snared, or a boar whose
tusks promised a battle royal with
some leopard or tiger.
And through all this turmoil and
clamor Ahmed and Lai Singh moved,
sounding the true sentiments of the
people. They did not want white
kings or white queens; they desired to
be ruled by their kind, who would not
start innovations, but would let af
fairs drift on as they had done for
centuries.
Nor was Bruce Inactive. Many a
time Umballa had stood within an
arm’s length of death; but always
Bruce had resisted the impulse. It
would be rank folly to upset Ramabal's
plans, which were to culminate in
Umballa's overthrow.
But upon a certain hour Ramabai
came to Bruce, much alarmed. During
his absence with Pundita at some
palace affair his home had been en
tered, ransacked, and 10,000 rupees
had been stolen. His real fortune,
however, was hidden securely. The
real trouble was that these 10,000 ru
pees would practically undo much of
what had been accomplished. He was
certain that Umballa had instigated
this theft, and that the money w-ould
be doled out to the soldiers. For upon
their dissatisfaction rested his future.
“Take Bala Khan at his word,” sug
gested Bruce, "and ask him for hia
5,000 hlllmen.”
Ramabai smiled. "And have Bala
Khan constitute himself the king of
Allaha! No, sahib; he is a good friend,
but he Is also a dangerous one. We
must have patience."
"Patience!" exploded Bruce.
“I have waited several years. Do
you not see that when I strike I must
succeed?”
"But these warnings to Umballa?"
"He Is not molesting me, is he?” re
turned Ramabai calmly.
“Well, It is more than I could
stand.”
"Ah, you white people waste so
much life and money by acting upon
your Impulses! Trust me; my way Is
best; and that is, for the present we
must wait.”
"God knows,” sighed Bruoe, "but I
am beginning to believe In the colonel's
guru.”
"Who can say? There are some In
this lend who possess mighty wills,
who oan make man sleep by looking
into his eyes, who can override and
destroy weaker minds. I know; I have
seen. You have heard of suspended
animation? Well, I have seen ex
amples of it; and so have my people.
C.an you wonder at their easiness in
being swayed this way and that? But
theee men I refer to do not sit about
In th* bosaars with wooden bowls for
coppers. It Is said, however, that all
oursea die with their makers. It de
pends npon how old the Colonel Sahib's
guru Is. I know priests who are more
than a hundred years old, and wrin
kled like the hide of Hathl, the god of
elephants."
“But a child could see through all
this rlgamarole."
“Can Bruce Sahib?” Again Ramabai
smiled. "My peoplo are sometimes
children in that they need constant
amusement. Have patience, my friend;
for I understand. Do I not love Pun
dita even as you love the memsahlb?”
_ "What do jou mean?” demanded
Bruce, roughly.
“I have eyes."
"Well, yes; it Is true. Behind you
are your people; behind us, nothing.
That Is why I am frantic. Umballa,
whenever he finds himself checkmat
ed. digs up what he assumes to be an
unused law. There is none to contest
iL I tell you, Ramabai. we must es
cape soon, or we never will. You sug
gested this impossible marriage. It la
horrible!"
“But It lulls Umballa; and lulled,
he becomes careless. Beyond the north
gate there are ever ready men and
elephants. And when the moment ar
rive*. thither w* shall fly, all of us.
But,” mysteriously, "we may not have
to fly. When Umballa learns that the
Colonel Sahib will refuse to sign the
necessary treasury release the sol
diers will understand that once again
they have been trifled with."
"We must wait. But It's mighty
hard."
In the garden of brides on the day
when the ten veiled candidates sat in
waiting, there was spring in the air;
and there were roses climbing trel
lises, climbing over the marble walls,
and the pomegranate blossoms set Are
to It all. At the gate stood Ramabai,
dressed according to his station, and
representing by proxy the king Pres
ently a splendid palanquin arrived,
and within It a tardy candidate. She
was laden with jewels, armlets, ank
lets, and head ornaments; pearls and
uncut sapphires and rubies. Upon
lifting her veil she revealed a beauti
ful high caste face. Ramabai bade
her pass on. No sooner had she taken
her place than still another palanquin
was announced, and this was drawn
by fat, sleek bullocks, all of a color.
Ramabai held up hia hand. The bul
lock drivers stopped their charges, and
from the .palanquin emerged a veiled
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7.
woman. This was Kathlyn.
The selected candidates were now
all present. As master of ceremonies,
Ramabai conducted them into the
throne room, gaily decorated for the
occasion. In a balcony directly above
the canopy of the throne were musi
cians, playing the mournful harmonies
so dear to the oriental heart.
Upon the throne sat Colonel Hare,
gorgeously attired, but cold and stern
of visage, prepared to play his part
In this unutterable buffoonery. Near
by stood Durga Ram, bo called Umbal
la, Bmiling. It was going to be very
simple; once yonder stubborn white
fool was wedded, he would be made
to disappear; there should be another
wedding, in which he, Durga Ram,
should take the part of the bride
groom. Then for the treasury, flight,
and, later, ease abroad. Let the fili
gree basket of gems stay where it
was; there were millions in the treas
ury, the accumulated hoardings ot
many decades.
The council and high priests atofl
wore their state robes, and behind
them were officers and other digni
taries.
There was a stir as Ramabai en
tered with the veiled candidates. The
colonel in vain tried to hide his in
terest and anxiety. Kathlyn was there,
somewhere, among these kow-towing
women; but there was nothing by
wbich he could recognize her. As the
women spread about the throne, Ra
mabai signified to the musicians to
cease.
Silence.
Then Ramabai brought candidate
after candidate close to the colonel, so
that he alone might see the face be
hind the veil. At each uplifting of the
veil the colonel shook his head. A
dark frown began to settle over Um
balla’s face. If the colonel refused the
last candidato for nuptial honors, he
should die. But as Ramabai lifted the
veil of the last woman the colonel
nodded sharply; and Kathlyn, for a
brief space gazed Into her father’s
eyes. The same thought occurred to
both; what a horrible mockery it all
was. and where would It lead finally?
“Take care!” whispered Kathlyn, as
she saw her father’s fingers move
nevously with suppressed longing to
reach out and touch her.
The spectators of this little drama
which was hidden from them evinced
their approval by a murmuring which
had something like applause In It. A
queen was chosen! A real queen at
last had been chosen. Ramabai had
accomplished by diplomacy what yon
der Durga Ram had failed to do by
force. But Umballa secretly smiled as
he sensed this undercurrent. Present
ly they should see.
(To be continued Tomorrow,)
Daily Pattern
9934. A MOST ATTRACTIVE,
THOUGH SIMPLE STYLE. LA
DIES’ HOUSE DRESS WITH
LONG OR SHORTER SLEEVE
Checked gingham in black and white
with facings of white are here com
bined. The design is made with a
panel on tne skirt front and hack, and
the right waist front is crossed over
the left at the cloning. The neck is
collarless, but finished with a shap
ed facing. The sleeves are desirable
in either wrist or shorter length.
This mode! may serve as a working
dress, and is equally desirable for
porch or afternoon wear. It will de
velop well In lawn, chambray, seer
sucker. ratine, linen, percale, voile,
poplin or tub silk. The pattern is cut
in seven sizes; 32, 34, 38. 38, 40, 42
and 44 inches bust measure, it re
quires 6 yards of 36-inch material for
* medium size. The skirt measures
J 3-4 yards at the foot, in a medium
size.
A pattern of this illustration mailed
to any address on receipt of 10 cent*
in silver or stam: s.
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