Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-27

|
There was another and somewhat
longer pause.
You did not hear whether he had
any precious stones in his posses
sion?"
Good gracious, no! From what
they told me I gathered that the man
hadn't halfpenny in the world
Why should he have been likely to
have had jewels? In point of fact
I'm sure he hadn't, for | was given
to understand he was about as woe
begone customer as could be found
anywhere"
The blind man uttered heavy sigh
and sank back to his former position
upon the ground.
An hour and half later, just as
the shadows of evening were drawing
in, party of Sikhs put in an appear
ance, bringing with them a dhooly,
in which they placed the injured man.
1t was almost dark when they
reached the station, where Grant
hams superior officer was awaiting
their coming.
What on earths the, meaning of
this?' he asked, as the cortege drew
up before the bungalow. who are
these men? And where did you find
them?"
Grantham made his report, and
then the wounded man was lifted
out and carried to hut at the rear
OF the main block of buildings. The
little man watched everything with
an eagle eye, as if he We're afraid
some evil might be practiced upon his
companion. When the blind man had
been placed on a bed, and his foot at
tended to as well as the rough sur
gerry of the place would admit, Grant
ham did something he had not al
ready done, and that was to ask them
their names.
MY name is Kitwater," said the
blind man, land the name of my
friend here is Codd-Septimus Codd.
He's one of the best and stanchest
little fellows in the world / don't
know whether our names will con-
vey much to you, but such as they
are you are welcome to them. AS a
matter of fact, they are all we have
with which to requite your kospi-
tally"
Why it should have been SO can
not say, but it was evident from the
first that Capt. Handiman did not be-
heve the account the refugees gave of
| themselves. He was one of that pc
| culiar description of persons who
| have an idea that it adds to their dig
nifty not to believe anything that is
told them, and he certainly acted up
to it on every possible occasion.
There's more in the case than meets
the eye" he said, suspiciously; "and l
fancy, if only we could see the bot
tom of it, we should discover that your
two proteges are as fine pair of ras-
Gals as could be found on the continent
of Asia"
II don't know anything about that"
Grantham replied. 81 only know that
they were miserable couple, and
that / did the best ! could for them.
You wouldn't have had me leave them
in the jungle, surely?"
81 am not aware have said So" the
|
thingl object to is your treating them
as if they were martyrs, when in all
probability they deserve all the pun
| ishment they received"
Grantham was too wise to carry the
argument any further. He knew that
when Handiman was in his present
humor the best thing to DO was to
leave him alone in it. He accordingly
returned to the hut where the two
men were domiciled, and attended to
their comfort, as far as lay in his pow
| er. His heart had been touched by
their misery. He did not give as rea-
| son for the trouble he took the fact
| that the face of the elder man remind
| ed him of his own venerable father,
the worthy old Somersetshire vicar;
it was a fact, nevertheless. For a
week the unfortunate couple were
domiciled at the ford. and during that
| time Grantham attended to their
wants with the assiduity of
| blood relation. Meanwhile Handiman
| scoffed and bade him take heed forthe
valuables, lest his new-found friends
lShooio app lutlu Tie ulu not
believe in honest gratitude, he de-
clared, particularly where homeless
wanderers in the Burmese jungle were
concerned. AT last. however, they
| were SO far recovered as to be able to
| proceed on their way once more.
"We have to thank you for our lives,
sir" said Kitwater to Grantham.
| when the time came for them to saw
| good-by to the ford. Had it not been
for you we would probably be dead
| men now. l don't know whether we
shall ever be able to repay your kind
ness, that is with Allah, but if the op-
portunity should ever arise you NAV
be sure We will not neglect it. What
ever we may be now, you may take it
that we were gentlemen once. There's
just one favor | should ike to ask of
you. sir, before we part!"
What is it?" Grantham inquired.
II want you, sir, to give me letter
of Introduction to the gentleman in
your regiment who looked after the
stranger you told me of, when he came
here out of China. I've got sort of