Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1914-06-30

dUiy evil SedsOu. tlut Tue pupcI UcSuu
running the last issue Of the week on
Saturday night. which Is to say Sun
day morning. after the custom Of
London paper
One Saturday night It was my pleas
ant duty to put the paper to bed alone
1t was ptchy black night. us sitting
as Il June night can be. and the loo. the
redhot wind from the westward, was
booming among the tinder dry trees
and pretending that the rain was on Its
heels II wns Il shade cooler In the
pressroom than the office. SO sat there
while the type ticked and clicked and
the night jnrs hoOted ut the windows
and the all but naked compositors
wiped the sweat from their foreheads
and called for water
Then the roar and rattle Of the
wheels shivered the quiet into little
bits rose to 50 away. but two men
In white clothes stood In front Of me.
The first one said. Its himr' The
second said, 80 1t Isl" And they both
laughed almost rs loudly as the ma
chinery roared and mopped their fore
heads The smaller Of the two was
the man l had met in the Mhow train,
and his fellow was the red bearded
man Of Mnrwar Junction.
was not pleased, because ! wished
to go to sleep. not to squabble with
loafers "What do you wantr ! asked
Half an hours talk with you cool
and comfortable in the Office" said the
red bearded man. Wed like some
drink-the contrack doesn't begin yet,
Peachey. so you needn't LOOKOUT what
we really want Is advice. We don't
want money. We ask you as a favor.
because you did us Il bad turn about
Degumber"
led from the press room to the
sitting office with the maps on the
wall. and the red haired man rubbed
his hands That's something like"
said he "This was the proper shop to
come to Now. sir, let me Introduce
you to Brother Peachey Carnehan.
that's him. and Brother Daniel Dravot.
that Is me. and the less said about our
profession the better. for we have been
most things IN our time. Carnelan Is
sober. and SD am |. Well take one OF
your cigars apiece. and You shnll see us
light"
| watched the test. The men were
absolutely sober. NO gave them ench a
tepid peg
"Well and good" said Curnehan Of
the eyebrows. wiping the frOth from
his mustache. LET Inc talk now. Dan.
We have decided that India isn't big
enough for such rs us"
They certainly were too big for the
office. Carnehan continued THE
country isn't half worked out because
they that governs us won't let you
touch 1t. Therefore. such rs 1t Is. we
will let II alone and go away to some
other place where man isn't crowded
and can come to his own. We are not
little men, and there is nothing that we
are afraid Of except drink. and we
have signed contrack on that. There
fore we are going away to be kings"
"Kings In our own right" muttered
Dravot.
."Yes, Of course" said. you've been
Samping In the sun. and it's very
~arm night. and hadn't you better
sleep over the nOtiOnT
Neither drunk nor sunstruck." said
Dravot. I'VE have slept over the no
don half year and require to see
books and aliases. and we have decid-
ed that there is only one place now In
the world that two strong men can
Ear.a.whack. They call It Katiristan.
BY my reckoning it's I'll" top right.
hand corner of AfglinniStan. not more
than 800 miles from 'cshnwar. They
have two und thirty heather idols
there, and we'll be the thirty-third.
It's q mountainous country. and the
women are very beautiful"
"But that is provided against In the
contrack." said Carnehan Neither
women nor liquor. Daniel"
"And thats all we know. except that
no one has gone there. and they hght'
and In any place where they fight
man who knows how to drill men can
always be king. We shall 90 to those
parts and say to any king we hnd:
'D'you want to vanquish your foesY
md we will show him how to drill
men. for that we know better than
anything else. Then we will subvert
that king and seize bis throne and es-
tabllsh dynasty.
you'll be cut to pieces before you're
fifty miles across the border" ! SAID.
"You have to travel through Afghan
istan to get to that country. Are you
at all In earnest"
"a little" said Dravot sweetly. ANow,
rs big a map as you have got. even
II it's all blank where Katirlstnn Is. and
any books you've got We can read.
though we aren't very educated"
uncased the big thirty two miles to
the inch map Of India and two smaller
frontier maps. hauled down volume
Inf-kan of the Encyclopaedia Britain
MICA. and the men consulted them.
"See herer' said Dravot. his thumb
on the map. up to Jagdnllnk. Peach
ey and me know the road. We was
there with Roberts army. Well have
to turn of to the right at Jagdal'ak.
through Iaghmann territory: then we
ret among the hills-l4.OOO feet-l5'OOo
II will be cold work there, but 1t don't
look very far on the map"
I smoked while the men pored over
Raverty. Wood. the maps and the En-
cyclopaedia.
There Is no use your waiting" said
Drayot politely. "It's about 4 o'clock
now. Wen 60 before 9 o'clock II you
want to sleep. and we won't steal any
Of the papers. When we've got our
kingdom in going order well let you
know, and you can come up and help
% to govern It"
SWould two lunsticD make q cQo'