The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-08-10
Q TALBOT MUNpY-wNU SERVICE


the woman. She's all honey and poi
son. Sister my eye. Two words,
and I knew she was lying about
that"
Never mind her lies, or whose
sister she is. How much truth did
she tell your"
Not much, barring that I'm the
most exciting man she'd ever seen.
She was true enough excited, so
knew the bully was listening in; and
he weren't her proper bully nei-
Their; he was someone who'd been
rung in on her, and she scared o.
him and not used to his ways. She
said there'd be a thousand rupees
for me if I'd act discreet"
Whose thousand rupees?" asked
Norwood
"Trust your Moses O'Leary. I
asked her that quick. She said it
was Prince Rundhia's thousand ru-
pees So 1 knew it wasn't"
What does she want you to do?"
''She told me mess o. lies about
Prince Rundhia having quarrelled
with the temple Brahmins, and him
wanting to get back at 'enl, to spite
'em. She told me, and / acted sur
prised, that there's a diamond mine
in the temple area. There's thou
sand rupees for me if I persuade
you to run your survey line slap
through the temple area, so that
the mine will belong to the Mahara-
jah instead of the temple priests"
what did you tell herr"
ST said you're easy, but you're
honest. I said I'll have to find some
way of artfully deceiving you if
you're to do what's needed. I said
I'd have to look into it, and I made
her tell me where the mine is and
how to get look at it. She came
clean"
How did she know"
Shed been told. And she was
out of her depth already. She want
ed word with the bully, and she
tried to get me to stay where
was. But I thought of the bay mare
standing outside in the alley, and
she fdgety, and you fond o. the
mare and liable to find fault with me
if she should come to harm. And
guessed it 'ud be wise to look into
the woman's story first
You'd better leave that woman
and her bully guessing, and show
me the mine. Where is it?"
O'Leary pointed: 1.-TWO hours
from now, when the moons about
there, 1 can guide you to a place
where you can see along under the
apron of water"
Every well, O'Leary. Which way
did you Gomez"
''Short cut Don't you try it. Horse
might break Leg
All right, III follow the road.
Meet me in camp"
O'Leary vanished. Norwood had
ridden another fifty yards when he
heard angry shouting, several times
repeated. He wasn't sure, but he
thought he also heard girls voice.
He rode forward slowly and then, a
bit alarmed by the ensuing silence,
stirred his horse to a canter He
drew rein, looking upward at Lynn,
not much more than two or three
minutes after Rundhia had left her.
She was sitting in full moonlight on
top of the wall, on a cushion, with
one foot hanging over the wall and
her back against the kiosk
''Hello!" he remarked. did Run
dhia leave you all alone here?"
He said he'd come back"
'Well, he'll keep that promise.
How well do you know hin?"
Il met him for the first time this
evening"
Like him."
Shouldn't y"
cat your age, there is danger in
exotic likes and dislikes."
I'm twenty-five"
'You don't look it. had guessed
you as eighteen. However, no doubt
you know how to take care of your
self among men of your own race.
I'm taking it for granted that you're
a nice girl with a sense of humor
but a bit rebellious against certain
sorts of restraint All this is new,
and you're enjoying it. You like the
Indian setting, and the novelty and
the moonlight and all that stuff"
Don't your"
eyes. And l like you. / would
not like to hear of you making a
mess of your life for the sake of a
spot of excitement. You don't I'M
derstand India. You don't under
stand Rundhia."
A shadow moved. Someone chuck
led:
Doesn't she?"
Rundhia doomed on the wall with
guitar In his hand He smiled
down at Norwood. The moonlight
shone on his teeth.
''We were reaching a beautiful un-
derstanding, said Rundhia. "Are
you on your way to camp? Well, it's
a grand night for a ride. Sorry
you're tired and sleepy"
Norwood eased his horse little
nearer to the wall. He gave the
reins to the sails. In another mo-
ment he was standing upright on the
saddle, with his head within six
inches of the top of the wall:
II am not so sleepy as perhaps
look" he answered. Give me a
hand up, Rundhia."
Lynn watched. This was some
thing altogether new In her expert
ence. Rundhia hesitated. Moonlight
BETRAYED him. Rundhia felt fennuted
to refuse But he hadn't the iron.
He could have scared the horse and
made Norwood look ridiculous. But
he hadn't the nerve. Lynn felt sor-
ry for him. With shrug he handed
the guitar to her, IN order to use
both hands to help Norwood scram-
bic up the wall.