The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-22

IN Inc morning tne Irst tram
came through the gorge. lettering
cautiously along the hastily re-
built track. II brought food and
supplies and more nurses and doc
tors. and on il was the old Dewan,
somehow still Immaculate with his
white beard and his costume OF
fine. sheer Bangeli linen. He was
accompanied now only by son.
nephew and grandson. and ne
vas welcomed By his old enemy
mcconnell Raschid Ali Khan. worn
haggard BY - hours OF work. The
two went at once 10 the Aaha-
ranee's tent.
The old lady greeted him with
mingled pleasure and apprehen-
sion. She was glad that he had
come down from hills 10 return
in the midst OF the awful heat OF
the monsoon. because his shrewd-
ness and wisdom were Of immense
value. but she was sorry, too. be-
cause she knew that he would be-
gin at once TO talk of money and
the cost of things. and to place
check on all her mpatience to re-
build the city OF Ranchipur before
she died. For she had been utter
~ seduced by the ruthlessness and
enthusiasm OF Colonel Mott while
they sat together making crude
plans for the new city.
The old Dewan made no protes-
tations against Mott. Save for a
second in which he trembled and
the black eyes narrowed, he gave
no sign that he did not approve
of what had been done, even of
the fantastic plan for a new city.
II was not by fighting openly that
he achieved his ends; he would
work silently in his silky fashion,
blocking every plan. every change,
every scheme until at last ii was
slain as so many things were slain
in India, by WEAKNESS and inertia.
He went away presently to poke
in the ashes of his own house,
saying that he would return again
in the cool of the evening. The
Maharanee ordered a tent to be
put up for him near her own,
where she might be kept informed
by her own spies of his goings and
comings, of what he said. even
perhaps of what he thought. She
knew, too, that no matter what
precaution she might take, he
would know when she saw Mott
and Raschid Ali Khan and what
they said. She had need of him
for one thing to sell her jewels.
No one in the world could wiring
so good a price for them from the
markets OF the west.
They would find their way back
into the shops OF the Place Ven
dome and Bond Street and Fifth
Avenue. But she was an old
woman now and the passion for
jewels was dead; 1t was not even
of great Importance what became
of them. What mattered was that
there would be millions of rupees
to rebuild Ranchipur, to make of
the city, the villages, the districts
a model laboratory which might
serve all the rest of India and the
east.
For that she needed young men.
strong men. clever men like Ras-
child and the Major and Colonel
Mott. And she did not forget what
Homer Smiley had already done
and what he might still do, and
that there was a place, too. for
Ransome in her scheme of things.
When the Dewan had gone she
sent for both of them, ignoring the
Majors warning against Ransome
coming TO her directly from the
pesthouse of the music school: and
when they arrived she proposed
that Mr.. Smiley quit the mission
and accept the post of minister of
public welfare. and that Ransome
work with him.
II was post which had never
before existed; it was Colonel Mot
who suggested its necessity and
/ Importance, and he knew Mr.
Smiley and his record and pro.
/ posed him az the one man In
Ranchipur, perhaps in all Of India
for the job. She would have &c
find new leader to take the place
of poor Mr.. Jobnekar, but that was
not difficult now, not as it hao
been long ago, when the Sweepers
were confined to their own quar-
tiers and kept ut the level of ami
mails. They were clever people ant
they profited quickly by the ad
vantages OF education. And sh,
had still to find woman TO re-