The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-12-27

gone to the house Of San Shwe. who il
her father. II San Shwe will keep it,
there will it rest; but if his heart fail
him then will he tell her to take It to
the police thakine. . There was no
time to be lost, for it would be tliscov-
cred that he had stolen it, and he would
also lose the ruby.
His opportunity to steal the ruby had
come to him just as he was leaving
Moung Ouray's house, after having nut
the opium in the box. For some nm
known reason, probably owing to the
poay, he had found the temple deserted
for few minutes and had knocked the
ruby out Of the alabaster with his dab.
Then the sudden fear and the chance to
implicate Moung Ouray as the thief,
his other scheme having failed, had led
him to put it in the box. Now he knew
that Mi MIRA must have seen him put
it there. and as he would be accused Of
stealing it anyway he meant to get the
ruby back.
Slipping away from the others as
they came out Of Moung Ouray's house,
he quickly sped away to San Shwe's
bungalow.
As he approached cautiously he could
see Mi MIRA and her mother and father
sitting on the bamboo floor earnestly
discussing something. "They will de-
eide. will wait, " he muttered, squat
ting on his heels at the side Of the road.
Then Mi MIRA came out and started
of across the dried madam toward the
superintendent's bungalow
That was Hpo Thit's chance.
IT you toll about it, he said, as he
left her, II will swear that you and
Moung Ouray stole it and gave it to
me. Then the judge thakine will ask
how you should know that / had it il
you had not given it to me.
Mi MIRA went back to her fathers
house. She wanted to think, wanted to
do that which was the least trouble.
In the morning she told valentyne
Thankyne about it, and in an hour he
and the sergeant and file Of police
were chasing after Hpo Thit. But Hpo
Thit had gone. One more dacoit had
been creased. His brother the thug
gie's gun had gone with him. The
thuggie didn't know that, for Hpo Thit
had stolen it. 1t was an old fashioned
muzzle loading musket.
1t is difficult to run down Burman
in the jungle. and it was the next day
before they came up with their quarry.
He had couple Of shots at them in
laundering sort Of way with the old
musket without hitting anybody, but
just as Valentyne charged in on him at
the head of his police Hpo Thit fred
again at close quarters, and the SUPER
intendent went down, shot in the shout
der
Only for the sergeant Hpo Thit would
have been carved up into regulation
slices-only for the sergeant and valen-
tyne. too-for he beloved ont: .sDon't
kill him. Take the beast alive. I"
Bring him here and search him at
once, said VALENTINE. who was sitting
up now. though feeling deuced groggy,
and while the sergeant bound up his
wound they stripped Hpo Thit clean as
whistle But there was no ruby
nothing but much tattooing discovered.
what have you done with the
ruby?" asked the superintendent, but
Hpo Thit wouldn't answer,
Then they got back to Thayetmyo as
quickly as they could, carrying Valen-
tyne on an improvised dhooly in the
shape of a charpoy. which they got
from the woon Of neighboring village
by the gentle art of zabar-dasti.
When Hpo Thit was brought back BY
the police. he was met by reception
committee composed Of orthodox Bud.
dhists. who were gathered together with
the avowed object Of honoring him
with the crucifixion.
10 guard against his attaining Mir
vana by fiuke. as it were, he was to
be crucified head downward.
Valentyne, who was very weak by
this time, had great difficulty in ex-
planning to them that the government
could not allow such thing to take
place.
Have patience, good friends, /" he
said. 1--WE must be merciful," and he
talked cheerfully of the lifelong years
Of living hell Hpo Thit would surely
get on the Andaman islands for his part
in the little circus.
In general sort Of way the sergeant
explained to them that they, who knew
little about such things, could only
make Hpo Thit wish he had not done
this thing for very few minutes at
the outside, but the thakine, who was
the government, could cause Hpo Thit
to reyile the day he was projected into
the world by a thief Of jackal for
years and years
So VALENTINE was taken to the hos
pital and Hpo Thit was put in a cage
behind iron bars. just like the NANCY