The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-15
-ss-e-e-e-ee-o o-e-e-e-s-e-e-s-ee- e-e-ee
|: THE PURPLE GOD. !
By WILLIAM MURRAY GRAYD0N Copyright 1903.
e-o-o-e-e-e-o-e-s

| rs II an omen OF i1l?' he said to him.
self. Nay; will not have 1t SO. My
strike. And who knows when: In q
month, week. perhaps day"
4 servant entered the room hurriedly,
approached him and whispered few
words In his ear.
~. IT Is well" he replied NJ, ~ shall at
/ pers replaced as I directed?"
Yes, your hlghness."
! With a perplexed air the rajah turned
to his audience and CURLY dismissed
them. One by one they filed through
tho curtained doorway. and Joel Span
! ish jingled n pocketful Of gold as he
staggered down tho marble floor OF the
| dewan khanu-
Behold am rich" he sa!d exultant-
| ly. and am no more the slave OF the
| Fernghce dogs. ws will 20. Raghava,
thou and ]. and drink in the little cool
! gni den OF Soma, the sherbet sel,er.'
TO return to Lieutenant John Fame.
| whom we left ut the mercy OF his pur-
suers, lying stunned ana insenslble by his
dead horse on the banK of the river.
| ETC the sun had attained lis full power,
and while yet the morning air was cool
ind sweet with the scent OF flowers, tie
| young officer struggled back to con-
| seriousness.
| He woke from a rnzo o; hdnons
| dreams. at first doubtful II the scene
| on which he opened his eyes was not
| also dream. but one Of n fur different
| sort from the creations of his night
| mare.
| For a few moments 1t seemed too
! great trouble to think: his body felt
| sore and bruised and n damp cloth was
| on his throbbng temples. lie was con-
| tent to lie utill; inhalirg the Mingled
| fragrance Of Indian perfumes and pas
| tiles that soothed his senses, listening
~ t1,a ell r,,tr ~ irdo n md "a oh
ing OF monkeys that seemed to link him
| with the real world.
| Finally. shaking of the drowsy stu
| por he took careful mote OF his SUR
roundlngs. His surprise grew TO dazed
bewilderment He was reclining fully
dressed on carved bed with lacuuercd
and g,ded posts and silken canopy
over It.
Tho walls ana cornlces Of the room
| were of snow-white chunarn, worked
hero and there into figures and ara
besques beautifully painted. Flowers in
silver bottles and Chinese vases stood
on inlaid cabinets, and tvs windows
with brass lattices gave View of n
shady and TEMPTING garden.
where am II" Jack asked himself.
"And who brought mo here? BY Jove.
1t couldn't take much TO make mo be-
liele that had come to life IN the mid
dle of the Arabian Nighs!"
His mind swiftly took up tho broken
tn ends of memory ind peced them to-
Icthcr-the ride - Iampoora. the mur-.
der OF Tobias Clink. the dash for Jhala-s
pur. the chase over tho fields, and the
swimming Of the river
Then tho scoundrels shot my horse"
he went on, ''and carne a cropper on
my head. No wonder 1t feels sore. But
the colonel's letter.
lie hastily. searched his pockets, and
was vastly relieved to f',d the precious
document That it might have been
never occurred to him. though had he
locked more closely ne could have de-
| tected faint smudge OF Anger marks
| On the envelope Fl. thought Of Joel
| Spanish and groaned aloud.
THE day Is hours old" he muttcred.,
| '~The traitor IS safe, and. OF course, the
rajah has the plans OF the Qualifications.
| OF me. And Madge-But the first thing
| Ia to get the letter TO Or. N1ackin1er. l
| am certainly somewhere In J'ialnpur,
! perhaps in the residency itself. No. TINT
can't be; these surroundings nrc purely
oriental. with nothing ENGLISH about
| !rein."
With an effort he sat up, and seeing
a slken cord within reach he pulled 1t
! sharply. He heard the faint tlnkle OF n
| bell and q moment later the turbaned
head OF 1Indoo was thrust between
| the crimson curtains at tho doorway.
| The man peered briefly In, then vanished
| without n word.
"Ho there!" cried Jack Come back "
Ho was answered by light. quick
| patter. queer snuffllng noise, and n
lalf-grown panther bounded into the
room and crouched by the foot of the
bed, where it snarled with fury and
quivered for spring. It's eyes were
| balls Of fire, and the fur on Its neck,
around which was silver collar. fairly
brlstled.
pheasant ysiitors I'm having! thought
Jack.
He had barely time to realize his
. danger when vision or lovellness burst
upon hinl--a young girl of dazzling
beauty, whose perfect figure was robed
in neecy, shmmering silks loosely con-
| fined by teweled ornaments.
she seized the beast by the scruft OF
the neck and dragged It from the apart
ment, then returned and bent anxionsly
over the young officer, who had dropped
| weakly back among the pillows, He
| looked at her with rapt amnzemcnt.
with dawnlng recognition.
II am sorry that Vashti annoyed YOU"
| the girl said. HE heard your voice and
lie never likes strangers at first. lie
bounded off before could catch him"
'Vnshtl Is the panther y suppose, ana
your pet" Jack answered. and you
are-O. surely can't be mistaken! You
were with Mana Sahib's party that day
In the Jungle near Cawnpore-"
Eyes, and you saved my life and my
fathers, am glad the sahib remem-
bers me. Then you have not forgotten
the tiger, ana the runaway elephant
that plunge Into the ,river?'
zone does not forget such things"
Jack replied gravely.
| lie was silent for moment, wonder
ing at the strange fate that had brought
/ about this meeting; 1t caused him q
vague sense Of discomfort and lneasI-
ness. though he could not have told
! why.
/ The girl leaned close to him. so near
that the perfume OF her breath and hair
was In his face, Her lovely eyes "ero
seductive with nifty and tenderness. with
deeper feeling to be read also In the
conscious blush that imantlcd her dusky
cheeks,
'"rhis sort Of thing won't do" Jack
raoaotod n ) la mazda IN att6mDt to rise.