Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-20

beggar, I wonder where he's been,
and what he has been up to-"
"We shall soon find out" Dempsey
answered. "All he said when we
fished him out of the water was at
last and then he tainted clean
away. l am not more curious than
my neighbors, but don't mind adj
hitting that am anxious to hear
what he has to say for himself. Talk
about Rip Van Wiukle, why, he is not
in it with this fellow. He could give
him points and beat him hollow"
An hour later the stranger was so
far recovered as to be able to join
his hosts at their evening meal Be-
tween them they had managed to fit
him out with somewhat composite
set of garments. He had shaved off
his beard, had reduced his hair to
something like order, and in conse-
quence had now the outward resem-
blance at least of gentleman.
Come, that's better" said Greg
DRY, as he welcomed him. 81 don't
know what your usual self may be
like, but you certainly have more the
of skeleton than when we first
brought you in. You must have
been pretty hard put to it out yon-
der"
The recollection of all he had been
through was so vivid that the man
shuddered at the mere thought of
it.
81 wouldn't go through it again for
worlds" he said. "You don't know
what I've endured"
Trading over the border alone?"
Gregory inquired.
The man shook his head.
"Tried to walk across from PEI
king" he said, via Szechuen and,
Yunnan. Nearly died of dysentery in /,
Yunnan city. While 1 was there my,
servants deserted me, taking with
them every halfpenny I possessed.
Being suspected by the mandarins, r.
was thrown into prison, managed
eventually to escape, and 80 made
my way on here. I thought to-day
was going to prove my last" :.
you have had hard time of it,,
by Jove," said Dempsey; "but you've
managed to come out Of it alive.
And now where are you going?"
81 want, if possible, to get to Ran.
goon," the other replied. "Then T.
shall ship for England as best as T.
can. I've had enough of China to
last me lifetime"
From that moment the stranger
did not refer again to his journey. He
was singularly reticent upon this
point. and feeling that perhaps the
recollection of all he had suffered
might be painful to him, the two,
men did not press him to unburden
himself.
Hes a strange sort of fellow"
said Gregory to Dempsey. later in
| the evening, when the other had re-
tired to rest. "If he has walked from.
Peking here, sas he says, he's more
than a little modest about it. I'll be
bound his is funny story if only he,
would condescend to tell it,"
They would have been more Ger.
tain than ever of this fact had they.
been able to see their guest at that
| particular moment. In the solitude
OF his own room he had removed
broad leather belt from round his
waist. From the pocket of this belt
he shook out upwards of hundred
rubies and sapphires of extraordi-
nary size. He counted them carefully,
replaced them in his belt, and then
once more secured the latter about
his waist.
AT last 1 am SAFE" he muttered
to himself, "but it was a close
shave--==a very close shave. wouldn't
do that journey again for all the
for twice the amount"
Next morning George Bertram, as
he called himself, left Nampoung for
Bhamo, with Gregory's check for 500
rupees in his pocket.
You must take it," said that indi-
vidual in reply to the others half
hearted refusal of the assistance,
Treat it as a loan if you like. You
can return it to me when you are in
better circumstances. I assure you
we don't want it. We can't spend
money out here"
| Little did he imagine when he made
| tHdb oilcI, tue immense wealth. which
the other carried in the belt that en-
circled his waist. Needless to say.
Hayle said nothing to him upon the
subject. He merely pocketed the
check with an expression of his graf
itude, promising to repay it as soon
as he reached London. As a matter
of fact he did so, and to this day, I
have no doubt, Gregory regards him
as a man of the most scrupulous and
unusual integrity.
Two days later the wanderer
reached Bhamo, that important milf
tary post on the sluggish Irrawaddy.
His appearance, thanks to Gregory's
and Dempsey's kind offices, was now
sufficiently conventional to attract
little or no attention, so he negoti-
ated the captains check, fitted him
self out with few other things that
he required, and then set off for Man
/ IN q