The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1940-05-09

at a puzzle. There's three men in
India who can't be framed success
full, that's to say unless they frame
each other. Ones me. Another's
Captain High-Cockalorum Norwood.
And the third is Gulbaz.'
Who'd want to frame your"
asked Stoddart. You're not worth
it. What's the other way we can
lose the Captain?"
Woman"
Hes no womanizer," said Stod-
dart.
''You ought to be a reporter for
the papers. You get all your facts
right. I said woman. A woman,
you fathead. One woman-haf o.
two women. Can you figure that
one?"
"'Well then, what woman are you
talking about?"
Naming no names, she's at the
palace"
you mean Miss Lynn Harding?
It's all over the camp that Prince
Rundhia has her number"
"You seen her?" asked Moses.
EYES," said Stoddart, az saw her
on horseback riding with the Prince.
She's a good locker"
How close did you look?"
"Oh, a couple of hundred yards"
"Are you blind?"
''I've better sight than you, you
drunkard'
"And you couldn't tell, from two
hundred yards away, that that girls
a good 'un? You want to bet? D'you
want to bet your months pay
against mine that Norwood hasn't
made up his mind that he wants
her?"
Stoddart refilled his pipe with al
most supernatural patience. "What
are we up to tonight?" he demand
ed. "Why are we here in this bloody
truck? Where are we going?"
Didn't he tell your"
mo, he told me to look after you"
'That's what told him to tell
you"
"Al right, General Moses, where
are we going? To the Promised
Land?"
"We're going hunting bribe."
"Who from?"
"Gulbaz."
"How much?"
"You may keep all you get"
"How much do you reckon We'll
get?"
"Twice half o. what he thinks it's
worth. We split it fifty-ffty, on ac-
count o. your puritan nature and
your good looks and your gift for
not letting your head know what
your brains are doing"
"What are we going to be bribed
for?"
"For our virtue. What else could
he buy? Mine amt for sale, but
yours is. He wants it for the travel
ling wax-Works O. curiosities he's
taking along to tour India
"All right then, put it this way:
why are we worth bribing?"
1--WE amt" said Moses.
"Speak for yourself. Whose money
is he chucking away?"
"You may bet your boots it isn't
his money. Considering the kind o.
badmash crock he is, that has to
pay out money by the bucketful to
keep his skin on his back and his
line O. retreat open, Gulbaz is close.
He's so mean that Scotch flea
couldn't get a living off him."
Moses raised the cover of the
truck and took a quick glance at
the narrow street. Then he low
cred the cover and spoke:
Wen be there in a minute. I
want you to get this, Stoddart. Try
to understand it. It's important.
Gulbaz has it in for Captain Nor
wood. That's how big sucker he
is. He's crafty. But he hasn't sense
enough to know that there's two men
in India can beat him. Ones me.
The others Cockalorum Norwood.
Catch-'em-alive-o Norwood. One O.
these days Gulbaz is going to sit
in Norwood's net, alive and nasty.
But not yet"
"Why not?"
"None O. your business. You're
only fathead sergeant. You know
nothing O. the inside workings o.
things. But Gulbaz isn't here in
Kadur for his health, or for yours
and mine either. He's here to get
Captain Norwood and make a profit
at the same time. He's got a game
on, and he's got it all timed to a
minute. That's why you're here"
There you go again." said Stod-
dart. "Blowed if I understand you.
Speak plain"
I'm say it slow" said Moses.
"Words O. one syllable. If I was
alone, and if Gulbaz was ready, he'd
stick knife into me. But seeing
that you're along, and you a sol
dier that has cost the taxpayer a
heap o. money for upholding the
blooming dignity of His Majesty the
King, he'll think twice about it. If
! was stuck in the back it 'ud be
a loss to the human race and a
bulls eye for Gulbaz. But they
wouldn't even write it up in the pa
per-"
''Not in the society column"
asked Stoddart.
"But if it happened to you, half
the sweating countryside 'ud have
to turn out for your funeral, march
ing slow, arms reversed, Dead
March in Saul. And after that,
there'd be an investigation, two
courts of enquiry, military and civil,
plus headache for the Maharajah
and at least column in the Bombay