The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-11-15

fine Bengal tiger skins with wide,
conspicuous stripes. IL was in
rugged little village on the outskirts
of the Jungle, and Mrs. Meehan was
the only member OF the white race
in sight.
She admitted that once or twice
she became sufficiently alarmed TO
reach inside her coat pocket for her
gun, while measuring the distance
from the peddlers hut to her bullock
cart. Ytrt at last evaporation took
the place of fear.
aft you don't let me have those
skins at my price at this moment"
she told him, II am going farther
into the interior and get them my
self"
1t was a hot day, as only Indian
days can be hot, and Mrs. Meehan
had no desire to travel farther into
the interior. Furthermore, she was
by no means certain that she would
not be followed and robbed. possibly
killed. Nevertheless, she gave the
Chinese peddler an irate not of dis
missal and walked cody to her cart.
She was scarcely seated, however, be-
fore the Chinaman came after her and
threw the skins at her feet
MEN CAN Do
Mem can do he agreed pleasantly.
Mem can do"
$50 Mem got several dozen tiger
skins at the lowest price ever quoted
to white trader Mrs Meehan
announced calmly.
The awnshop-keepers of the East
have the same superstitions of those
of the West, according to Mrs. Nee
han. For instance, they believe il
to be unlucky not to sell to the first
person who enters their shop in the
morning, so that a very early riser
can get almost anything he wants at
his own price. Mrs. Meehan, there
fore. made it a point to visit the
pawnshops between the hours of and
in the morning, sometimes dragging
a dealer out of his bed Cor off his
straw mat, to be exact to wait on
her. BY this shrewd method the
managed to secure some remarkable
jewelry at absurdly low prices.
TOO MUCH PUBLICITY
Although she tried to have her
identity secret for business reasons,
the news that she was buying for
an American moving-picture company
was always leaking out and causing
much hopeful excitement among the
j local merchants.
+ Mrs. Meehan's buying activities
were handicapped rather than aid
ed by the press Of the countries which
she visited. which carried stories of
her arrival and of her quest of movie
scenic material. They meant Will,
but she noticed that every time such
information appeared, prices imme
diately leaped violently upward, SO
that she soon learned to avoid pub
+ licity-certainly an unfamiliar pre-
caution for a moving picture agent
j HIGHER THAN HERE
On the day after Honolulu paper
j published an account of her arrival,
no less than eighteen persons came
on shipboard to sell Mrs. Meehan
individual fur skins, including every
thing from seal and bear to skunk
and fox They knew, the owners
said, that she wanted tiger skins, but
] didn't she think The other skins would
do as we'll?
II was very cordial in my refusal"
explained Mrs. Meehan, "and told them
that prices were very interesting.
They were They we're just about
twice as high as those demanded in
the fur shops of Los Angeles"
Mrs. Meehan is not very enthusi-
astie about Honolulu, as most tour
lists are. Perhaps this is because
she bought there for her young
daughter a quaint Hawaiian doll,
which further examination showed to
be plainly labeled. Made in Roches-
ter, N. Y"
"That was the only time got done,
in all the thousands Of purchases |
made" Mrs. Meehan confessed. Eek
cept for one time in Singapore when
was almost done for completely.
THRILLING ADVENTURE
1T had just purchased large qaun-
tity of jewels from a dear old Indian
rajah," she explained. Most of them
were valuable not only for their uni
que craftsmanship and design, which
denoted great age. but some of them
were really precious. So took them
down to the manager OF the Motel,
where was stopping. with the re-
quest that they be put away in the
! hotel safe. There are always a lot
of Malay servants hanging around the
| Hobbies of Indian hotels, and l sup
pose some of them may have seen
me showing the jewels to the man
ager without realizing that they were
to be put in safe keeping.
THAT night. being tired out with
bargaining, | went early to my room.
changed to hegligee, and throwing
myself on the hard bed, took advan-
tage of the twilight by reading my
well-worn copy of Kiplings Kiln
| 1t was Kiln that first made me long
to go to India. AS read. wonder
| ed what Mr. Kipling really thinks of
the India of today. restless under its
| imperturbable mask. Nursing an in
feriority complex and filled with the
new hope inspired by Ghandi. We're
the Mohammedans actually gaining in
power, as everybody said they were2
Pondering these weighty questions I
! fell asleep.
PJppED THE MATTpECC