Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-02-28
TWENTIETH YEAR-NO. %.
MUIIAMMID DIN.


uJ~ cleaning for me.
Does the lleaveu-bOrn want this
BAL - said Imam Din dcfeientiaiiy.
Ihe llcaven-holn set no particular
store by it; but of what use was
polo bail to Il khitmatgar?
by your hOnOrS favor, | have a
little son. lie has a seen this ball
and desires to play with it. do not
want it for myself"
NO one would for an instant accuse
rorty old Imam DIN of wanting to
lay with polo balls. lie carried out
e battered thing into the verandah
I'd there followed a hurricane Of joy
al SqueakS, patter ol small feet.
Lud the thUd-thud-thud of the ball
Iolling along the ground. Evidently
the little son had been waiting outside
..e door TO secure his treasure. But
,yw had he managed to see that polo
all?
.NcNt day, coming back from office
|a4I an hour earlier than usual, | was
ware OF "A small hgurc i'll the dining
oom-a tiny. plump figure in lidlc-
,uUuSly inadequate shirt which came
erhaps, half way down the tubby
.omach. 1t wandered round the
uJm. thumb in mouth, grooming to
,ScIf as it took stock of the pictures.
ndoubtcdly this was the little SON."
lie had no business in my room, OF
roursc but was so Gecply absorbed in
MIS- discoveries that he never noticed
me in the doorway. | stepped into
,hc room and startled him nearly into
Il lit. He sat down on the ground with
=, ga>p. His eyes opened, and his
mouth followed suit. | knew what
was coming and fled, followed by
long. dry howl, which reached the
servants quarters far more quickly
than any command of mine had ever
done. In ten seconds Imam Din was
IN the dining-room. Then despairing
sobs arose, and | returned to find
Imam Din admonishing the small sin
ner, who was using most of his shirt
rs a handkerchief.
This boy"' said Imam Din judi
ciaIly. is Il budmash, a big budmash.
lie will, without doubt, go to the
iailkhana for his BEHAVIOR Re-
newcd ycIls from the penitent, and an
elaborate apology to myself from Imam
Din.
Tell the baby" said |, that the
Sahib is not angry, and take him
civcness to the offender, who had now
gathered all his shirt round his neck,
stringWiSc. and the yell subsidized into
a sob. The two set off for the door.
ellis name" said Imam Din, as
though the name were part of the
crime. " is Muhammad Din, and he is
budmush" Freed from present dan
ger, Muhammad Din turned round his
r., n,,,,,, RI s,niI oya1y % If =
true that my name is Muhammad Din,
Tahib, but | am not a budmash. L
am man -
From that day dated my acquaint-
ancc with Muhammad Din. Never
again did he come into my dining
room, but on the neutral ground of the
much state. though our conversation
was confne | to "Talaam; Tahib''' from
his side, and j" SaIam, Muhammad DIM
office the little white shirt and the fat
little body used to rise from the shade
of the crccper-covered trellis where
they had been hid; and daily |
checked my horse here, that my salu-
given unseemly.
panions. He used to trot about tho
compound in and out of the castor.
oil bushes, on mysterious errandS of
his own. One day | stumbled upon
some of his handiworll far down the
ball in dust. and stuck six Shrivelled
round it. Outside that circle again,
10 N 1 -
of red brick alternating with frag-
bounded by a little bank of dust.
The bhistie from the well curb put in
a plea for the small architect, saying
that it was only the play of a baby
ard did not much distigure my garden.
Heaven knows that | had no in
tcntion of touching the child's work
stroll through the garden brought me
unawarcs full on it so that | trampled,
before | knew, maMgOld heads, dust
bank, and fragments of broken soap
dish into confusion, past all hope OF
Muhammad Din cry ing softly to him
Some one had cruelty told him that
tiic 'CdlllD Was NSi.N al sly NioIi III III
for spelling the garden, and had scat
tered his rubbish, using bad language
the while. Muhammad Din labored
FOR an hour dcfacing every trace of
the dust-banll and pottery fragments,
ard it was a fearful and apologetic
face that he said Talaam Tahib," i"
when | came home from the office.
A haSty inquiry resulted in Imam Din
informing Muhammad Din that by my
singular favor he was permitted to
dlsport himself as he pleased. Whereat
the child took heart and fell to tracing g
| the ground-plan of an edifice which
was to eclipse the marigold pOlo-ball
| creation.
For some months the chubby little
cccentrcity reyolved in his humble
orbit among the castOr-oil bushes and
in the dust; always faShioning mag
nifcent palaces from stale flowers
thrown away by the bearer, smooth
water worn pebbles, bits of broken
glass. and feathers pulled, | fancy,
from my fowls-always alone and
| always grooming to himself.
A gayly-spotted sea-shell was drop
ped one day close to the last of his
little buildings; and | looked that
Muhammad Din should build some
| thing more than ordinarily on the
strength of it. Nor was disappointed
lie mcditated for the better part of an
hour. and his grooming rose to a 1ubl=
liant song. Then he began tracing in
dust. 1t would certainly be a wondrous
palace, this one, for it was two yards
| long and n ward broad in ground plan