Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-11-16

and bribed in vain. Phooli-jan would not
stir. She would not even let me pick
handful of the flowers for her to hold 1t
was unlucky Besides ono never knew
what one might find in the thickets of
leaves-bones and horrid things. Had I
never heard that dead people get tired Of
their graves and tried to get out or even
if they only wanted something in their
graves they would stretch forth hand to
get itP That was one reason why people
covered them up with howers-just to
make them more contented.
The idea of STOPPING to Gull flower and
shaking hands with corpse was distinct
ly unpleasant, even in sunlight, SO gave
up the point and began to sketch the girl
us she sat, rather a difficult task, for she
DhatteTed necessarily. Did 1 see that thin
blue thread of smoke covering the bottom
pf the valley? That was Goloo's fire. He
was drying orris root for the maharajah.
There, on the opposite murg, where the
butfaloes showed dark among the flowers,
was Chuchchu's hut. Undoubtedly Chuch-
chu was the richer, but Goloo could
climb like an ibex. 1t was he whom the
Huzoor was going to take as a guide to
The peak. He could dance too. The HUI
round the fire No one turned so slowly as
Goloo. He would not brighten a young
lamb, except when he was angry-well,
Jealous, if the Huzoor thought that were
better.
By the time she had done chattering
here was not petal left on the oxeyed
laisies, and was divided between pity
md envy toward Golo0 and Chuchchu.
That eveni,2c. as u-@-'L 1 set MY paint
Ing to dry on the easel at the door Of tn,
tent. AS lounged by the campfire, smok.
ing my pipe big young man, coming In
with a jar of buffalo milk on his shouldes
and big bunch of red rhododendron be.
hind his ear, stopped and grinned at my
caricature Of Phooli-jan Five minutes
after, down by the servants encampment,
heard free fight going on and strolled
over to see what was the matter. After
the manner of Kaaimiri quarrels, it had
ended almost as it began, for the race love
peace. That it ended was not, however,
saw at a glance, the fault Of the smaller
of the antagonists, who was being forcibly
held back by my shikari.
"Chuchchu, that man there wanted to
charge Goloo this man here, the same
price for milk as he does your honor" ex-
planned the shikari deliberately. THAT
was extortionate, even though Goloo, being
the Huzoor's guide for tomorrow, may be
said to be your honors servant for the
time. l have settled the matter justly.
The Huzoor need not give thought to it, "
looked at the two recipients of Phooli-
JAMS favor with interest, for that the
punches Of red rhododendron they both
bnr off I did lpt1ht TborJ
were both flno young men, but Goloo dis
tinctly the better looking of the two, if
trifle sinister.
Despite the recommendation Of my shi-
kari to cast thought aside, the incident
fingered in my memory, and 1 mentioned
it to Phooli- jan when, on returning to
finish my sketch, found her waiting for
me among the flowers. Her smile was
more brilliant than ever.
They will not hurt each other" she
said. "Chuchchu knows that Goloo Is
moro active, and Goloo knows that Chuch-
chu is stronger. 1t is like the dogs in our
village"
Il was not thinking of them" I replied.
81 was thinking of you. Surprising they
were to quarrel with you"
She laughed They will not quarrel.
In summer time there are plenty of flow
ers for everybody"
I thought of these red rhododendrons
and could not rcpress n smile at her bare
faced wisdom of the serpent.
And in tho winter timer
"Then l will marry one Of them or
some one have only to choose. That is
all. They are at my beck and call"
Three years passed before recurring leave
enabled me to pay another visit to the
murg. The rhOdodendrons were once more
out on the uplands, and as 1 turned the
last corner of the pine set path which
threaded its way through the defle l saw
the meadow before me, with its mosaic of
flowers bright as ever. The memory of
Phooli-jan came back to me as she had sat
in the sunshine nodding and reckoning.
"Phooli-jan?" echoed the old patriarch
who came out to welcome me as ! crossed
the plank bridge to the village. "PhOoli-
jan, the herd girl? Huzoor, she is dead.
She died from picking flowers. A vain
thing. 1t was at the turn beyond the
murg, Huzoor, half way between Chuch
chu's hut and Goloo's drying stage. There
is big rhododendron tree hanging over
the cliff, and she fell down. 1t must be
three years gone"
Three years. Then it must have hap
pcned almost Immediately after left the
valley. The idea upset me. knew not
why. 1t seemed to dim the sunshine The
murg without that Powerful life nodding
and reckoning felt empty. 1 was glad
that l had arranged not to remain there
for the night, but to push on to another
meadow, some six miles farther up the
river. To do so, however, Irequired fresh
relay Of coolies, and while my shikari was
arranging for this in the village l made
my way by n crosscut to the promontory
with its patches of iris.
Deaths are rare in these small commu-
mites, and there were but two or three new
graves, all but one too recent to be poor
Phooli- JAMS. That, then, must be hers
with its still clearly defined oblong of iris,
already mass of pale purple and white.
sat down on rock and began unro-
mantically to eat my lunch, finishing up
with pull at my flask, and thus provi-
dentially fortified 1 stopped, ere leaving,
to pick one or two Of the blossoms from
the grave, intending to paint them round
the sketch Of the girls head which had
with me.
Great heavens, what was that?
turned positively sick with horror and
doubt. Was it hand? 1t was some time
before could force myself to set aside the
sheathing leaves and settle the point.
Something it was-something which, even