THE MAN WITH THE MONEY BAGS

Evening Star, Issue 21718, 12 May 1934, Page 5

THE MAN WITH THE MONEY BAGS

It was what is usually a broiling, dusty road, but the other day the rain had come in torrents, as only tropical rain can, almost blotting out the Indian countryside. A woman drove along with her husband in a car packed to overflowing with luggage, while the rain made a grey sheet before their eyes. However, at least they were dry, but not the Indian proprietor of a cinema who had been travelling from one big Indian town to another with his takings—thousands of rupees in bags—when his car had broken down. The car he had managed to have towed to a garage near; and now he stood, with no umbrella, at the mercy of the tropical rain, which was drenching and redrenching him through and through as he clutched his precious money bags, which were too heavy for him to carry far. Many people must have passed him by, but none of them had looked quite the kind he could trust; in fact, hia position was altogether insecure, for bandits unfortunately are nut unknown, upon the Indian roads. But what he was waiting for was an Englishman. Presently the Indian stepped into the road and field his hand up. Here was coming an English sahib and his wife; and if he had had with him all the money bags in the world he knew that with these protectors of his countrymen every anna would have been safe. But the car was filled to overflowing at the back with an amount of luggage such as he had never seen before.

However, Ins story was listened to, and lie soon discovered that the top of a trunk inside a car is a hotter place than the open roadside in a monsoon.

And so Mr Moneybags sat thus happily enthroned for half a day's journey, leaving at the end of the day with profuse gratefulness to his Good Samaritans and (he promise of free seats at his show whenever they came his way.