The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-07-13

HNhShNAhe IA AN >ob'iONhN'
disbursed a few rupees to the troop
ers, paid on Ram Nath-who was
swift to drive off city-wards, in mad
haste lest the gates be shut upon
him for the highland entered the
bungalow. An aged, laxative, and
amiable khansamah met him at the
threshold with expressions of eXagger-
ated respect, no doubt genuine enough.
and followed him, a mumbling shadow,
as the Virginian made a brief round
Of inspection.
Standing between the road and tho
water, the r~esthouse proved TO be
moderately spacious and clean; on the
lake front IT opened upon a marble
bund. or landing stage, its lip Tapped
by whispering ripples OF h lake.
Amber went out upon this to discover,
separated from him by little mora
than half a mile of black water, the
ghostly white wall Of the Raj Mahal
climbing In dim majesty to the stars.
The Virginian remained long IN
rapt wondering contemplation OF II,
until the wind blowing across the wa
tiers had chilled him to h point or
shivering; when ne turned indoors TO
his bed. But he was to have little rest
that night. The khansamah who at
tended him had hardly turned low
his light when Amber was disturbed
by the noise of an angry alteration
In the compound. He arose and In
dressing gown and slippers went to In
vestigate, and found Ram Nath In
violent dispute with the sergeant OF
the esoort-whioh. It appeared, had
builded a fire and camped round II In
the compound: a circumstance which
furnished food for thought.
Amber began to suspect that the
troops had been furnished as n guard
less of honor than of espionage. less
IN formal courtesy than in demonstra-
ton Of the unsleeping vigilance OF
the Eye-kindly assisted by the Ma
harana OF Khandawar.
A nan who, warmed by the ardor OF
his first love, feels suddenly the shad-
ow death falling cold upon him. is
apt to neglect nothing. Amber con-
sidsred that he had given Ram Nath
no commission Of n sort, and bent
an attentive ear to the communication
which the tonga-wallah insisted upon
making to him.
Ram Nath had returned, he asserted.
solely for the purpose OF informing
Amber In accordance with his desires.
"The telegraph office for which you
ann,,trad anhih UtunAa t,,Ct within the
Gateway OF the Elephants" he al
nounced. The telegraph-babu will be
on duty very early in the morning.
should you desire still TO send the
message"
oh, yes" said Amber indifferently.
I'D forgotten. Thanks"
He returned TO his charpoy with
spirits considerably higher. Ram Nath
had not winked this time. but he fact
was i~ndisputable that Amber had not
expressed any interest whatever In
the location Of the telegraph office.
Wondering If the telegraph-babu by
any chance wore pink satin. he dozed
off on the decision that he would need
to send a message the first thing N
the morning.
Some time later he was a second
time awakened by further dlsputation
IN the compound. The troopers were
sQuabbling amongst themselves; he
was able TO make this much out in
spite of the fact that the sepoys. re-
cruited exclusively from the native
population OF Khandawar. spoke a pa
tots Of Hindi so corrupt that eve an
expert in Oriental languages would
experience difficulty in trying TO inter
pref It. Amber did not weary himself
with the task. but presently lifted up
his voice and demanded silence, desir-
ing to 10 Informed 'r his sleep was
to be continually broken by the bick-
erings o" sons Of mothers without
noses. There followed instantaneous
silence, broken by a chuckle and an
applauslve "Shabash!" and nothing
more
Amber ~snuggled down again upon
his pillow and soothed himself with
the feel OF the pistol that his fingers
grasped beneath the clothes.
COOIldIIS hHu uQSDtu fOlISS III IL
bungalow were responsible for the
next interruption. Amber came to
with a start and found himself sitting
up on the edge OF the charpoy, with q
dreamy impression that two people
had been standing over him and had
Just left the room. escaping by way
OF the khansamah's quarters. He
rubbed the sleep from his eyes and
went out to demonstrate vigorously
with the khansamah. The latter
naturally professed complete ignor-
ance OF the visitation and dwelt with
such insistence upon the plausibiltty
Of dreams hat Amber lost patience
and kicked him ~grievously. so that he
complained with a loud voice and cast
himself at the sahib's feet. declaring
that he was but as the dust beneath
them and hat Amber was his father
and mother and the light of the Uni
verse besides.
Somewhat Modified and rejecting,
at the same time, that this was all but