The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-07

So do l." aid Revel Lots Of 'em,
confound EN-"
Now, his takes Martha's story.
and it's quite true"
They always are said Martha
i've noticed that before.
Never mind. III forgive you. But
this happened 10 me-. Since you are
talking tomhs. III assist at the stance.
II was in 50 or SO. | have forgotten
which. Anyhow. it was when I was
on the Utamamula Canal h~eadworks.
and | was cumming with a nan called
Stovey. You've never met him be-
cause he belongs to the Bombay side.
and IL he isn't really dead 10y this he
ought to be somewhere there now. He
was a pukka sweep. and | hated him
We divided the canal bungalow be-
tween US. and we kept strictly to our
own side OF the buildings
Hold on, call. What was Stovey
TO look att" said Revel.
Living picture Of the king OF
spades-a blackish. greasy sort Of ruff
fan who hadn't any pretence OF man
ners or form. He used TO dine in the
kit he had been messing about the
canal in all day. and | don't believe
he ever washed. He had the embank-
ments to look after. and | was IN
charge Of the h~eadworks. but he was
always contriving to fall foul of me II
he possibly could"
II know that sort Of Mullane
of Ghoridasah's built that way"
Don't know Mullane. but Stovey
was a sweep. Canal work isn't exactly
chAnrinu and 4, In.Sp't taLA yAt, into
much society. We were like a couple
of rats in a burrow. %grubbing n
scooping all day and turning in at
night into the barn of a bungalow.
Well. this mar Stovey didn't get fever.
He was so coated with dirt that | don't
believe the fever could have got At him.
He just began to go mad"
Cheerful What were the symp-
toms?'
well. his naturally vile temper
grew infamous. 1t was really unsafe
TO speak to him, n he always seemed
anxious to murder a coolie or two.
With me. of course, he restrained him
self a little. hut he sulked like "A bear
for days and days together. As he
was the only European society within
sixty miles, you al imagine how nice
it was for me. He'd sit at table and
sulk and stare at the opposite wall by
the hour-instead OF doing his work.
When | pointed out that the Govern
ment didn't send us into these cheerful
places to twlddle u thumbs. he glared
ike a beast. oh. he was "A thorough
dog, lie had n lot of other endearing
tricks, hut the worst was when he
began to pray"
Began to-how much?"
"Pray. He'd got hold Of an old copy
of the War CrU and used to read il
at meals: and | suppose that that, on
the top of tough goat, disordered his
intellect. one night | heard him in
his room g%roaning and talking at "A
fearful rate. Next morning | asked
him if he'd been taken worse. I've
been engaged in prayer he said, look
ing AZ black as thunder. "A mans
spiritual concerns are his own prop
crty,' m nlght-he'd kept up these
spiritual exercises for about ten days.
growing queerer and queerer every
ddy-he said good night after din
ner and got up and shook hands with
me-
bad sign. that said Rcvcl, sucking
industriuusly at his cheroot.
AT first ! couldn't make out what
the man wanted. No fellow shakes
hands with a fellow he's living with
least Of all such a beast as Stovey.
However, | was civil. but the minute
after he'd left the room it struck me
what he was going to do. II he hadn't
shaken hands I'd have taken no no
ticc, ! suppose. This unusua efusion
put me on my guard"
Curious thing. You can nearly al,
ways tell when n Johnnie means peg
cling out. He gives himself away by
some softening. It's human nature
What did You do"
called him back and asked him
what the this and that he meant by
interfering with my coolies in the day