Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1928-08-30

candlelight, and he moved so softly
SO unobtrusively that it was very easy
to ignore his presence. 1t was
Ahmad Das.
A white face is always compare
lively visible in dim light. That is
why soldiers going on to No Mans
Land at night darkened their faces
with lamp-black. But Ahmad's
face was naturally dark, and it blur
red in our sight. Sometimes / saw
the whites of his eyes when the
candlelight shone on them. Villas
Hayward was not trying to read;
and the fact that the light was too
dim for easy reading had nothing
really to do with it. He was watch
ing Ahmad Das out of the corner of
his eyes.
The lighting effect was one in
which a great artist would have re-
joiced. 1t was yellow and dim, of
course; and perhaps it had a quail
ity of unreality. The atmosphere of
candles at any time is distinctly
medieval. Then there was the
graduation of shadows-dusky close
to the fireplace, but shading off to a
deep intense black. The light from
the two candles met at the very ex-
tremities, leaving a dusky path be-
tween. Vilas's head and shoulders
cast a distinct shadow on the wall,
blurred, however, by the effect of a
candle across the room. The shad-
ow thrown by Ahmad was something
gliding and dusky and dim against
The curtains of the windows.
There was an effect of silence, too
possibly induced by the accentuation
of the faint sounds that were pres
ent. 1t seemed to me that / could
hear distinctly the rustic and whis-
per of portieres dragged to the floor
by the wind. A window shade
wavered with the faintest stir of
sound. Then there were the hush
ed manifold sounds of the night
that came hushed and strange
through the noises-noises so OBJ
scure that the ears had to strain to
perceive them.
Vilas's face was lighted by the
nearest candle. | could really see
it more plainly than any other de-
tail in the room. The fact fascinat-
ed me at first. All other things
were dim and blurred and unreal;
but it was sharp and clear. And
ever this early in the drama it had a
quality that was disturbing to the
last three days.
Good God! Where is every one?
he exploded at last. Ahmad
Ahmad Das!"
The servant arose and came near
him half obscured in the shadows.
He stood straight and tall.
Eyes, sahib-"
"Where is everybody? Southley
and his son ought to be back by
now. What direction have they
gomez"
Il do not know, sahib. They told
me they were going toward the
cottages of the laborers. But they
did not turn that way after they had
gone out the door"
"And Miss Southley? She was
to join me here"
"She has gone too. | don't know
where. The detectives are spending
the day across the marsh-on the
height"
"But it's time they we're back by
now. Good Lord, what did they go
there for when the trouble is here?
Here, / tell you, and you know it
develish we'll.
Il do not know what the sahib
means"
Damn your black facet"
Then Villas tried to regain his self
control. We saw him struggling. The
fight was Inscribed on his face. And
it was a hard fight, too-a losing
fight. For a long moment he was
quiet, and Ahmad Das resumed his
furniture busting. He beant lower
and lower, and once more he was on
his knees.
And now | didn't look at Villas.
My eyes were frozen upon Ahmad
Das. His position, as far as extern
ais were concerned, was one that
every housekeeper gets in many
times a day. But there was some
thing different about this. There
was a luxury, a passion, in the way
he spread his long body on the floor.
| can't describe it except to say it
was as if he felt a rapture in it. Nor
was he calm any more. There was
a strange nervousness upon him,
like an intense eagerness, and his lips
we're drawn, ever so slightly. He
crawled about so slowly, his body
so close to the floor.
Then Villas spoke again in the
silence-the words sharp and clear.
My eyes flashed to him. He was
leaning forward in his chair, every
muscle set, every tendon rigid.
"Ahmad Das!" he commanded.
GO and get some candles"
81 cannot, sahib," the Hindu an
swered from the floor. "They are
all rome but these two. Every one.
| can not bring more"
"Then Pm going out to look for
S~outhley."
"He will be hard to find, sahib.
There are shadows and water and
jungle between" Then Ahmad's
voice seemed to grow indescribably
eager. "You will need a guide"
"A guide-what do you mean?"
"If the sahib must not start out
in the dark alone! And if the sahib
has despaired Of Miss Southley meet
ing him here, and wishes to go to his
room, / will go thence with him, too.
Villas Hayward suddenly snatched
open the drawer in the table. For
an instant his frenzied hands thrust
~ tho ,ptorior. +bap ha wbir1ad 70