The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-03-20
miscellaneous.
CUPID'S ARROWS.
AN EAST INDIAN ROMANCE.
BY RUDGARD KIPLING.

BY RUDGARD KIPLING.
Once upon a time there lived at Sima
very pretty girl, the daughter of poor bu
honest district and sessions judge. She wa
good girl, but could not help knowing he
power and using it. Her mamma was yer,
anxious about her daughters future, as al
good mammas should be.
When man is commissioner and
bachelor, and has the right of wearing
open-work jam-tart jewels in gold and ename
on his clothes, and of going through doc
before every one except a member OF cOun
Gil, lieutenant-governor or viceroy, he il
worth marrying. At least that is what ladie
say. There was commissioner in Simla ii
those days who was and wore and did all
have said. He was plain man-an ugly
mantle ugliest man in Asia, with two ex
ceptions. His was face to dream about an6
try to carve on pipe-head afterwards. His
name was Saggott-Bar-Saggot t-Anthony
Barr-Saggott, and six letters to follow. De-
partmentally he was one ofthe best men the
government of India owned socially he was
like a blandishing gorilla.
When he turned his attention to Miss
Beighton l believe that Mrs. Beighton wept
with delight at the reward Providence had
sent her in her old age.
Mr.. Beighton held his tongue. He was an
easy-going man.
Now, commissioner is very rich. His
pay is beyond the dreams of avarice-is so
enormous that he can afford to save and
scrape in way that would almost discredit
a member of council. Most commissioners
are mean, but Barr-Saggot was an exception.
He entertained royalty, he horsed himself
well, he gave dances, he was power in the
land, and he behaved as such.
Consider that everything am writing of
took place in an almost prehistoric era in the
history of British India. Some folks may re-
member the years before lawn tennis was
born, when we all played croQuet. There
were seasons before that, if you will believe
me, when even croquet had not been invent
ed, and archery, which was revived in Eng
land in 1874, was as great pest as lawn ten
mis- is now. People talk learnedly about
holding" and "loosng,"' "steles," "refexed
bows" "56-pound bows" backed" or "self-
lies," "smashes," returns" and "16-ounce
rackets."
Miss Beighton shot divinely over ladies'
distance-sxty yards, that is-and was &C
knowledged the best lady archer in Simla.-
Men called her "Diana of Tara-DeVi."
Barr-Saggot paid her great attention ; and,
as have said, the heart of her mother was
uplifted in consequence. Kitty Beighton
took matters more calmly. 1t was pleasant
to be singled out by commissioner with let
tiers after his name, and fill the hearts OF
other girls with bad feelings. But there was
no denying the fact that Barr-Saggott was
phenomenally ugly, and all his attempts TO
adorn himself only made him more gro
tesque.
He was not christened 1.-THE Langur'-
which means gray ape-for nothing. 1t was
pleasant, Kitty thought, to have him at her
feet, but 1t was better to escape from him and
ride with the graceless Cubbon-the man in a
dragoon regiment at Umballa-the boy with
handsome face and no prospects. Kitty
liked Cubbon more than little. He never
pretended for a moment that he was anything
less than head over heels in love with her ;
for he was an honest boy. So Kitty fled now
and again from the stately wooings of Barr
Saggott to the company of young Cubbon,
and was scolded by her mamma in conse-
quence. "But, mother" she said, "Mr. Sag
gott is such-such ais 30 fearfully ugly,
you knowp
"My DEAR" said Mrs. Beighton piously,
1--WE cannot be other than an all-ruling Pro-
violence has made US. Besides, you will take
precedence of your own mother, you know.
Think of that and be reasonable"
Then Kitty put up her little chin, and said
irreverent things about precedence and COM
missioners and matrimony. Mr.. Beighton
rubbed the top of his head, for he was an
easy -going man.
Late in the season, when he judged that
the time was ripe, Barr-Saggott developed a
plan which did great credit to his admins
trative powers. He arranged an archery
tournament for ladies, with most sumptu.
Ial 10
drew up his terms skilfully, and every one
saw that the bracelet was a gift TO Miss
Beighton, the acceptance carrying with it the
hand and the heart of the Commissioner.
All Simla was invited. There were beau
tifully arranged tea-tables under the deodars
at Annandale, where the grand stand is now !;
and alone in its glory, winking in the sun.
sat the diamond bracelet in a blue velvet case.
Miss Beighton was anxious-almost too
anxious to compete. On the appointed after
noon all Simla rode down TO Annandale to
witness the judgment of Paris turned up
side down. Kitty rode with young Cubbon,
and it was easy to see that the boy was
troubled in his mind. He must be held inno-
cent of everything that followed. Kitty was
pale and nervous, and looked long at the
bracelet Barr-Saggott was gorgeously dress
ed and more hideous than ever.
Mrs Beighton smiled condescendingly as
befitted the mother of potential commits
sioneress, and the shooting began, all the
world standing in a semicircle as the ladies
came out one after the other.
Nothing is so tedious as an archery COM
petition. They shot. and they shot, and they
kept on shooting till the sun left the valley
and little breezes got up in the deodars, and
people waited for Miss Beighton to shoot
and win. Cubbon was at one horn of the
semi-circle around the shooters, and Barr
Saggot at the other. Miss Beighton was last
on the list. The scoring had been weak, and
the bracelet, plus Commissioner Barr-Sag-
gott, was hers to a certainty.
The commissioner strung her bow with
his own sacred hands. She stepped
forward, looked at the bracelet, and her first
arrow went true to hair-full into the heart
of the "gold"-counting nine points.
Young Cubbon on the left turned white,
and his vilprompted Barr-Saggott to smile.
She looked to her left front, gave an almost
imperceptible nod TO Cubbon, and went on
shooting.
wish could describe the scene that fol-
lowed. 1t was out of the ordinary and most
improper. Miss Kitty fitted her arrows, with
immense elaboration, so that every one might
see what she was doing. She was perfect
shot, and her forty six-pound bow suited her
to nicely She pinned the wooden legs Of
the target with great care four successive
times. She pinned the wooden top of the
target once, and all the ladies looked at each
other. Then she began some fancy shooting
at the white, which if you hit it counts ex-
actly one point. She put five arrows into the
white.
1t was wonderful archery but seeing that
her business was not to make "golds" and win
the bracelet, Barr-Saggott turned delicate
green like young water grass. Next she
shot over the target twice, then wide to the