The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-02-27
Select Sturg,
THE VILLAGE LEGACY.
From Macmillan's Magazine.

Bring her in
"She is already in the Presence. If the
Protector of the Poor will rise somewhat
at the other side of the table, Huzoor =
beside the yellow -trousered legs of the guar
dian of peace-that is Mussumat Nuttia.
A child some three years of age, with a
string of big blue beads around her neck
a child who had evidently had very salts
flying meal, and who was even now preserv-
ing its contour by half-a-yard of sugar
cane, stared gravely back at the Assistant
Magistrates grave face
"She has no heirs of any kind ?" he asked.
'None, Hn.oo1.! Hermother was of the
Harm tribe, working haryests in Bhamanl-
wallah-khurtl. There the misfortune of
being eaten by snake came upon her by
the grace of God. Mussumat Nuttia there
fore remains"
"Oh. Guardian of the Poor!' said two
voices in unison, as two tall bearded figures
swathed in whitish-brown draperies pressed
step forward with outstretched petitioning
hands. They had been awaiting this crisis
all day long, with that mixture of tenacity
and indifference which is seen on most faces
in an Indian court.
.'Give her in charge of the headmen OF
the village; they are responsible.
shelter of the world It's falsely repre-
sented. The woman was Il vagrant, loose
walker, a
as the order written? Then bring the
next case.
One flourish of pen, and Mussumat
Nuttia became village legacy, the only
immediate result being that, having sucked
one end of her sugar cane dry, she began
methodically on the other. Halt-an-hour
afterwards, mounted on white pony, with
pink eyes and nose and dyed pink tail to
match, she was on her way back to the clus-
ter of reed huts dignilied by the name Of
Observation-Disclosures, or Little Bhamani-
wallah. Big Bhamaniwallah lay full
mile to the northward, secured against mid
summer floods by the high bank which
stretched like "A mud wall right across the
Puniab plain, from the skirts of the hills
to the great meeting of the five waters at
Mittankote. But Little Bhamaniwallah
lay in the lap of the river, and so Bahadur
and Boota and Johda, and all the grave
big bearded Dogas who fed their herds OF
cattle on the low ground and speculated in
the cultivation of saud-banks, lived with
their lOins girded ready to shift house with
the shifting of the river. That was why
the huts were made of reeds; that was why
the women of the village clanked about in
solid silver jewelry, thus turning their per-
sons into secure savings-bank.
Mussumat Jewun, Bahadur the head
mans wife, wore bracelets like manacles,
and perfect yoke of a necklet, as she pat
ted out the dough cakes and expostulated
shrilly at the introduction of new mouth
into the family, when Nuttia, fast asleep,
was lifted from the pony and put down in
the warm sand by the door.
'She belongs to the village" replied the
elder, wagging their boards. God knows
what my Lords desire with the Harm brat,
but if they ask for her, she must be forth
coming; ay! and fat. They like people to
grow fat, even in their jail-hhdnaz."
SoNuttia grew fat; she would have grown
fat even had the fear of my lords not been
before the simple villagers eyes, for despite
her tender years she was eminently fitted to
take care of herself. She had an instinct
as to the houses where good things were
being prepared and her chubby little hand,
was seldom sent away empty. Indeed, to
tell the sober truth, Nuttia was not to be
gainsaid as to her own hunger. "My
stomach is bigger than that, grandmother !"
she would say confidently if the aims ap-
peared to her inadequate, and neither cuffs
nor neglect altered her conviction. She
never cried, and the little fat hand, silently
demanding more, came back again and again
after every rebuff till she felt herself in a
condition to seek some warm sunny corner,
and curl round to sleep. She lived, for the
most part, with the yelping, slouching, vii
lage dogs, following them, as the nights
grew chill, to the smouldering brick -kilns
where she fed the little dust -celored pup-
pies with anything above, or beneath, her
own appetite.
As she outgrew childhood's vestment of
curves and dimples, some one gave her an
old rag of petticoat. Perhaps the acqui-
sition of clothes followed, as in ancient days,
fall from grace; certain it was that Nut
tia in garment was far less estimable
member of society than Nuttia without one
To begin with, it afforded opportunity
for the display of many mortal sins. Vain
glory in her own appearance, deceit in at
tempting to palm the solitary prize off on
the world as a various and complete ward
robe, and dishonesty fragrant and unabashed;
for once provided with convenient recep-
tacle for acquiring trifes Nuttia took to
stealing as naturally as puppy steals bones.
Then, once having recognized the pleas
ures of possession, she fought furiously
against any Infringement of her rights A
boy twice her size went yelling home to his
parents on her first resort to brute force
consequent on the discovery Of potsherd
tied to her fayorite puppy's tail, This vic
tory proving unfortunate for the peace of
IL II L -