The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-01-17
The Rains
Came

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Heat isn't anything new "a ne.
nc had come q India because
the government had requested I
and because II ne wanted further
honors and recognition n services
which ne did wsntl he could rot
we'll refuse. but the trip conceded
too with his own needs ana plans.
fer Il was true that he needed 10
study the question Of jute al me
very source. and he knew there
vas chance quite good chance,
OF snatching cotton mills in Bonn
bay from their Indian owners Tor
a price that was next 70 nothing.
1t vas his strange passion 1or
horses which led him 10 Rancho
pur. In Simla. talking after din
ner with a couple of cavalry off
GERS. he learned about a breed OF
which he had heard but never seen
the tough little kathiawar horse,
bred in the DRY. Wild peninsula on
the edge of the Indian ocean. Es-
keith having heard of them. had
10 have them. and ne had 10 have
no ordinary stock. but the best.
The best. the cavalry officers said.
were 10 be found in the fabulous
stables Of the Maharajah OF
Ranchlpur. So the viceroy ar
ranged it. He would go to Rancho
pun and be received by the maha-
aJah.
Suddenly he felt hot again and
rang the bell at the side of his
bed No one came and he rang
again angrilv. and then a third
time in fury and then the door
opened and Bates. his man. came
in. looking sleepy-eyed and pale
with the heat
The valet was lean. cold man.
but detached and extremely eff
cient, the kind of person Esketh
liked to have around him. Bates
never asked favors and never
gave any outward sign of affection
or devotion He did not tremble
now He simply said: Sorry. sir.
I must have fallen asleep"
This appeared to enrage his
lordship further Il don't see why
in hell you should sleep if ! can't.
Bring in some ice. There's noth-
ing left of what's here"
Very good, sir, and Bates re-
tired, still outwardly unmoved.
Nor was he much moved inwardly.
He had put up with this sort OF
thing for twelve years and it did
not disturb him very profoundly.
The one emotion he felt toward
his lordship was that of a cold.
dispassionate hatred which never
varied. But it was good post
with excellent wages a great deal
OF prestige. quite lot of time off
and all sorts of Prerequisites. most
of which Lord Esketh knew Moth
ing about. When he felt that he
had enough in the bank he would
simply quit. like that, one night.
In the next compartment Lady
f k e I h heard her husbands
shouts. The sound of his voice,
rising even above the monotonous
beat Of the wheels over the uneven
track, reused her out of the stupor
into which she had fallen, and she
thought: If he can't sleep, he'll
be coming in here to annoy me-
but almost at once she knew that
il really did not matter. She had
grown used to that long ago. She
would think of something else,
Anyway, she could not be more
miserable than she already was.
Languidly she sat up. holding
her pink crepe dc chine pillow over
the edge of the bed to shake from
1t the coating of yellow dust. That
hellish dust was in her mouth. IN
her hair. She switched on the
light and looked at herself in the
mirror. Her face was yellow with
dust. and on the temples the per-
spiration had mixed with il and
turned 1t to mud. which ran in
little stream down the famous
complexion which had cost a for
tune in beauty specialists. She
gave little cry of horror and then
lay back again languidly among
the lace and silk, thinking that
the misery was only begun. At
IN the morning they would have 10
rise and dress and wait on a plat
form to change to the narrow.
gauge train for Ranchipur.
She took more sleeping medi-
cine, thinking, Then l won't no.
tee it so much. and she had
nearly fallen into stupor again
when the door opened and Lord
Esketh came in.