The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-17

It was he who saw to it that the
 luggage was transferred to the lighter
 which came out to the steamer when
 she dropped anchor off the town of | Arafat; it was he who counted the
 pieces and haggled with the boatmen; | it was he who carried off the hand | luggage when the native dock boys
 refused to engage in the work; it was
 he who unfortunately dropped suit
 rase upon the hallowed tail of the red
 cocker, an accident which ever after
 ward gave him a tenacity of grip that
 no man could understand.
 If Lady Deppingham expected roy
 al welcome from the inhabitants of
 Japat she was soon to discover her error. Not only was the pictured
 scene of welcome missing on the aft
 ernoon of her arrival, but an overpow- ering air of antipathy smote her in the face as she stepped from the lighter ! conquest in her smile of conciliation. She glanced from right to left down the lines of swarthy islanders and saw nothing in their faces but surly, bitter
 unfrienGliness. They stood stolidly, | stonily at a distance, white robed lines of resentment personiied.
 | Not a hand was lifted in assistance to the bewildered visitors; not word. not smile of encouragement escaped the lips of the silent throng.
 'Is there no British agent here?" she demanded imperatively, perhaps a lit tie more shrilly than usual.
 No one deigned to answer. Chances l of indifference, even scorn, passed among the silent lookers-on, but that was all.
 "Does no one here understand the English language?" she demanded. 'I | don't mean you, MT. Saunders" she | added sharply as the little clerk set | the suit case down abruptly and stepped forward, again fumbling his | much fumbled straw hat. This was the moment when the red cookers tail came to grief. The dog arose with an astonished yelp and fled to his mis- tress. He had never been so out rageously set upon before in all his pampered life. Seizing the opportuni- ty to vent her feelings upon one who could understand, even as she poured soothings upon the 1nsulted Pong, whom she clasped in her arms, Lady Agnes transformed the unlucky Saun- ders into a target for a most ably di- rected volley Of wrath.
 Lord Deppirgham, slow and cum bersome young man, stood by nervous ly lingering his eyeglass. For the first time he felt that the clerk was better than confounded dog after all.
 'My dear," he said, waving Saunders into the background, '1 think it was an accident. The dog had no business going to sleepy He paused and in- serted his monocle for the purpose of looking up the precise spot where the accident had occurred.
 ''Oh, rubbishr' exclaimed her lady ship. "I suppose you expect the poor darling to apologize"
 "All this has nothing to do with the case. We're more interested in learn ing where we are and where we are to go. Permit me to have a look about"
 His wife stared after him in amaze ment as he walked over to the canvas awning in front of the low dock build ing actually elbowing his way through a group of natives. Presently he came back, twisting his left mustache.
 ''The fellow in there says that the English agent is employed in the bank. It's straight up this street. By love! He called it a street, don't you know" he exclaimed, disdainfully eying the narrow, dusty passage ahead.
 There's the British flag, my lord, just ahead. See the building to the right, sir?' said MT. Saunders, more respectfully than ever and with real gratitude in his heart
 ''So it is! That's where he is. Il wonder why he isn't down here to meet us?''
 ''Very likely he didn't know we were coming" said his wife icily.
 ''We1, we'll look him up. Come along, everybody. Oh, say, we can't leave this luggage unguarded. They say these fellows are the worst robbers east of London
 It was finally decided, after rather subdued diseussion, that MT. Saunders should pro{eed to the bank and rout out the dilatory representative of the British government. Saunders looked down the sullen line of faces and blanched to his toes
 ''Tell him we'll wait for him." pur- sued his lordship. But remind him, - him, that it's inexpressibly hot | down here in the sum-
 They stood and watched the miSera- l ble Saunders tread gingerly up the | filthy street, his knees crooking out | wardly from time to time, very much | as if he were contemplating an instan- taneous sprint in any direction but | the one he was taking. Even the | placid lDeppingham was somewhat dis turbed by the significant glances that followed their emissary as he passed by each separate knot of natives
 'T do hope Mir. Saunders will come back alive" murmured Bromley, her lsdyship's maid The others started, for she had voiced the general thought.
 "He won't come back at all, Brom- ley, unless he comes back alive," said his lordship, with a smile. It was a well known fact that he never smiled except when his mind was troubled.
 "Goodness. Deppy," said his wife, the symptom, do you real