The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-06-10
ABDULLAH
By SADIE OLCOTT

The people of India. passing their
lives without the methods at hand Eu-
ropean races have for development up
ward, are prone to develop downward.
What ! mean is that their minds are
forced into unwholesome channels. In
these channels they become very ex-
pert. The Indian fakir will do tricks
| that to Us are lneXp!icable. In the
matter Of poisons 1t Is doubtful If Ital-
ians in the days of the Borgias knew
1.-THE that is known III India. Snake
charmers. too, are plentiful. and one
cannot pass along street without see
ing them seated cross legged doing
| tricks with the. reptiles 1t Is aston
ishing what vipers may be taught.
| Captain Oldershaw of the Seventy
second regiment. of the line was sta
| toned with, his regiment In India. The
captain considered himself so much bet,
| ter than the; zdnsky natives eff India
that he considered they had no rights
he was bound .tos,respect. He had a
servant. Abdullah, a sad faced, unob-
| trusive creature. whom he treated as a
slave. In India white persons usually
have many servants. each mental for
different purpose. 5F -,5
One day Captain Oldershaw missed
some money that he kept in a drawer
at his loss, for he had nothing but his
pay and was obliged to make that go
| as far as possible. The first man he
met after the theft was AbGullah, and,
| as was to be expected, he vented his
wrath upon him. Having accused his
servant and the servant having denied
| the charge. the next step was to take
| the law In his hands by trying, con-
| victing and furnishing the culprit him.
self. He tied Abdullah up by the
| thumbs with his own hand and sat be-
side him. drinking brandy and soda
| and smoking till Abdullah finally con-
| fessed the theft and was taken down.
But since the Indian hadn't stolen
the money he hadn't 1t to return. So
| the CAPTAIN magnanimously permitted
! him to work it out. Abdullah meekly
| faithful to his master than before.
One day a brother officer dined with
| Captain Oldershaw and saw Abdullah.
''What are you doing with that fellow
in your employT' asked the guest OF
Oldershaw.
HE is my bootblack." replied Older
| shaw. 5se-s
"He has been a snake charmer. |.
saw him perform one day on the. street
and was so struck with what he had
taught his snakes that have not for.
gotten him.
"what did he teach them 49,
ITO charm a bird, then crush 1t by
coiling about II" ~ IS
upon my wordl You don't mean
tt!'
Eyes, 1 do. l wouldn't have the fel.
| low about me for dukedom."
| Oldershaw seemed a bit put out by
the information and resolved that when
| Abdullah had worked out the money
he had confessed to having stolen he
should be sent away. But Abdullahs
wages were very small. and the sum
was stable, so good deal OF time
was required in the matter.
One evening very pretty Indian
girl came to the captains quarters and
asked to see him. BE received her and
sat chatting with her for some. time
When she was about to depart she ask.
ed If the captain would give her a kiss
He did so and would have repeated the
act. but the girl did not seem to care
for another kiss and left him. She was
scarcely gone when he began to- feel
strange and in q few minutes sank un
conscious on the floor. s,,~ezsss. e...t ~ a
It happened that the surgeon OF the
| regiment came in. at the. time and
found Oldershaw being picked up by
his servants When, he asked them,
what the captain had been, doing to
bring on an attack they informed him
of the visit Of the Indian girl and the
kiss. s..s.,gs
"Great heavensr exclaimed the doc,
tor. He has been kissed by poison
grill"
An Indian poison girl Is one who.
taking a little of certain poison ev-
| cry day, increasing the dose. at length
becomes immune to its effects. but Is
| herself deadly The surgeon, having
| served, in India many years. knew the
antidote and. having arrived in the
| nick of time. saved the captains life.
| Oldershaw was in quandary. He
suspected that some one having q
grudge against him had sent the poi
| son girl to him. Possibly some one OF
| his own servants might have done so
He thought Of sAbdullah, and what he
| had heard of him. remembering having
tortured him But Ahdullah had new
er seemed so devoted to him as re-
Gently. STILL the captain had begun to
distrust him, and. since the money lost
by the theft was almost paid. he re-
solved that as soon as he received the
last rupee he would part with Abdul
lab. e-..,...-:-. .a.s..s r.. a.=
Finally Abduilah worked of the
amount and Oldershaw told him to get
out. The Indian meekly assented. He
would go that night. ...
After dinner the captain stretched
himself on a bamboo couch to smoke
and fell asleep Abdullah stealthily
approached. took a snake from under
his clothing and started II toward the
slumbering officer. Reaching hin, the
viper began to coil itself around the
captains neck when Oldershaw awak
ing with a cry. seized 1t and threw IT
away. But he had been bitten by the
deadly cobra. and there was no hell
for him. Abdu.lah's second attempt
was successful
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