Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-04-23
By abbot
Munday

unimpressed by his recovered dig
nifty.
IF he's alive, and you know
where he is" said Kirby, Il will
pay you your price. Name it,"
Beg for him! There is no 9TH
err price. The Eight
| Half-brothers burns! Beg for him. ="
Now, the colonel of a regiment of
light cavalry is so little given to
| beg for things that the word beg
/ has almost lapsed out of his vocab-
! ulary from desuetude.
81 beg you to tell me where he
is" he said stiffly, and she clapped
her hands and laughed with such
delight that he blushed to his ears
again.
81 have had a prince on his
knees TO me, and many a priest"
she chuckled. aye and many a SOL
dier-but never yet a British col
onel sahib. Kneel and beg"
"Why-what-wh dye mean?'
demanded Kirby.
| rs his honor not your honor? /
have heard it said. Then beg, Col
onel sahib, on your knees - on
those stiff knees-beg for the hon
or of Ranjoor Singh"
"D'you mean-d'pou mean-?'
| Beg for his honor, and beg for
his life, on your knees. Colonel
sahib."
Il could look the other way, sir"
whispered Warrington, for the reg
iment's need was very real.
Nay, both of youi Ye shall both
I hnrfF cold NaGTn1fni 70
| Singh shall taste a hillman's mercy.
| regiment shall hang its head in
| shame"
Impossible" said Kirby. His
| honor is as good as minei"
Then beg for his and thine-on
| your knees, Colonel sahib,"
Then it seemed to Colonel Kirby
| that the room began to swim, for
what with the heat and what with
an unconquerable dread OF snakes.
| he was not in shape to play his will
against this woman's.
What if l kneel?" he asked.
81 will promise you Ranjoor
| Singh. alive and clean."
"When?'
I'm time"
I'm time for WHAT"
Against the regiments need"
| "No use. | want him at once!"
said Colonel Kirby.
Then go, sahib! Put out the
| fire with the sweat that streams
from thee, Nay. go, both of you-
we have my leave to go, And what
is a Sakh risaldar more or less?
Nay, go. and let that Jat die"
II is not 10 be written lightly
that the British colonel of Out
rams Own and his adjutant both
knelt TO a native woman-if she is
native--in a top back-room of a
Delhi bazaar But il has TO be re
corded that for the sake of Ranjoor
Singh they did.
They knelt and placed their
foreheads where She babe them.
against the divan at her feet, and
she poured enough musk in their
hair for the love OF mischief. TO re
mind them of what they had done
until in the course of slowly NOV
ing nature the smell should die
away. And then in second the
lights went out, each blown by
fan from behind the silken hang
inss.
They heard her silvery laugh,
and they heard her spring TO the
floor In cold, creeping sweat they
listened to footsteps, and a little
voice whispered in Hindustani:
This way, sahibs!"
They followed. since there was
nothing else TO do and their pride
was all gone. to be pushed and
pulled by unseen hands aud chuck
ling girls down stairs that were
cut out of sheer hlackuess And at
The foot of the dark voice that
Warrington recognized shed new
interest but no light on the mys-
terry.
"Salaam, sahibs, said a fat babu.
backing through door in front OF
them and showing himself silhou-
cited against the lesser outer dark