The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-02-22

POSC.
"On account of your dignity?"
mo. My dignity is like that bot
tie nose O. yours: it's been punched
a time or two, but there it is. It's
inseparable and I'll be buried with
it. I'm keeping him waiting on ac-
count o. his indignity that needs a
bit o. taking notice of, so it won't be
no secret from him. His name is
Moor Mahlam. No, not baa-lamb.
Mahlam. He's the oil-can that goes
around dripping the lies into the To-
cal works to make 'em grind good,
and smell rotten and sound scandal
ous."
Reporter for the local paper?"
asked Stoddart.
mo. He's from the underworld
district"
Stoddart grinned. Seeing he's
friend of yours, I might have
guessed that"
you've drunk your drink, so
scram."
"I'd like another drink"
'Twouldn't be good for you, and
you know it. What you want is in
formation. Well, I'll tell you. Kadur
City is hot"
"You bet it's hot" said Stoddart.
''It's a hundred and five this min
ute, in the shade of my awning. But
I suppose you didn't mean that"
"It's tough all right" said
O'Leary, ''but perhaps Lahore goes
it one worse"
"I never was in Lahore" said
Stoddart.
That's why you're still in the
Army. Stay away from Lahore, and
maybe you'll get home safe to Eng
land with pension. Lahore is full
o. women who'd as soon knife you
as look at you"
Eyes, I know what you mean.
I've heard tell of 'em."
"And those women o. Lahore"
said Moses O'Leary, "are about the
square root of one-tenth of one per
cent as bad as the men. This man
Moor Mahlam, who is squirting right
now at the back o. my neck, is
Jewel in the crown of Kadur's in
fanny.
what do you suppose he wants?"
asked Stoddart.
He wants news, you sapper. He
wants to know why Captain Catch
em-alive-o Carl Norwood is in Ka-
dur"
you'll tell him?"
"Bet your boots and medals I'll
tell him."
''Will you give him drink"
''I will not. For the sake of a
harmless innocent like you I don't
mind letting down my dignity at
times. But / wouldn't steal Cap
tain Norwood's S whiskey for that buzz
zard."
"He doesn't look like buzzard.
He looks fat and good natured."
Moses Lafayette O'Leary took a
! private swig from the bottle inside
Norwood's tent, and then put it away
in the chop-box. With his hands in
his trouser pockets for the sake of
dignity, he strode toward the tree
beneath which Moor Mahlam sat
wondering how to broach the SUBJ
ject of his meditations. He did not
appear to be wondering. His black
turban only partly concealed a phi
losopher's forehead. His silver
brimmed spectacles enhanced the
mellow nildness of intelligent dark
brown eyes. His nose was fleshy
and good humored. His black beard
and moustache were well cared for
They concealed something. His
mouth was not in evidence. He arose
to greet Moses O'Leary and, judg-
ing by the movement of his beard,
he smiled, but the smile was invisi-
BILE. At close quarters it was evil
dent that his bulk was mostly fat,
! not muscle. He fitted fabbily into a
BAZAAR made black alpaca Euro
pean suit.
''How d'you do, Moor Mahlam."
How do you do, sir
Moses O'Leary Strengthened him
self slightly and drew his right hand
| from his pocket. He had to live up
to being addressed as "sir" by a
man of means from the underworld
district. But it stirred his alert
ness. His suspicion, and more than
that, was already wide awake. His
voice hardened trifle:
"Sit down, Moor Mahlam. Hot,
isn't it? No, I'll stay on my feet.
I've business to attend to. Can't
spare you more than minute or
| two"
How did you know my name,
sir?" asked Moor Mahlam in silky
accents that suggested there was
something else than silk beneath.
1t was quiet agreeable voice, un-
less one listened to it too attentively
Moses O'Leary smiled with the
pride of the expert who needs no
praise to justify his self-esteem:
''It's my job to know things. Check
me. You were lawyer. You served
term in prison in Cawnpore for
cheating a client You se dis
barred. And now you're cheating
everybody. Am | right?"
''Sir, I'm a public relations coun-
selor. 1t is a new profession. in
India"
Its a new name for an old
game said O'Leary. "But you've
come to the right place. I'm the
publicity man o. this surveying par
ty. What do you want?"