The Huttig news., 1911-06-10

Ant0ae oul there with you and keep him until l call, please. This is Mir. Quain; I want to talk with him un- disturbed But you can bring us coffee when it's ready"
 Quain motioned to Antone; the Portuguese disappeared into the back room with Doggott, who closed the communicating door.
 You first" said Amber. If you've fretted about me, I've been crazy about you--what time I've had to think"
 Quain deferred to his insistence. Tt was simple enough-and damned hard he explained. T caught the Echo by the skin of my teeth, the skinny almost sinking under me. She was hard and fast aground but l man. aged to get the motor going and back ed her off As soon as that was all right we got a wave aboard that soused the motor--like a tco' I'd let the hatch off-and short-el ..a the coil After that there was he o pay. l worked for half an hour reef ing. and meanwhile we went aground again The oar broke and l had to go overheard and gFt wet to my vast before I got her of By that time It was blowing great gurs and dead from the beach. l had to stand of and make for the mainland-notbing else to do. We beached about mile below the lighthouse and I had the four-mjle tramp home Then after I'd thawed out and had drink and change of clothes. we had to walt two hours for the sea to go down enough to make a crossing in the launch practicable. That's all for mine. Now you2 Whats that there?'
 "A suicide; a friend of mine~th man Rutton whom we were discuss ing the night I came down. And that's not half There's man out there somewhere, shot to death hv Rutton- Bengali babu. . Quain, I've lived in Purgatory ever since we part ed and now I'm about done"
 He was: the coming of Quain with the ease of mind 1t brought had snapped the high nervous tension which had sustained Amber. He was now on the edge of collapse and showed it plainly. But two circum- stances aided him to recover his grip upon himself Quain's compassionate consideration in forbearing to press his story from him, and Doggott's op- perfume appearance with pot of coffee. steaming and black. Two cups of this restored Amber 10 a condition somewhat approaching the normal. He lit a cigarette and began to talk. For all his affection for and con 1 fidence in his friend. there were things he might not tell Ouain; where 1 fore he couched his narrative Tn the fewest possible words and YVES miser- l ly of detail. Of the coming of the ha- bu and his going Amber was fairly free to speak; he suppressed little if any of that episode. Moreover. he had forgotten to remove the Token from hts fing.r, and Quain instantly remarked 1t and demanded an expla- nation. But of the nature of tSe CT rand on which he was to go, Amber said nothing; it was. he averred Rut- ton's private business. Nor did he 1 touch uron the question of Rutton' s nationality Sophia Farrell he never mentioned
 Nevertheless, he said enough to render Quain thoughtful :. You've set on this thing. I slppose? he asked some time after Amber had concluded.
 "Set upon it. dear man? I've no choice. I must go--T promised" Quain went to the hammock-bad turned back the sheet. and for several minutes fingered there, scrutinizing he stony, upturned face.
 "so." he said, coming back Heres news that'll help you some You 7ere blind not to see 1t yourself That man's-was, should say-a Raiput." He waited for the comment which did not come. You knew t?"
 "I suspected, tonight.
 'It's as plain as print; the mark of his caste Is all over him. But per haps he was able to disguise 1t little with his manner--alive; updoubte lily, I'd say. He was genius of his kind
 "a prodigy; a mental giant That translation of the 'Tantras'-. Won derful! Well. he's gone his owI way: God be with him. When do you want to start?''
 "As soon as possible-sooner. I've not day to lcse-not an hour"
 Urgent as that, eh?" Quain