The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-10

crops Of ragi which no had brought into
his power from tho villagers by usury,
and walking under cover Of this grove
he spied q woman swimming upon q
chatty from the further bank and pres
emily perceived 1t was no other than the
girl he had secretly bought from the
herdsman. If he was jealous before, his
angry heart burned fercer than ever US
he watched from his hiding place the
lovely goat girl step, bare Of all her gar
ments, from the water, her beauteous
limbs shining, smooth and rounded,
in the morning sun, End her teeth of
pearl cleaning white between her little
rosy lips, as she smiled to think of Luxi-
mans bygone fondness.
"The wicked old Govinda observed her
hide the chatty away in the reeds and
press the water from her sides and back
with dry grass, while all hastily she I'M
fastened her clothing and wound he,
purple sari round her waist and over her
head, having first tied ON her clloli of
orange and green. Afterward she
trlpped up the bank and away to the
fold-not thinking when Govinda after
ward passed her i'll the fields and made
her Ram! ram! and fair salutations
that he had already devised devilish
plot to cause her to die.
What did that gray fox contriye. do
you ask, asylum of excellence? Hewent
forthwith. on his pony to the potter's
shop of the neighboring village, and there
he bought black chatty of exactly such
a size and make as that with which Sohni
had swan the river, but unbaked, and
the clay only set by the sun. This he
took with him at nightfall and came
with it into the little grove here, where
the goat girl had concealed her swim
ming pot. That pot he broke into many
pieces and flung them all far into the
stream, putting i'll its place the unbalsed
chatty, which looked like the other, es-
peclally Ill the gloom, for always of
course it was after nightfall that the
goat girl crossed over to Luximan."
THAT night and the next night there
was feast in this village, and Sohni
must take her part with the household,
SO she could not go over the water And
the next day flood came down, strong
and sudden, from the hills, SO that the
river became greatly swollen and peril
GUS, nor did any of the fishermen venture
forth with their spreadnets in such yell
low twisting eddies as were running.
But Sohni's heart was too full of love 20
have III 1t any room for proper fear, and
when she heard that evening, coming
across the current, the faint sound of her
Indian boys flute she knew it was tho
signal of his fond impatience for the com
fort of her hands and the blessings of her
mouth, and she waited until the moon
was down and then set forth for her
grove.
I'm its old hiding place she found-as
She thought-her black chatty. She
drew it fortL and filed the narrow muz-
zle with grass, and placing it under her
naked bosom committed herself, with IA
little terror at the dark flowing waters,
to the quick current. Again mt this mo-
ment she heard the soft notes of Luxi-
mans bansuli. He was awaiting her in
the safe and warm jungle and would be
doubly loving to her for her courage in
coming"
But, o Shival what is this which is
Detailing? The water flows into the
vessel. 1t fills. 1t sinks under herl The
false sides of the chatty--unbaked and
softening quickly in the strong stream
yield, melt, fall in between her hands.
The accursed cheat fails herl She knows
what has been done and lets the deceit
full pot go before its growing weight pulls
her under the chill waves of the river,
the half of which she has not yet SWIM
over. Then unseen by her lover, I'M
helped by any plying star, she struggles
steadfastly end bravely not to die.
Many times she rises bravely from
the whirlpools which drag her feet down
and cries to Luximan, who, to save his
jungle dove, would have breasted the
river of Asipatra, which flows through
hell, if he only knew and could have
seen. He does not know and cannot see,
and SO, deprived of the sustaining chatty,
her young strength yields, the yellow
currant boils again and again between
her gasping lips, her long brown arms
beat the stream with feebler strokes
and at last, naming her lovers name
her beautiful head went under, and only
dark hand was seen above the river as
1t whirled away the dead body of beau
tiful Sohni.
Next day, when the light was strong
upon the stream and its swollen tide had
somewhat fallen, they found the corpse
of the goat girl upon the tail of yonder
sandfat, where the cranes are fishing
Her funeral pile was reared near to
where this stone stands and the village
people raised the stone and had tho
black chatty carved upon it as memoir
al for times to come, and because they
compassionf, ed Sohni and hated the
cruel and avaricious Soucar Govinda."
Sir Edwin Arnold.