The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-09

break through and run for 1t.
Then Colonel Ranjit Singh went
away and messenger appeared
with note from Miss MacDaid.
They needed stimulants desperate
ly at the hospital. She called upon
him, she wrote, because he prob
ably had the only brandy and
whisky still available in Ranchi-
pur. Could he send her what he
had?
Quickly he wrote a note to John
the Baptist in french telling him
to send everything in the cellar to
Miss MacDaid. There were per-
haps couple of dozen bottles.
Then he took key from his
pocket and gave 1t to the messen-
ger along with the note and sped
him on his way.
Bates arrived when the after
noon was well along, carried on n
shutter from the mission by four
coolies. He was feverish and
dressed again in his Wallets clothes.
They looked little more respect
able now. Part of the delay had
been caused by Phoebe, who in
sisted on cleaning them as far as
was possible.
They were ready to leave now
and set out for the plane in the
millet field beyond the Tower of
Silence--the pilot, Ransome. Bates
and the doctor. Bringing up the
end OF the procession came the
Parsees. the Bunyas, and Mr.. Ban
nerjee with his fathers ashes. all
still hopeful, perhaps, that Bates
would die on the way and that
there would be a place in the plane
for one of them.
But when they came to the field
there was no hope of starting the
plane. The pilot turned the mo-
tors, but the wheels were sunk
deep in the mud: so Gopal Rae
took charge and Communicated
men out of the curious crowd
which had gathered, and they
dragged 1t as far as the metaled
road which ran straight as an ar
row toward where the great dam
had once been.
Then as they were about tc
start, a messenger came running
UP with letter which he deliver
ed the pilot. 1t was from Lady
Esketh. addressed to Lord Es-
keth's secretary in Bombay, tell
ing him she meant to stay in
Ranchipur and commencing Bates
to his care.
Then the plane started. roaring
up the straight. long road and
shortly vanished into the low
clouds that hung above the white
temples of Mount ALBANIA. The
Bunyas, the Parsees, and Mr.. Ban
nerjee, still carrying the ashes
looked after II until it disappeared
and then turned back grumbling
toward the city, past the rim OF
black vultures on the Tower OF
Silence.
At the bazaar Ransome left the
little procession to go to the hos
pital. He was exhausted now
Sleep logged his eyes, and as he
walked he stumbled where there
were no obstacles at all. But be-
fore he slept he had to see Fern
to discover if everything was GO
ing well with her, for in his tired
brain there was born the obsessior
that he must care for her nov
until she could escape from this
dying city and return to Americs
, and the easy. healthy life which
was her birthright.
He found Fern in the room sh,
shared with Edwina and Mis-:
Hodge. She had just changed hei
blue cotton uniform and was run
ming brush through her shori
blonde hair before broken bit OF
mirror she had found somewhere
At the sound of his footsteps al
the doorway she turned. and ther
came quickly toward him, but
when she neared the doorway she
turned shy and blushed so that hs
had to put out his arms and hold
her TO him. For long time they
stood there in silence, her head or