Adventure Magazine Cover — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Marriage of Meldrum Strange “Have word with him?”’ The raja thought again. He thought so long that the answer to the question became obvious. “We spoke... He’s a man I have trusted on occasion. Is he in your confidence?”’ “Heaven forbid!”’ said Ommony, grinning. The raja looked relieved, but it did not last long. Elbows on knees, pointing the stem of his pipe at him, Ommony cleared the issue and clouded it in one breath. “See here,” he said quietly, Dutch-uncle fashion. “If you want to meet Meldrum Strange there’s no objection. He’s a free man; you’re a raja. But—if you propose to do business with him—anything along the lines you hinted to me yesterday— count me against you. Understand? I don’t want Strange owning any of this forest—don’t want him owning even a doubtful claim to a reversionary interest. Are we clear as to that?” The raja nodded angrily. “They are my personal private rights,” he retorted. “Exactly,” said Ommony. ‘Then you do as you personally, privately jolly well please with them. But count me out. I refuse my official backing.” “Ah! Hah! I understand. Unofficially “Unofficially I give you this advice. If you let Meldrum Strange know Madame Poulakis is at your place he’ll stay away.” “Thanks. You save me then from a mis- take. Aha! Downy old dodger! I see through you! Officially unbending, eh? Unofficially hoping; isn’t that it?”’ He slapped Ommony on the thigh in the well-known fashion of the hale and hearty West—as per instruction book of Western manners. “*Tell me; what kind of man is this Strange to deal with?” ““Hard,’’ said Ommony. “Subtle?” “No. Crushes like a python.” “Slow?” “Quick, I should say, when he makes his mind up.” “Greedy?” “Absolutely.” “Cautious?” ‘“Ves.”’ ‘What is his weakness?” “Dread of publicity.” “Ah!” There was silence for about a minute, in 29 which Ommony would have given a year’s pay for the gift of reading what was in the raja’s mind. At the end of it the raja stood up, straightened himself, and salaamed to the dogs with both hands. “T apologize!” he said with a big grin. ‘You saved a faux pas. You brought me to the fount of wisdom. When you visit me there shall be sheep’s bones—and no $7? strychnine! He waved his hand jauntily, and started down the rock, awkwardly because of long spurs. Half-way down he turned and called back. “Downy old dodger! After this you will retire, of course! I will meet you in Paris!”’ Ommony ignored the mnuendo. In India a man grows used to misinterpretation of his motives. Even if he could have proved, black on white, that Strange had not bribed him the raja would have continued un- convinced. “Don’t take my horse,” he warned. “‘That bay’s an old friend.”’ “A very old one—yet fresher than mine!”’ “T won’t have him ill-treated.” “Pooh! Use him for tiger-bait! That is all he is fit for!” Ten minutes earlier the raja would have deemed it dangerous to jest in that strain. Now he judged himself a sharer of Om- mony’s guilty secret, with privileges accord- ingly. But Ommony relighted his pipe and watched him canter away without letting that disturb him. Nothing need disturb — aman, except his enemy find out the truth; the more lies for the enemy to lose himself among the better. Presently he came down off the rock and rode his rounds as if the day’s work in the forest were his sole concern. There was a new fire-lane acutting, and he superin- tended that, contriving to let the hours slip by without any underlings observing that he was simply squandering time. It was high noon before he headed homeward, and met Jeff Ramsden waiting for him at the lane-end, near the house. ‘“They’ve put you on ice,” said Jeff. “The raja has been here all morning, and ~ the poor fol thinks he can outwit Strange.” ‘“T think he can, too!”’ grinned Ommony. “He has offered to sell Strange his rights in the forest.” “Has money changed hands?” “No, but the raja has suggested you’re corruptible!” COmiclbook (©