Meade County news., 1915-02-11

the door, SHINING the sill.
The colonel, Bruce, Ramabai an
Ahmed had found the horses half
dozen miles away; and they ha
thrashed the thieving natives sound
and instilled the right kind of fear
their breasts. At rife point they ha
forced the natives back to the res
house. The crack of their rifles 500
. announced to Kathlyn that the drea
of wolves was thing of the past. Sh
3 wisely refrained from recounting he
t experiences. The men had worr
enough.
/ After a hasty meal the journey tC
ward the seaport began in earnest
Umballa's attack had thrown them ia
. out Of the regular track. They wer,
now compelled to make wide detour
Where the journey might have beef
made in three days, they would b,
lucky now If they reached the sea un
der five. The men took turns In stand
ing watch whenever they made camp
and Kathlyn and Pundita had no time
for idleness. They had learned theil
lessons; no more carelessness, moth
ing but the sharpest vigilance from
now on.
One day, as the pony caravan made
a turn round ragged promontory
they suddenly paused. Perhaps TWEEN
ty miles to the west lay the emerald
tinted Persian gulf. The colonel
slipped off his horse, dragged Kathlyn
from hers, and began to execute a
hornpipe. He was like boy.
THE sea, Kit, the sea! Home and
Winnie; out of this DEVILS caldron!
You will come along with us, Bruce?"
Il haven't anything else to do"
Bruce smiled back.
Then he gazed at Kathlyn, who
found herself suddenly filled with
strange embarrassment. In times of
danger sham and subterfuge have no
place. Heretofore she had met Bruce
as man, to whom a glance from her
eyes had told her secret. Now that
the door to civilization lay but few
miles away, the old conventions
dropped their obscuring mantles over
her and she felt ashamed. And there
was not little doubt. Perhaps she
had mistaken the look in his eyes,
back there in the desert, back in the
nrst day when they had fed together
from the ordeals. And yet E.
On his part, Bruce did not particu-
larly welcome the sea. There might
be another man somewhere No wom-
an so beautiful as Kathlyn could pos
slbly be without suitors. And when
the journey down to the sea was re-
sumed he became taciturn and moody,
and Kathlyn's heart correspondingly
heavy.
The colonel was quite oblivious to
THIS change. He swung his legs free
OF the primitive stirrups and whistled
the airs which had been popular in
America at the time of his departure
There was no lightness in the ex-
pressions Of Ramabai and Pundita.
They were about to lose these white
people forever, and they had grown to
love, nay, worship them. More, they
must return to face they knew not
what.
AS for Ahmed, he displayed his orl-
by appearing unconcerned.
He had made up his mind not to re-
turn to America with his master.
There was much to do in Allaha, and
the spirit of intrigue had laid firm hold
of him. He wanted to be near at hand !
when Ramabai struck his blow. He
would break the news to the Colonel
Sahib before they sailed.
1t was four o'clock when the caravan
the little seaport town. A few
tramp steamers lay anchored in the
offing. A British flag dropped from the
stern of one Of them. This meant Bom-
bay; and Bombay, in turn, meant Suez,
the Mediterranean, and the broad At
antic.
The air was still and hot, for the In,
1ian summer was now beginning to
ay its burning hand upon this great
peninsula. The pale dust, the white
'tucco Of the buildings, blinded the
Eye.
They proceeded at once to the single
lotel, where they found plenty of ac-
;ommodation. Then the colonel hur-
led off to the cable Office and wired
Winnie. Next he ascertained that the
British ship Simla would weigh anchor
he following evening for Bombay;
hat there they could pick up the Delhi,
pound for England. There was moth
ng further to do but wait for the an.
iwer to the colonel's cable to Winnie,
which would arrive somewhere about
loon Of the next day.
And that, answer struck the hearts
'f all Of them with the coldness of
leath. Umballa had beaten them.
Winnie had sailed weeks ago for Ala
la in search Of father and sister!
Ahmed spat out his betel nut and
quared his shoulders. Somehow he
lad rather expected something like
his. The reason for Umballa's half
Iearted pursuit stood forth clearly.
"Sahib, 1t is fate" he said. I'VE
must return at once to Alfalfa. Truly.
he curse of that old guru sticks like
ha hInOd laarhaa of Tho D.,