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Show , A TELEGRAM SERIAL 1 ' . mmmmmm PERCIVAL rpN rpT Tn TTTT Y By Christopher sl Viast sJL als MAmS ! XXalsaJ X Au(hor ol .. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE 1 Sybil Ffoulkes rose to her feet as ths train slowed down and tried to ahske soms of ths dust of northwest north-west India from her white dress. In a few minutes shs would see the place that Dickie knsw well, tread the streets thst he perhaps recently recent-ly had trodden. Nothing could have been warmer than her welcome by General Vere-Vaughan Vere-Vaughan and Charmian. They were kindness Itielf, sxpressed ths greatest great-est pelaaure at having her, and the hope that it would be for Just as long as shs cared to stay. ' As Sybil Ffoulkes sat in ths drawing draw-ing room aftsr dinnsr that night, i fighting against ths long sickness of hope deferred, but never pitying herself, a man who had been at i the far end of the dinner table ap- proached her, took her empty cof- fee cup and said, "We haven't met before, I think, but we have rorre- sponded. Miss Ffoulkes. Major , Haselrlgg." "Oh!" gasped 8ybll. "Oh, I'm so . glad! Thank you very, very much Indeed for your kindness In writing. I was so hoping to have this opportunity op-portunity of trying to tell you how grateful I am. But I didn't think it would come on my first evening in Peshawar. Do you know where he Is now?" Ganesh Haselrlgg patted the clenched hand that lay on the sofs beside him and forbore to ask who "hs" might be. .to thank you. I want to see my friend Richard Wendover bark in his proper place. We all do. Dreadful Dread-ful waste of a life. A magnificent man like that Not but what he's most devilish useful where he la, but still " "I'd do anything. Anything," whispered the girl. "Would you? Would you walk from here to Kbairabad on foot, sleeping on ths ground and eating what you carried?" "Of course I would. I'd walk from hare to Khalrabad to see Dick for (ive minutes." Haselrlgg laughed and patted the hand which had relinquiahed Its hold upon his wrist "Thst's the spirit We'll get him back." Sybil Meets Richard In the ground floor grim reception recep-tion room of the silent secret house of Risesldar-Major Moussafa Shab, Sybil Ffoulkss removed ths all enveloping en-veloping bourka, which, liks an extinguisher, ex-tinguisher, covered and hid her from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet; tidied her hair, strove to keep her throbbing heart from deafening and choking her and than followed Ganesh Haxalrigg up a narrow wooden stair which aftsr numerous twists and turns ended at a closed door. Opening this, Haselrlgg atepped out on to the roof, stood asids, announced an-nounced in butler-like voice and manner: "A lady to see you, sir," closed the door and clattered down the stairs, leaving Sybil Ffoulkss face te face with Richard Wendover, Wend-over, who hsd sprung to hla feet from the native c harps! on which he had been sitting. "Dickie!" With shining eyes and transfigured face aha came to him. "Good God! Sybil!" said Wendover, Wend-over, and in kindly, brotherly fashion, fash-ion, kissed her. For a while she clung to him, hsr i chsek against his breast "Aren't you glad te ss ms, Dickie?" "Oh, yes. Rathsr. Frightfully. But what the devil are you doing , here, young Sybil? Who asked you , to?" I "What am I doing ? I'm 'doing' . India, Dickie. Visiting the coun-, coun-, try -Comfortably aeated aide by aide : en the cushioned charpai, the two . talked of old times, talked as they . had dona a thousand tunas In child-i child-i hood when ths girl had been the . boy's Inseparable companion, fag, henchman and willing aiava. ' i Slowly he thawed and warmed toward the woman of whom ha had r always been quietly fond, whom hi had always admired without praise and had approved without acknowledgment. acknowl-edgment. And when he realized that she hsd corns to India with no other object or reason than to try to find him, to hslp him In any way that might be possible and to advtss him wisely and induce him to return, he was more moved and touched than ha would admit even to himsslf. The child who had been a good scout, a sound pal, had grown up Into a remarkable woman. Weil, doubtleaa she and Ganesh Hsselngg were right and It waa his duty to himself, as well as to quite a lot of other people, to have his nams publicly cleared and himseK publicly reinstated. Incidentally, it was as General Sir Archibald Vers-Vaughan Vers-Vaughan had said to Ganesh his duty to the British army. But of course the general had an ax to grind, since the worthier the witness, wit-ness, ths more valuable his testimony testi-mony before the-courtmsrtiaL No. that waa an unworthy thought Ths general quite honestly wanted the atigma removed from the ofdeer's name and thereby from tha fair fame of the army. He would, of course, do the proper thing by young Vere-Vaughan, and do it handsomely; appear in court with a brand new halo, shining bright. And then? Wasn't he, on the whole, happier on those wild hills with those wild men? Weren't they fitter compsn-ions compsn-ions for Richard Wendover as he now waa than the overclvlliied Inhabitants In-habitants of British cantonments? Would he not rather live and die a free tribesman, dis eventually with a bulleti through hla brain, make a good end In hot blood, than eke out hla dwindling strength, with whitening whiten-ing hair and stiffening Joints, in some dull village in England? England! The green and pleasant land. The border! That wild fierce atark mountain group. England, home and beauty. Ths beauty of this wondsrful woman by his side. He must give Sybil a fair deal And quite unconsciously hs put hla arm about her shoulders and drew her to him. "Oh, Dickie. You do forgive me?" "Yes," replied Richard Wendover. "Yea, I'll (orglve you, young Sybil ' this once. , . Here, don't strangle me!" . Bailitzin Again That evening aa Sybil dressed for dinner she found hersslf singing aloud, and wondered bow long It was ' since last aha had done such a 1 thing. Hs was alive, he was wsll. And he ' , AConUnueS ea FoHowlfl Pssel "I do, he said. "He's In Peshawar, Pesha-war, my dear." "Here! In Peshawar?" whispered whis-pered ths girl. "Oh! . , . Could you Uke me to him?" . "I ran, I will. Just exactly how and when, I must think. But you shall see him." "Oh, Major Haselrlgg soon? I can't believe It I . . ." whispered the girl, and aeemed unable to say more. "I'll take you to see him tomorrow," tomor-row," he said. "You r dress as you liks, and I'll bring a garment which will cover you, and if you don't mind being escorted by a native, na-tive, I ahall be in the dreaa of a Pathan. Mice respectable Pathan, you know. A sort of nawab. I had better mention It to the general I shaU be having a talk with him tonight and perhaps you had better bet-ter tall Charmian all about It think you'll find her more than sympathetic. sym-pathetic. She ha met Dick Wendover, Wend-over, you know, and admirea him tremendously. Yes, we'll go tomorrow." tomor-row." "How can I thank you? I car enly " "No, no. Quite the other wa) about I shall have cause I hope- To the Hilt' (Ceellaue (real pneeShig Pasel was amenabl. Amenable t Major Haselrigg'i insistsnc that ha ahould accept pardon and reins tatsment and, o far as sh could Ull, to her lnslstencs that ha ahould return permanently per-manently to hla' proper way of life as what ha was, a British officer of not only unblmihd but most distinguished dis-tinguished record. Hurrying downetsirs last sh hould be lata for dinner and for a big dinner party lata In tha general gen-eral hou of all places, aha found that shs was first in the drawing-room. drawing-room. A car drov up to th eteps en th far-distant aide of th vaat veranda. Two erderllee aprang to their feet, and a man la evening drasa stepped out of th car and gave hla hat, , ecarf and light overcoat to tba Goa-nea Goa-nea butler who, handing them to an underling, advanced and announced Into tha emptlnaaa of th great draw-Ingroom: draw-Ingroom: "Mr. Stuyvaaant Sahib," bowed and retired. Looking round tha room for hla hoat and hostess and aeslng no one, ' tha man, with aaeured manner, 1 strode across the ahining parquet In 1 tha direction of the log fire and 1 suddenly say Sybil Foulkss seated la a high-backed chair. "Good evening," ha began. . "I and auddenly stopped epen-mouthed. "Prince Ballitsin!" laid tha girl. "Why I I had no Idea that you" And alao a topped. For, to her amassment, the man turned on hia heel, hurried from the room and called for hi cr. To be continued Monday Copyright, l3t, for Th Telegram |
