San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-16

the verse where the Panthan girl calls
upon iiar Dyal 20 return. The song is
really pretty IL tae vernacular. IN i.A5lish
you miss tbe-wail of it. 1t runs something
like this;
Alone np5E, the l,ousetops 10 the north
lara 49,. wa;ch the lightning iE the sky;
Tie g!an,.- go fcs:c:c:s Il .he north.
Come i'alS TO me t'eioNe6, % diel
Below. my feet the still bazaar is laid,
Far far below the weary can,e.S lie
The oaInels and tue captives VI tas raid:
Coge> GAcIto me. beloved, or die
Ny fathcr's wife is OH and harsh with years,
And drudge of all my fathers house am L;
My bread is @orrow and my drink is tears;
Come back 20 me. beloved, or die
AS tue SONG stopped Trejago stepped up
under the grating and whispered: IL am
here
Bisesa was good to look upon.
That night was the beginning of many
strange things, and of double life SO wild
that Treiago today sometimes wonders if
it were not al. u dream. Bisesa or her old
handmaiden, who had thrown the object
letter, had detached the heavy grating from
the brick work of the wall; so that the
window slid inside, leaving only square
of raw masonry into which all active man
might climb.
In the daytime Trejago drove through
his routine of office work, or put on his
calling clothes and called on the ladies Of
the station; wondering how long they
wonld know him if they knew of poor little
Bisesa. At night, when all the city was
still, came the walk under the evil smell
ing boorka, the patrol through Jitha
Megii's bustee, the. quick turn into Amir
Maths gully between the sleeping cattle
and the dead walls, and then, last of all,
Bisesa, and the deep, even breathing of the
old woman who slept outside the door Of
the bare little room that Durga Charan
allotted to his sisters daughter Who or
what Durga Charan was Treiago never in
quired; and why in the world he was not
discovered and knitted never occurred to
him till his madness was over, and Bisesa.
But this comes later.
Bisesa was an endless delight to Trejago.
She was as ignorant as u bird, and her dis,
torted versions of the rumors from the out
side world that had reached her in her
room amused Trejago almost as much as
her lisping attempts TO pronounce his
name, Christopher" The first syllable
was always more than she could manage,
and she made funny little gestures with
her roseleaf hands, as one throwing the
name away, and then kneeling before IRE
jago, asked him, exactly rs an English
woman would do il he were sure he loved
her. Trejago swore that he loved her more
than any one else i'm the world. Which
was true.
After month of this folly the exigen-
cies of his other life compelled Trejago to
be especially attentive to a lady of his &C
quaintance. You may take it for fact
that anything of this kind is not only no
ticed and discussed by mans own race
but by some hundred and fifty natives as
well. Trejago had to walk with this lady
and talk to her at the band stand, and
once or twice to drive with her. never for
an instant dreaming that this would affect
his dearer out-of-the-way life. But the
news flew in the usual mysterious fash
ion from mouth to mouth, till Bisesa's
duenna heard of it and told Bisesa. The
child was so troubled that she did the
household work evilly, and was beaten by
Durga Charan's wife in consequence.
A week later Bisesa taxed Trejago with
the Irritation. She understood no grada-
tions and spoke openly. Trejago laughed
and Bisesa stamped her little feet-little
feet, light as marigold flowers, that could
lie in the palm of a mans one hand.
Much that is written about oriental
passion and impulsiveness" is exaggerated
and compiled at second hand, but a little
of il is true; and when an Epglishman
finds that little it is quite as startling as
any passion in his own proper life. Bisesa
ragged and stormed, and finally threatened
to kill herself if Trejago did not at once
drop the alien Memsahib who had come
between them. Trejago tried to explain,
and to show her that she did not under
stand these things from a western stand
point Bisesa drew herself up and said
simply:
"f do not. know only this-it is not
good that should have made you dearer
than my own heart to me, Sahib. You are
an Englishman. am only black girl'-
she was fairer than bar gold in the mint
land the widow OF a black man."
Then she sobbed and said: But on my
soul and my mothers soul, | love you.
There shall no harm come to you, what
ever happens to me.
Trejago argued with the child, and tried
to soothe her, but she seemed quite unrea-
sonably disturbed. Nothing would satisfy
her save that ell relations between them
should end. He was to go away at once.
And he went. AS he dropped out at the
window she kissed his forehead twice,
and he walked home wondering.
A week and then three weeks passed
without a sign from Bisesa. Trejago,
thinking that the rupture had lasted quite
long enough, went down to Amir Maths
gully for the fifth time in the three weeks,
hoping that his rap at the sill of the shift
ing grating would be answered. He was
not disappointed