The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-08-24
En5T ann WE5T
BY TALBOT MUNDY rsunDs-~
Q TALBOT MUNDY-WNU SERVICE

waited. Her silence offered the old
termagant no opening, so Aunty
Harding abandoned her usual gradu-
al style of attack. She exploded:
Don't dare to speak to me, you
sullied creature, until you have
washed your mouth! There is soap
and water in the bedroom"
"Aunty-l"
| Wash your mouth this minutei
I saw you-permitting yourself to
be kissed by Prince Rundhia!"
"Aunty, I'm no longer fivel Aren't
you forgetting"
''To my humiliation remember
too much! You are old enough at
least to try to keep up an appear
ance of decency."
"Aunty, there's no harm in a kiss
after breakfast! It's kisses after
midnight that"
| Don't you dare to try to justify
your grossnessl Even your grace
less father had enough sense of his
social position to keep his indecen-
cies out of sight!"
'Aunty!"
Don't 'aunty' me! You inherit
your fathers wantonness."
81 never knew him." Lynn an
swered. 81 only know what you and
other people have told me. Others
seem to have admired him. Wasn't
he merry and brave and generous?
Would he have endured your injus-
tice? I have had to. For seventeen
years. Aunty, am very near the
end of endurance. knew you were
looking. That is why let Rundhia
kiss me-"
Lynn repeated: 81 kissed Prince
Rundhia, in a spirit of fun and part
ly to defy you"
Fun indeed! Vulgar, suggestive
improperly, with an Indian prince
whose immortality is notorious!
Whether or not disinherit you will
depend"
Lynn's rebellion flared to it's inev-
liable climax. She interrupted:
"Disinherit me now, if you please!
Do it now, Aunty. / have made
my last submission to your cruel
money! You have educated me so
that l haven't one chance in thou
sand to earn living. God knows
what can do. But will find some
thing. I accept the odds. ] will
make a go of it somehow"
Aunty's stare was skeptical, scorn-
full. Lynn turned away.
''Where are you off to now"
''To the palace. The Maharanee
is human. Perhaps she and I can
find something to laugh att
Every well, Lynn. All your clothes
were removed to the palace last
night, against my wishes. Go and
pack them. If it kills me, we are
taking the first boat home, and you
may say so to the Maharanee. You
may tell her why. If you don't, I
will"
"And if you DON'T" Lynn an
swered, ''the palace women will!
They have been listening through
the bedroom window. So if you
want to get the first malicious word
in, you had better be quick! Write
a letter, why don't you? I assure
you I won't discuss it. -
She picked up her tennis racket
and unscrewed the frame. It was
a hardly conscious gesture: it was
much too hot for tennis. She walked
out through the screen door, carry
ing the racket.
AS she approached the palace
front door, she saw Norwood's horse
near the portico. She recognized
Norwood's sails, squatting down I'M
der the horses nose, half asleep,
! instead of Ticking flies off the horse
as he should. 4
Then she saw Rundhia. He had
been watching for her. One could
| tell that by his manner. He looked
astonishingly handsome in a gray
suit of some thin material and a
gray silk turban. ..-..
'Tennis?" he asked. ''In this
HEATH"
mo. Tantrum! I'm so angry
could kill"
Don't kill me, Lynn. I'm impor-
tant. Tell me instead"
Lynn used the racket as if she
were returning one of Rundhia's
serves. would you tell me the
| TRUTH"
He grinned. ''Well, almost. Who
can be in love and tell the whole
truth? I will lie to you, of course,
about my character. But I will tell
the truth about yours! You're a
lovely, inspiriting, challenging fact,
Lynn Harding. You're an event."
ST feel like a skeleton in my own
dark closet" she retorted, and Rum
dhia laughed.
"Come and I'll show you the treas
ures. Drive away the very men,
DRY of Aunty!"
All the way up the palace stairs
and along the ancient corridor, Rum
dhia chartered gaily Lynn answered
in monosyllables, perfectly aware
| that Rundhia was talking to divert
! attention from his motive.
Beauty and the beastl" said
Rundhia.
Bromide! Rundhia, you look like
secrets in suave disguise"
"My very inmost heart" he an
! swered, sis an open book. Can't
you read it?"
"I don't want to-"
He kept his distance. That sinu-
| Gus right arm of his behaved itself.
He walked ahead of her through the
narrow anteroom, where two tur-
baned guards salaamed respectful
ly. Rundhia spoke to one of the
guards, who switched on the electric
| light in the treasure room. The
masonry wall was ten feet thick:
the door foot thick. The guard
closed the door behind them and
L