The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-05-23
Edited by MARY MARSHALL

tnuS 1Eutterln8, ne lay uo"H dSdiu anu
was soon asleep.
Il could thrash the fellow. no doubt. y
Alec unused. but what good would II
do? He would never tell the secret. and
I can't move the slab myself: no. I must
catch him on the hop" And with that
enigmatical sentence he quietly crep,
away and went to bed
The next day the khansama came to
but that he had received letter to say
his father was dying, and that he was
wanted urgently in his village. which
was many days journey across country
OF course, he would come back as soon
as the business was over, but he was
afraid he would be away some little
time.
Alec could not refuse. so the khan
sama went away to make preparations
for his departure on the morrow.
1T will have to be tonight or never
muttered Alec to himself. Then, putting
his fingers to his lips. he gave the koers
call, and large turban supported by a
thin black boy eEded onto the veranda.
Mysterious conversation then ensued. the
upshot of which was that Tippoo didn't
sleep in the cookroom as usual, but In
the bungalow with Alec.
1t was the dead OF night, and the khan
same. sitting on the grave. after one
long. lingering look at the jewels. was
tying them into little bundles which he
could easily carry away among his
things, when there was the faintest rus
tie among the phaIsa bushes and the
soft hoo, hoo, hoo!' of the little white
owl. Three times did the little owlet
hoo and three times was it answered
by another somewhere down the garden.
'Ho, no, my friend, Is it you?" said
the khansama. Art thou not somewhat
slow with thy Affections, Peer Khan ?
See. thy Bhistee's jewels be all tied up
secure in my bundle. and tomorrow de-
part hence
What hast thou done. oh, misbegot-
ten wrctch?' cried hollow. quavering
voice from the bushes. THY doom is
sealed. Thou shalt never take thy PLUM
der hence. Behold: I come for thee
along the garden path
The khansama turned his eyes and
saw, but ten PAGES off. on the path lead
ing TO the grave, a human skull, with
greenish light streaming from the eyes
and pillowed on a cloud of phosphores-
cent light which came and went in ghost
ly manner; and as he stared the thing
began to move. sliding along the ground
as 1t came. the head turning this way
and that as IL looking for the object Of
Its vengeance. Now and again 1t STOP
ped, but a ghostly ''hoo, hoo" from the
owl in the phalsa bushes seemed to d.
rect it. and it came nearer and nearer
The khansama's jaw dropped and his
eyes protruded, as. fascinated by the
horror. he sat upon the grave. And
nearer and yet nearer came the tesror.
slowly creeping inch by inch. And now
he clearly sees the features, with the
teeth set in a hooking grin. A culver
Of green light falls on his foot as the
deaths head mounts the tomb and now
oh. horror Of horror!-he sees some dark
malformed body attached to the limbs
fattened along the ground. He makes an
effort to tear himself away and fly; but
no. a cold paralysis has seized every
Joint. Now the thing has reached his
late; cold clammy touch is laid upon
him. With a piercing yell the strong
man leaps up and then falls back insen-
sible among the bundles of jewels.
The cry awakes the servants. who
come hurrying with torches to sec what
is the matter. They find the phansama
in a fainting fit. with nothing to account
for his yell of alarm, and carry him to
his room.
He has had a bad dream" says one.
1T is the ghost of Peer Khan" says
the Bhistee. He would not heed my
warming"
That was berry much clever trick,
Alec Sahib." said Tippoo with a happy
low with the tortoise. skull. and jewels.
Yes. but it nearly failed Alec re-
piled, for In another minute the skull
would have torpled of the tortoise, green
light and all. See the wax has nearly
all melted away
The next day the khansama was found
to have a fever. i'm which he talked wild
~ of the ghost of Peer Khan and Jewels
which he would not give up to the ghost.
After a week the fever left him, and
when he could take an interest in his
surroundings he learned that the Bhis-
tees fortune had been found by Alec
in the grave of Peer Khan, and that
Alecs father. who had come back. had
taken the Bhistee to the bank. where his
immense riches were stored in a strong
room. And the erstwhile humble water
carrier was now one Of the wealthicst
men in the land.
Then in a spirit of repentance the
khansama told his tale to the circle of
open-mouthed scrvants-how he had first
found the treasures after many nights
of trying. and how. when he had sue
ceeded, the spirit of the dead had come
and stricken him down and returned the
Jewels to the tomb. That he was living
to tell the tale was the greatest OF all
miracles.
And to this day the khansama believes