The Punta Gorda herald. [volume] (Punta Gorda, Fla.) 1893-1958, 1913-07-03
.ABDULLAH
By SADIE OLcoTT

! What / mean is that their minds ar
forced into unwholesome channels. II
these channels they become very ex
pert. The Indian fakir will do trick.
| that to us are ineXplicable. In tn,
matter of poisons it is doubtful If Ital
ians in the days Of the Borgias knew
a 1.-THE that is known in India. Snake
charmers, too, are plentiful, and one
cannot pass along a street without see
ing them seated cross legged doing
tricks with the reptiles. 1t is aston
ishing what vipers may be taught.
Captain OldershGw 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 dusky natives of India
that he considered they had no rights
he was bound to respect. He had a
servant, Abdullah, sad faced, unob-
trusive creature, whom he treated as a
slave. In India white persons usually
have many servants, each mental for a
different purpose.
One day Captain Oldershaw missed
some money that he kept In a drawer
of a desk. He was much disgruntled
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 Abdullah, and,
as was to be expected, he vented his
wrath upon him. Having accused his
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
to this and was even more
faithful to his master than before.
One day brother officer dined with
Captain Oldershaw and saw Abdullah.
what are you doing with that fellow
in your employ?" asked the guest of
Oldershaw.
"He is my bootblack," replied Older
shaw
"He has been a snake charmer. l
saw him perform one day on the street
and was so struck with what he had
taught his snakes that l have not for
gotten him."
"What did he teach them"
ITO charm bird, then crush it by
coiling about It,"
Upon my word! You don't mean
itw
"Yes, do. l wouldn't have the fell
low about me for a 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 Abdullah's
wages We're very small, and the sum
was sizable, so good deal Of time
was required In the matter.
One evening a very pretty Indian
girl came to the captains quarters and
asked to see him. He 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 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
gone when he began to feel
strange and in few minutes sank I'M
on the floor.
It happened that the surgeon Of the
regiment came in at the time and
found Oldershaw being picked up by
MS servants. When he asked them
what the captain had been doing to
)ring on an attack they informed him
If the visit Of the Indian girl and the
Kiss.
"Great heavensw exclaimed the doc
or. HE has been kissed by a poison
girl"
An Indian poison girl is one who,
aking a little Of certain poison ev-
Fry 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
lnttdote and, having arrived in the
lick Of time, saved the captains life.
Oldershaw was in a quandary. He
that some one having a
,rudge against him had sent the poi
ION girl to him. Possibly some one of
lis own servants might have done so.
he thought Of Abdullah and what he
lad heard of him, remembering having |
ortured him. But Abdullah had new
r seemed so devoted to him as re-
emily. Still, the captains had begun to
Iistrust him, and, since the money lost
" the theft was almost paid, he re-
oiped that as soon as he received the
-