St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1914-12-19
touched her forehead Win Id m

touched her forehead with h1s IT.
And now" said the colonel. ~tlhl
king!'"
| Ramabai's head sank
| What ID tho matter? L b aeaAf'
If knew thai" answered Ran0
bal, Il would rest content
But you searched the regal
PRISON."
And found nothing. nokhiag!s
What do you believed"
II believe that either the Counoel
or Umballa has forestalled ~. W.
shall visit the Council ct once. They
are prisoners. II they have had Nd
hand in the liserpsaraaos u the king
then We are facing . stone wall over
which we cannot lsan For Umballa
has led. withef no oas knows, end
with him has gone tho secret Cons
We shall 80 At onse TO the palace
prison"
The Council which had ruled 30 long
in Alfalfa was very humble indeed.
They had imprfscrad the king b
cause he had given many evidences Of
mental uubalance Perhaps unwfsely
they had proclaimed his death Durga
Ram had discovered what they had
done and had held it over their heads
like sword blade. That the king was
not in his dungeon, why and where
for, was beyond their knowledge.
They werc In the power Of Ramabai:
let him work his will upon them. They
had told the truth. And Ramabai,
much as he detested them, believed
them. But for the present 1t was re-
quired that they remain incarcerated
till the king was found, dead or alive.
In the palace soldiers and servants
alike had already forgotten Umballa.
To them 1t was as IL he had not ex'
listed. al in few hours There was,
However. one man who did not forget
Upon = certain day Umballa had care.
lessly saved his life, and to his bene,
factor he was now determined to de.
vote that life. This man was the ma
jordomo, the chief servant In the
kings household. 1t was not that he
loved Umballa: rather than he owed
Umballa . debt and resolved to pay it.
Two days later. when the fires were
extinguished and the populace had set.
tied back. into its former habits, this
majordomo betook himself to Um.
blla's house. 1t was we'll guarded,
and by men who had never been close
to Umballa, but had always belonged
to the dissatisfied section, the frankly
and openly mutinous section. No
bribery was possible here; 1T least,
nothing short Of fabulous sum Of
money would dislodge their loyalty to
Ramshai, now the constitutional re-
gent No ono could leave tAe houso
or enter It without scratinty and quss-
ton.
The servants and the women Of tho
zenanas remained undisturbed. Rama
bal would have It 30. Things had bsen
put IN order. There had NOT been
much damage done by the hooters ON
the day Of tho revolt. They hsd looked
for treasure merely, and only IN oc-
casiQnal bit Of vandalism had marked
their pathway.
On the pain Of death no soldier
might enter the house.
The majordomo was permitted to en-
ter without questions lie passed tho
guards humbly. But once inside, b.
You'd observation, he became Z dit-
ferent man. For in Umballa's HOUSE,
~ IN Ramabai's, there we're secret
chambers. and today the majordomo
entered one Of them through panel
concealed behind hanging Ispahan
rug.
On the night after the revolt. Um-
balla. sober ard desperate, had skunk
back disguised IS candy seller.
The house was not guarded then, %
he had no difficulty in gaining admit.
lance. Bul be had to gain entrance
through a 7zflScHs in the zenana. Ho
would not trust either his servants
his slaves, or his chief eunuch. To
the women OF his own zenana he had
always been carelessly kind, and WON
On are least bribable Of the two sexes.
Vmballa entered at once his secret
charabar, and food and water were
brpusiN, one Of the women acting az
bearer. on the morning after the
guards arrived. and Umballa knew not
bow long he might have to walt.
i. Through one It the women he sent 9
', srbal message to the maJordomo.
". th the result that each day he
lee rned what was taking place in the
pal ace. So they hurried for the king!
he was very well satisfied. He had
had his revenges and more than this,
he was confident when the time came
he would also gain his liberty. He
he'd a "a nsom 10 pay: the king him
self!
Now. til en-, Ramabai felt 1t incun,-
bent: on him to hold banquet in the
palace, there to state to his friends.
native and white. just what he intend
ID to do. And on the night OF this
sober cccasIo on he sat in the throne
room before a desk Uttered with docu-
ments. AS hs finished writing q note
be summoned the majordomo.
Have this delivered at once to Hare
sahib, whom you will And at his bum
zalow outside the city. Tell him also
that he must be present tonight, he,
his friend, and his daughters. It 10
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