Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-09-14
CHAPTER TX.
Pink Satin.

Pink Satin.
Shaking with rage, Amber stood for
a long moment with pistol poised and
eyes wary; then, bewildered, he SLOW
ly lowered the weapon. well" he OBJ
served, refectively, I'm damned"
For the glittering thing he had mis-
taken for a revolver lay at his feet;
and it was nothing more nor less than
a shoehorn. While as for the babu,
he had dropped back into the chair
and given way to a rude but reassu-
ring paroxysm Of gusty, silent laugh
ter.
I'm a fool" said Amber; "and If
I'm not mistaken, you're Laber-
touche."
With a struggle the babu oyercame
his emotion. "Iy am, my dear fellow,
I am" he gasped. "And l W you
an apology. Upon my word, I'd for
gotten; one grows so accustomed to
living the parts In these masquerades,
after a time, that n forgets. For
give me-" He offered a hand which
Amber grasped warmly in his unut-
terable relief. I'm really delighted to
meet you," continued Labertuche, Sc
riously. ANY man who knows India
can't help being glad to meet the au-
thor of The Peoples Of the Hindu
Kush.'"
"You did brighten me-" Amber con-
fessed, smiling. Il didn't know what
to expect-or suspect, Certainly
with a glance round the anonymously
furnished room-"1 never looked for
ward to anything like this-or you,
in that get-up."
"You wouldn't, you know" Laber'
touche admitted, gravely. Il might
have warned you in my note; but that
was a risky thing, at best. l feared
to go into detail-it might have fallen
into the wrong hands"
"Whose?" demanded Amber.
"That, my dear man, is what we're
here to find out-if we can. But sill
down; we shall have to have quite &
bit Of talk" He scraped a heap o.
gaily-colored native garments Off ONT
end Of the charpoy and motioned Am
Der to the chair. At the same time
he fshed a ~cigar-case out Of some re
cess of his clothing. These are
good" he remarked, opening the cas-
and offering it to Amber; II darenA
smoke anything half so good when a
work. The native tobacco is abom
Unable, you know-quite three-fourthI
filth"
Eat work." questioned Amber, clip
ping the end of his cigar and lighting
1t. you don't NEAR to say you trave
round in those clothes"
but / do. It's business with me
though few people know II. Quail
didn't; only I had a chance, one day
to tell him some rather startling fact
about native life. This sort of thing
done properly, gives a a insigh
into a lot of unusual things"
Labertouche pulled his cigar into
glow and leaned back, clasping on
EU66 With tWO UlOWA uullQS dui
squirting UP at the low, discolore'
ceiling. And Amber, looking hir
over, was amazed by the absolut
fidelity Of hts makeup; tho browns.
stain on face and hands, the high-cu
patent leather boots, the open-wor,
socks through which his tinted calve
showed grossly, his %shapeless, baggy
soiled garments-all We're hopelessl
babu-ish.
"And IL 1t isn't done properly"
"Oh, then" Labertouche laughed
lifting his shoulders ~expressiyely
|, mo Englishman incapable OF livin
up to a disguise has ever tried
more than once in India; few, yer
|, few, have lived ta tell Of the exper
ment."
You're connected with the police?
! Amber's hrows contracted az he n