The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-08-28


walls. the various wfld animal heads,
and were packed away In strong boxes.
And Ahmed went thither and yon, d
hundred cares upon his shoulders He
was busy because then iheihad no time!
TO mourn Lal Singh. n
Bruce's camp was. OF course. IN ut!
ter ruin. Not even the cooking uten:i
sils remained; and OF his men there
was left but Ali. whose leg still caused
him to. limp, a little. So Bruce was
commanded by no less person than
Kathlyn to be her fathers guest TIL
they departed for America. Daily
Winnie rode Rajah. He was such a
funny old paehyderm. a kind of clown
among his brethren, but as gentle as a
kitten. Running away had not paid.
He was like the country boy who had
gone to the big city; he never more
could be satisfied with the farm. 4
The baboon hung about the colonel,s
heels as dog might have done; while
Kathlyn had found a tiger cub for a
playthlng So for awhile peace reigned
at the camp.
They found the much.sought docu;
ment in tile secret chamber in Um.
balla's house. dust as he intended they
should; and the king had It legally
destroyed and wrote new will. where
in Pundita should have back that
which the kings ancestors had taken
from hers-a throne. M
After that there was nothing for,
Colonel Hare to do but proceed to ship.
his animals to the railroad, thence to
the ports where he could dispose Of
them. Never should he enter this part
Of India again. Life was too short. 4
High and low they hunted Umballa,
but without seccess. Ho was hidden
well. They were, however. assured
that he fingered in the city and was
sinisterly alive. s
Day after day the king grew stronger
mentally and physically Many of the
reforms suggested by Ramabai were
put into force. Quiet at length really.
settled down upon the city. They be.
gan to believe that Umballa had fled
the city, and vigilance corresponding
ly relaxed.
Tho king had a private chamber.
the window of which overlooked the
garden of brides. There, with his sher;
bets and water pipe he resumed his
old habit of inditing verse in pure
Persian, for he was scholar. lie
never entered the zenana or harem;
but occasionally he sent for some Of
tho women to play and dance before
him. And the woman who loved I'm.
Iballa was among these. One day she
asked to take Journey into the ba.
zaars 10 visit her sister. Ordinarily
such request would have been dc.
nied. but the king no longer cared
what the women did, and the chief
ernuch slept afternoons and nights,
being only partly alive in the morn.
'Ings.
An hour later n palanquin was low.
cred directly beneath the kings win
dow. To his eye it looked exactly like,
Tho one which had departed. He went
On writing. absorbed. Had he looked
closely. had he been the least suspi;
:ious. :. I
This palanquin was the gift OF
Durga Ram, so-called Umballa. It had
been built especially for this long
walted.for occasion. 1t was nothing
more nor less than summing cage in
which tiger was huddled, in a vile
:emper. The palanquin bearers, friends
If the dancing girl, had overpowered
the royal bearers and donned their
costumes. At this moment one of the
bearers (Umballa himself, trusting no.
onc!) crawled stealthIly under the
palanquin and touched the spring
which liberated the tiger and opened
the blind. The furious beast sprang
to the window. The king was too as.
tonished TO move, to appreciate his
danger. From yon harmless palan.s
quin this striped fury!
The tiger in his leap struck the
Gcquered desk, broke 1t aud scattered
tho papers about the floor.
Ramabai and his officers were Just
entering the corridor which led to the