The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-05-25
,he could not tell. and LAlu received M

maze gocu pTOpress III ueT stules
Fears passed. with no tidings from lly.
derabad or Baroda. and the time had coma
when Tara class was to graduate from
the school It was great day for those
young girls The hall YVES crowded with
the native gentry Of the city. for II was
stih novel sight to see girls reading and
writing
a few years before they had said,
when you can teach donkey to read
then you may try to teach orr daughters -
And here were hundred girls who could
read and write and sing and embroider!
1t was all very wonderful, and they came
out In full force to see with their eyes and
hear with their ears. And the European
officers from the camp, with their wives
and daughters came also
AS it happened. native chief was just
then spending a little time in the city
He had been Oh a pilgrimage to the holy
city Of Benares, and was on his way back
to his province in the South Marathi
country Hearing that all the best people
would be at the school. he 100 came to see
what il was like He was immensely
pleased with the exercises. and could
scarcely find words to express his appre
cation
The girls were arrayed in their most
dazzling garments and jewelry, but Tara
Outshone all the rest. for her wedding
robes and jewelry had been kept for this
very occasion, and very pretty she looked,
so the young chief thought. and "a soon
as the exercises were over he came for
ward and asked if he might make the
Inv; ob. orod s,,,l'o ooouaip,anoo Ia uas
shyly greeted by the young girl. and IL
was noticed that they spent long time
in conversation with each other.
The next day the chief made formal
application to the Sahib for Tara's hand.
and great was his dismay when he learned
that she had been married in infancy. He
ruled a large district, and occupied grand
palace. and was in receipt of good reve
nue. from his subjects He had long been
looking for wife who could grace his
stately home. but until this time he had
seen no one who suited him Tara was
lovely and accomplished, and she could
direct his large retinue Of servants with
becoming dignity, yet because she had
been married dozen years before to an
obscure lad whom she could not remember,
no was to be forever debarred from wooing
her. Hindoo law is like the laws Of the
Modes and Persians. and the marriage Of
all infant is binding for life. unless the
husband chooses TO turn her out and
divorce her
The Sahib tried to comfort the chief
with the hope that Tara might already be
widow and free to marry him. Nothing
had been heard from Lalu for five years.
and they set themselves to devise "A plan
for discovering whether he still lived.
They decided TO send proclamation
into every village in kattiawar. calling
upon Jairam TO come forward Though
him they hoped to find Taras brother
and then news Of her husband Accord
ingly IA printed circular was sent to the
head man Of every village, and in n few
days Jairam was found Then Limbaji
the brother, was communicated with. and
he soon came. declaring his intention to
take Tara to her husbands house ut once.
The poor girl begged him TO spare her
She had been happy all these years, and
did not wish to 60 TO the stranger whom
she could not remember But Limbaji
was inexorHble IL was a disgrace to the
family that she had been kept from her
husband so long. and every day she re
manned only added to the disgrace. SO
she was torn from her friends al Ahmed
pore, and again they started on their jour
ney TO BarOda
When they reached Lalu's house they
learned that he was in the Maharajah's
army, and was then fighting rebellious
hill tribe. lie had taken another wife,
who was then living with the Sassu
whom Tara SO much dreaded in her child
hood.
And now commenced hard life for the
poor girl The Sassu and the other wife
We're unsparing in their abuse of her She
had disgraced the family. and had broken
her caste, and they cried out, "Uncleanl
uncleanW whenever she approached them
They tossed her food to her like bone
TO dog. as she crouched IN the darkest
and dampest corner of the house She
was compelled to do all the household
drudgery-griud the grain and pound out
the rice and carry the water The few
books she had brought from Ahmedpore
were torn in pieces and scattered to the
four winds, while her knitting and EN-
broidery materials were cremated before
her eyes Her only comfort was an Occa
sional saaam from the Telugu who had
cared for her in Ahmedpore The chief
had sent this woman To Baroda TO give
Tara aid and comfort as often as opportu
nifty offered But the opportunities were
few, for Tara was sedulouslv watched by
Sassu lest she should make her escape
Sometimes the woman disguised herself
as bangle seller and succeeded IN Sc
cretly conveying food to the poor girl,
who was made TO fast until she was al
most starved She shed bitter tears over
the life she had left behind, and thought
of the grand home which the
chief had offered her in the far away
Marathi country
Why had she beeH'marricd in infancy
Why should she not have Il voice in the
matter OF her life's companion She asked
herself these questions numbcrle,s times.
but no answer came She had been born
u IlindOo. aad she must submit TO liindoo
customs.
Time passed drearily enough, until one
day word came that Lalu had been slain
in battle Then the house was filled with
wailing The mother beat her breast and
clutchei her hair, declaring that vile,
polluted Tara was the guilty cause of all
this She was thrust into the street. and
told never to darken their doors again
Now was tho Telugu woman oppOrtu-
nity. and she came TO Tara's rescue. as
the cartman had done years before.
At early dawn they were on their way
to Ahmedpore. There was no travelling
across the country on foot now, but with
4 4 IL.