Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-03-19

next day no one saw the Mans Wife
and Tertium Quid together. They
had both gone down to the cemetery.
which, as a rule. is only visited Off
cially by the inhabitants OF Simia.
A Simia funeral. with the clergy man
riding, the mourners riding. and the
coffin creaking as it swings between
the bearers. is one of the most de-
pressing things On this earth. particu-
larly when the process sion passes under
the wet, dank dip beneath the Rock
cliffe hotel, where the sun is shut out,
and all the hill streams are wailing
and weeping together as they 60 down
the valleys.
Occasionally folk tend the graves,
but we in India shift and are trans
ferred SO often that at the end of the
second year the dead have no friends.
only acquaintances who are far too
busy amusing themselves up the hill
to attend to old partners. The idea
of using a cemetery as rendezvous
is distinctly feminine one. A man
would have said simply: "Let people
talk. Wen 60 down the mall" A
woman is made differently, especially
il she be such woman as the Mans
Wife. She and the Tertiam Quid en-
joyed each others society among the
graves OF men and women that they
had known and danced with aforeti
They used to take big horse
blanket and sit on the grass little to
the left OF the lower end, where there
is dip in the ground, and where the
occupied graves die out and the ready
made ones are not ready. Any SELF
respecting Indian cemetery keeps half
a dozen graves permanently open for
contingencies and incidental wear and
tear. In the hills these are more
usually baby's size, because children
who come up weakened and sick from
the plains often succumb to the effects
of the rains in the hills, or get pneu-
monia from their ayahs taking them
through damp pine woods after the sun
has set In environments OF course the
mans size is more in request, these
arrangements varying with the climate
and population.
Que day when the Mans Wife and
the Tertium Quid had just arrived
In the cemetery they saw some coolies
breaking ground. They had marked
out full-size grave, and the Tertium
Quid asked them whether any sahib
was sick. They said that they did
not know. but it was an order that
they should dig a sahib's grave.
Work away" said the Tertium
Quid, and let's see how it's done"
The coolies worked away, and the
Mau's Wife and the Tertium Quid
watched and talked for a couple of
hours whilo the grave was being deep
ened. Then coolie, taking the earth
in baskets as it was thrown up. jump
cd over the grave.
That's queer" said the Tertium
Quid. where's my ulster?'
whats queer?" said the Mans
Wife.
II have got a chill down my back
just as if a goose had walked over my
grave"
'Why do you look at the horror
then?" said the Mans Wife. LET us
CO."
The Tertium Quid stood at the head
OF the grave, and stared without ans
wering for a space. Then he said,
dropping a pebble down: 1T is nasty
-yand cold; horribly cold. l don't
think I shall come to the cemetery
any more. don't think grave-dig-
cling is cheerful"
The two talked and agreed that the
cemetery was depressing. They also
arranged for ride next day out from
the cemetery through the Mashobra
tunnel up to Fagoo and back. because
all the world was going to garden
party at Viceregal lodge. and all the
people OF Mashobrs would go too.
Coming up the cemetery road the
Tertium Guilds horse tried to bolt up
hill, being tired with standing SO long.
and managed to strain a back-sinew.
Il shall have to take the mare to-
morrow" said the Tertiun Quid. land
she will stand nothing heavier than a
snaffle.'
They made their arrangements to
meet in the cemetery, after allowing
all the Mashobra people time to pass
into Simla. That night it rained
heavily and next day. when the Terti.
um Quid came to the trysting.place,
he saw that the new grave had foot
OF water in it, the ground being a
tough and sour clay.
glove! That looks beastly.' said
the Tertium Quid. Fancy being
boarded up and dropped Into tina,
well!'
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