Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1896-05-22
MISS YOUGHAL'S SAIS

nance in India. Those people are wrong.
Our lives hold quite as much romance
as is good for us. Sometimes more.
Strickland was in the police, and
people did not understand him, so they
said he was doubtful sort Of a man
and passed by on the other side. Strick-
land had himself to thank for this. He
held the extraordinary theory that a
policeman in India should try to know
as much about the natives as the ma
tiyes themselves. Now, in the whole OF
upper India there is only one man who
can pass for Hindoo or Mohammedan,
chamar or fakir, as he pleases. He is
feared and respected by the natives from
the Ghor Kathri to the Jamma MusJld,
and he is supposed to have the gift OF
invisibility and executive control over
many devils. But what good has this
done him with the government? None
in the world He has never got Slmla
for his charge, and his name is almost
unknown to Englishmen.
Strickland was foolish enough to take
that man for his model, and, following
out his absurd theory dabbled in unsa-
yory places no respectable man would
think of exploring-all among the ma
tive riffraff. He educated himself IN
this peculiar way for seven years, and
people could not appreciate 1T.
His browning achievement was spend
ing II days as fakir in the gardens
of Bahia Atal at Amritsar, and there
picking up the threads Of the great Ma
siban murder case. But people said,
iustly enough, "Why on earth can't
Strickland sit in his Office and write up
his diary and recruit and keep quiet,
instead of showing up the incapacity OF
his seniors?"
So the Nasiban murder case did him
no good departmentally, but, after his
first feeling Of wrath, he returned to his
outlandish custom Of prying into native
life. By the way, when a man once &C
ouires taste for this particular amuse-
ment, it abides with him all his days.
It is the most fascinating thing in the
world, love not excepted Where other
men took ten days to the hills, Strick-
land took leave for what he called sh1-
kar, put on the disguise that appealed
to him at the time, stepped down into
the brown crowd and was swallowed
up for awhile. He was quiet, dark
young fellow-spare, black eyed-and,
when he was not thinking OF something
else, a very interesting companion.
Strickland, on native progress as he had
seen it, was worth hearing. Natives
hated Strickland, but they were afraid
of him. He knew too much.
When the Youghals came into the
station, Strickland-veryg ravely, as he
did everything in love with Miss
Youghal, and she, after awhile, fell i'll
love with him because she could not
understand him. Then Strickland told
the parents, but Mrs. Youghal said she
was not going to throw her daughter
into the worst paid department in the
empire, and old Youghal said, in so
many words, that he mistrusted Strick-
lands ways and works and would
thank him not to speak Or write to his
daughter any more.
every WELL" said Strickland, for he
did not wish to make his lady loves
life burden. After one long talk with
Miss Youghal he dropped the business
entirely.
The Youghals went up to Simla in
April.
In July Strickland secured three
months leave on urgent private af-
fairs. - He locked up his house-though
not a native in the province would wit
tingly have touched Estreekin Sahib's
gear for the woodland went down to
see friend of his, an old dyer, at Tarn
Taran.
Here all trace of him was lost, until
a sails met me on the Simla mall with
this extraordinary note:
DEAR OLD MAN-Please give bearer box Of
cheroots-supers, No. l, for preference. They
are freshest at the club. I'll repay when
reappear, but at present am out of society.
Yours, g. STRICKLAND.
[ ordered two boxes and handed them
oyer to the sails with my love. That sails
was Strickland, and he was in old
Youghal's employ, attached to Miss
Youghal's Arab. The poor fellow was
suffering for an English smoke and
knew that whatever happened 1 should
hold my tongue till the business was
over.
Later on, Mrs Youghal, who was
wrapped up in her servants, began talk
ing at houses where she called of her
paragon among saises-the man who
was never too busy to get up in the
morning and pick flowers for the break
fast table and who actually
blacked-the hoofs of his horse like a
London coachman! The turnout of Miss
Youghal's Arab was wonder and de-
light. trickland-Dulloo, l mean
found his reward in the pretty things
that Miss Youghal said to him when
she went out riding. Her parents We're
pleased to find she had forgotten all her
fooIishness for young Strickland and
said she was good girl
Strickland VOWS that the two months
Of his service sgere the most rigid men
tai discipline he has ever gone through.
Quite apart from the little fact that the
wife OF one of his fellow saises fell in
love with him and then tried to poison
him with arsenic because be would have
nothing to do with her, he had to
school himself into keeping quiet when
Miss Youghal went out riding with
some man who tried to hirt With her,
and he was forced to trot behind carry
ing the blanket and hearing every word!
Also he had to keep his temper when he
was s1anged in Kenmore" porch By s
policeman--especially once when he
was abused by Naik he had himself
recruited from User Jang village, Or,
worse still, when a young subaltern
called him pig for not making way
quickly enough.
Thus he served faithfully as Jacob
served for Rachel, and his leave was
nearly at an end when the explosion
came. He had really done his best to
keep his temper i'll the hearing of the
firtations ] have mentioned, but he
broke down at last An old and very
distinguished general took Miss Youghal
for ride and began that specially Of
fensive you're only little girl'' sort
of Irritation most difficult for woman
to turn aside deftly and most madden.
ing to listen to. Miss Youghal was
shaking with fear at the things he said
in the hearing of her sais D.allc0o-