Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-10-12
The RANGES
Crystal
Story of an Adventure
In Bombay
By CLARISSA MACKIE

oOhh DftlAia9, u eONnS a PAOAlA
nent in New York society and still
more prominent in diplomatic circles,
had just completed a most delicate
mission which had taken him first to
London, where he had met many dis
tinguished people in high life; then on
to India, where his task was finished.
Never having been In that part of the
world before, he wandered around for
some time making himself familiar
with the sights and customs of the
country.
For a week he had been in Bombay,
fascinated by the odd streets, beauti-
full temples and palaces and the gen.
eral mysticism of the life of a people
so totally different from that expert
enced in any other part of the world.
On the eve before his departure from
the city John Barclay stood IN Temple
hill, and Bombay seemed very far
away that breathless night as he look
ed toward the mystic towers of the
city that lay a few miles distant.
Temple hill was In a suburb Of In
dia's great city, and John Barclay had
spent a delightful day IN examining
the ruins of ancient temples and in
wandering through the. beautiful gar
den of IL deserted palace.
Now the garden lag behind him, at
the foot of Temple hill. Overhead the
moon shone, a soft, luminous disk
against the dense blue sky. The great
stars beamed: not a cloud flecked the
sky; not a zephyr stirred the hair on
his temples.
From some distant garden came the
sounds of music and merrymaking.
After awhile that died away, and
there was no sound save the weird
call of a night bird or the distant cry
of a jungle prowler.
John Barclay was lost in dreamy
abstraction when he felt a touch on his
arm.
He started violently and drew away
from the gaunt framed Hindu who had
touched his sleeve.
what do you want7" demanded Bar
clay sharply.
The man salaamed.
Pardon, sahib,' he said softly, "but
the rance requests your presence at
ouce."
'The rance? Let me see," unused
Barclay. "The rance is the woman
ruler of a district or province. Sort
of a lady rajah, eh?"
"Exactlyr' put in the Hindu calmly.
1.-THE dickensl SO you understand
English pretty plainly, my man! Well.
what does her royal highness want OF
a poor American tourist?"
The Hindu salaamed again.
"She would speak with the sahib."
every well, lead the way" decided
Barclay, ready for adventure. 81 hear
the rance is young and lovely" He
smiled to himself as he followed his
guide down the hill Inc through the
gate that led into the very garden in
which he had spent the beautiful after
noon.
The guide walked silently and swift
ly through the garden, and Barclay,
thrilled with the mystery and romance
attending his summons to the presence
of the rance, followed.
Heavy scents of roses, jasmine and
lilies chung close to him as he walked,
A nightingale burst into rapturous
song from some hidden covert.
The walls Of the palace rose dark
and forbidding. There was not n
ray of light to be seen. Only the white
turban of the Hindu served as a guide
for the American to follow.
Here, sahib," said the man, pausing
suddenly before a low arched doorway.
"Follow me-"
A man of weaker nerve than Bar
clay might easily have quailed at the
risk taken in following so bl1ndly q
guide on an unknown mission in a
country like India. He well knew how
mysteriously people disappeared in
those big cities OF india. never to be
heard of again. OF curse a sense of
the danger flashed through his mind,
bat his nerve was good, and he rather
enjoyed the thrill of excitement in the
7 adventure. Added to this was his
curiosity to see the inside of one of
those wonderful palaces of India and
to be in the presence, according to re-
port, of one of the worlds most beau
tiful women.
Barclay stepped close behind the 9th
er as the mans softly shod feet noise
lessly trod a stone passageway and
mounted a narrow fight of stone steps.
Up, up they went until at last they
emerged upon the fiat roof of the pal
ace.
Here was all the warm luxury of
eastern life-gay awnings, soft, silken
rugs, cushioned diyans, delicately shad-
ed lights swinging to and fro, sweet
meats and luscious fruits heaped on
low tables and over all the sweet per
vading fragrance of many flowers.
Under a silken awning a lovely wom-
an reposed on a soft diyan. Barclay
caught a general impression of perfect
faafuros duekv hair tWinpd with flow