The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-06-15

Power, Position and Habit OF Au-
thority.
beloved Of the Heart, bone Of the bone
and flesh OF the flesh of tho Body
guardian of the Gateway Of Swords'
. l. thy servant, Salig Singh,
bid thee welcome to Bharuta!'
Sonorous and not unpleasing, his
voice trembled with intense and un.
questionable earnestness; and when
1t ceased he remained motionless in
his attitude OF humility. Amber.
hardly able to credit his hearing,
stared down at the "a stupidity, his
head awhirl with curiously commin-
gled sensations Of amazement and en-
l~ightenment. Presently he laughed
shortly.
Get up" he said; get up and
stand over there by the wall and don't
be a silly ass"
"Hazoor!" There was reproach in
Salig Singh's accents; but he obeyed.
rising and r%etreating TO the further
wall there to hold himself at attention.
Now see here" began Amber, de-
signedly continuing his half Of the
conversation In Enylish-far too much
misunderstanding had already been
brought about by his too-ready fa-
miliarity with Urdu. He paused a lit
tie TO collect his thoughts, then re-
sumed: Now see here, you're Salig
Singh. maharana Of Khandaror?'
This much he recalled from his n
versation with L~abertouche a couple
Of hours gone.
"Hazoor, why dost thou need askf
part, s~teadfastly refused TO return
to English.
But you are, aren't your"
by thy favor, 1t is ever So
And you think I'm Rutton-Har
Dyal Rutton. as you call him, the for
mer maharana who abdicated In your
favor?"
The Ra1put shrugged expressively,
an angry light in his dark, bold eyes.
1T pleases my lord to Jest" he COM
planned; but arm l a child, TO be
played within"
I'm not Joking, Salig Singh. and
this business is no Joke at all. What
I'm trying to drive into your head IS
the fact that you've made the mistake
Of your life. I'm not Rutton n I'm
nothing like Rutton; l am an Amert
can citizen and"
Pardon, hazoor, but is this Wortl
thy while? | am no child what |
know | know. If thou art indeed not
fiar Dyal Rutton, how is it that thou
dost wear upon thy finger the signet
Of thy house Salig Singh indicated
the emerald which Amber had for
gotten-"the Token sent thee by the
Bell? If thou are not my lord the
rightful Maharana Of K~handawar, how
Is it that thou hast answered the
summons Of the Bell? Are the serv-
ants CT the Body fools who have fol
lowed thee hither, losing trace of thee
no single instant since thou didst Stay
the Bengal who bore the Token to
thee? Am | blind, Salig Singh, thy
childhood's playmate, the grand vizier
of thy too brief rule, TO whom thou
uiuoJ lcIdtI LhC lClho - bC'NAH
ment OF Khandawar? | know thee;
thou canst not deceive me. True IT Is
hat thou art changed-sadly changed,
my lord, and the years have not
worn upon thee as they might had
thought to find thee al older man
and, by thy grace, a wiser, But even
as ! am Salig Singh, thou are none
other than my lord, Har Dyal Rut-
ton"
Salig Singh put his shoulders
against the wall and, leaning so with
arms folded, regarded Amber with a
triumph not unmixed with contempt.
1t was plain that he considered his
argument Anal, his case complete. the
verdict his. While Amber found no
words with which to combat his false
impression. and could only stare, open
mouthed and fascinated. But at
length he recollected himself and
called his wits together.
That's all very pretty" he admitted