Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1889-05-17
THE BURIED BUNGALOW


"what can this msany~ aakep I. REIN
ing up my horse close 10 the dense milk
thorn hedge that shut In Mr.. Wauen's
pretty house and its garden. say with
flowers, from the tea plantations, the
green valley, the upland pastures and the
dazzling peaks of the Himalayas soaring
overhead. There. on a fragment of rock,
stood the well known. tall form Of the
planter himself, angrily confronting a
motley mob Of natives-sone tawny,
some yellow skinned. and a few nearly
black. These. although they mad flung
aside hoe and spade. l knew to be the
coolies employed at the prosperous hill
station, whore such a scene Of confusion
had been hitherto unknown.
The B%coundrels are going to leave me
that's alH" said Dir. Warren. CURLY.
And Rt that instant there stepped for
ward in advance OF the rest a gaunt
Tibetan, clad ia ~sheeIskins. who, GER
enormously. with perfect gravity. placed
on she ground q fragment Of wheaton
cake, q handful Of salt and q lota, or
brass drinking cup. nearly filled with
coins, from silver rupees 70 copper
pice. Then, pointing with q peeled
willow wand that he held IN his hand, TO
the food and the money thrice, he
mapped in twain the slender stock, and
with bent head and dngncast mieH stood
i~notioniess, rs though waiting 30 be ques-
toned.
What mummery Is thisg' asked I, In
an undertone. Ny intended fGtlier-in-
law, who knew the people and the coun-
try better than l did, shook his head.
''It mean mischief" he whispered.
Something has terrified the supersti-
tious ours; and seei They Fenounce my
bread and salt, return the advance Of
wages and break tho wand, in token
that they IN my men no more. You
mean," he added. harshly, in the Ben
gall dialect, ITO desert me, then, Han
GoFaini"
"The Sahib Warren Is a good master"
replied the Tibetan, in the samo Ian
guage. eff We go, it is because the evil
eye has looked upon this threshold, and
the voice that lies has laid q curse
ON Yirmi Sou and all that dwell there
The man spoke slowly and with some
difficulty, such as bcsets those who use a
foreign tongue imperfectly mastered;
but he had uttered his brief speech with
emphasis, and with a certain dignity Of
bearing. Behind him stood the Tibetans
and hill ~men-sturdy fellows ON whom
aGNOlNGu tnG NObbh WONA VI GNlCuAlB
and dyke building, while n little way OF
clustered the dusky coolies from India
proper, their lips frightened over their
aiming teeth, and In attitudes expressive
Of the most abject servility. Clearly
there was no stimulus short of physical
fear which would have nerved these
crouching creatures to disobey the Burra
Saliib, or owner OF the plantation, whose
lightest word had been law to his meek
subordinates
'If the Sahib viii harken to the coun-
sci Of the poor. said the spokesman, after
q pause. "he and his VIII hasten away
before
But here Mr.. Warren lost patience, and
interrupted the orator, roundly rebuking
the whole gang rs a pack of raven
hounds, frightened nj their own shad-
Ows, and without a spark Of mS ILLNESS
~ redeem them. Were It worth while,
he said, he could gallop over TO the near
est magistrate and enforce the perform
ance Of the contract under pain Of fog.
ging and imprisonment, but he wanted
no half hearts IN his service, so they
IniEht 90. "You hear mel he thun-
dered, ~silencing Han Gorain's fresh eff
fort to speak; and the men skunk away
cowed, IA Orientals usually are, by this
uncoubting assertion Of authority.
The planter recovered his temper as
soon ns tho rccusants had departed. and
laid his broad hand on my shoulder, say
ing, with Jolly laCgh, "a lesson, George,
my boy, as to the thorns that will lie in
your path when you and Edith live here
In my stead, as / hope you'll do. after the
gathering in OF the next tea crop, and
sst 10 20 feather your nest. as her mother
and have done. Thought better things,
too, Of the Overseer-that Han GOTain,
who. before heather bogio scared
him, was o shrewd and reliable servant.
But never mindi Como In, Musgrave,
como mi The parson from Nyneo TAI Il
hero already, and you must help the bride
eEpectant 70 entertain him until dinner
time"
Pretty Edith, who was on the morrow
20 become my wife, smiled away any un
comfortable feelings which the conduct
Of Liam Gorain and his companions had
left behind; and neither she nor her
parents, nor 1ir. Edwards, the clergy
man-whO had come over expressly 10
perform the marriage ceFaniony-seemed
70 attach any importance TO the panic
among the coolies.
1T wan something" explained Blr.
Warren, ''about Alp Dagh, tho big
mountain AZ the loot Of which we live;
but / have been q planter hero too long
70 care for the tattle Of coolies. They
aro like children who tell Of tho nursery
ghost until they SEQ il In every dark cor.
ner. A delightful lifo l should have led
here bad ] been cpoduloua"
And with that no dismissed tho sub
Jet, and the evening passed g~enlally
enough Later on, however, after the
whispered farewell 10 my sweet Edith n
the Donoh. draped with the glisteninq
leaves and big whits blossoms Of tho
Indian cTaepev, after the ride home Il
my own dwelling among tho bills,
and WheD my head r0Eted on rs
pillow, p y3yue sense Of iyecunty