The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-11-07

to charge Goloo, this man here, the
same price for milk as he does your
honor" explained the Shikari elabor-
ately. THAT was extortionate, even
though Goloo, being the Huzoor's
guide for tomorrow, may be said to be
YOUR honor's servant for the time. |
have settled the matter justly. The
Huzoor need not give thought to il"
l looked at the two recipients Of
Phooli-jan's favor with interest-for
that the punches of red rhOdodendron
they both wore Were her gift | did not
doubt. They were both fine young
men, but Goloo distinctly the better
looking of the two, if a trifie sinister.
Despite the recommendation of my
Shikari to east thought aside, the incl
dent fingered in my memory, and /
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 know that Goloo Is
more active and Goloo knows that
Chuehchu is stronger. 1t is like the
dogs of our village"
~ was not thinking of them," i re-
piled. ~ was thinking of you. Sup
posing they were TO quarrel with you?'
She laughed. ''They will not quar-
rel. In summer time there are plenty
of flowers for everybody"
| thought of those red rhOdoden-
drons, and could not repress smile at
her bare-faced wisdom Of the serpent.
"And in the winter time?"
''Then | will marry one Of them, or
some one. l 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
20 the murg. The rhododendrons Were
once more out on the uplands, and as
| turned the last corner of the pine set
path which threaded its way through
the defile, | 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 beckoning.
"Phooli-ian?r echoed the old patri-
arch, who came out 10 welcome me as
/ crossed the plank bridge to the vii
lage. ''Phooli-jan, the herd girl? HUI
zoo, she is dead; she died from picking
flowers. \ vain thing. 1t was at the
turn beyond the murg, Huzoor, hall
way between Chuchu's hut and Goloos
drying stage. There is big rhodo-
dendron tree hanging over the cliff,
and she fell down. 1t must be three
years gone"
Three years; then it must of happen
ed almost Immediately after | left the
valley. The idea upset me; knew
not why. 1t seemed to dim the sun
shine. The murg without that flower
ful life nOdiing and beckoning felt
empty. was glad that had arrang-
ed not TO remain there for the night,
but to push on to another meadow,
some six miles further up the river.
To do 50, however, | required a fresh
relay of coolies, and while my Shikari
was arranging for this in the village /
made my way by a cross-cut to the
promontory, with its patches of iris.
Deaths are rare i'm those small COM
munities, and there were but two or
three new graves-all but one too re-
cent 20 be poor Phooli.jan's. That,
then must be hers, with it, still clearly
defined oblong of iris, already mass
of pale purple and white.
sat down on a rock, and began, un-
romantically TO eat my lunch, finish
ing up with pail at my flask, and
thus providentially fortified, stopped,
ere leaving, TO pick one or two of the
blossoms from the grave, intending to
plant 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 il hand? Ii was
some time before | colld force myself
to set aside the sheathing leaves and
settle the point. Something il WAS
something which. even as | parted the
stems, fell to pieces, "a the skeleton Of
a beckoning hand might have done. /
did not stay to see more; let the flow
ers close III over it-whatever il was
and made my way back to the village.
Ny baggage, having changed shoul-
ders, was streaming out over the plank
bridge again, and in the two first bear
ers, carrying mycoo& room ppts AMI
pans, recognized Goloo and Chuch-
chu. They had both grown stouter,
and wore huge punches of red rhodo-
dendrons behind their ears. i found
out, on inquiry, that they were both
married and had become bosom
friends.
| have not seen the turquois set in
diamonds since, but ! often think of it,
and wonder what it was | saw among
the iris. And then seem TO see Phoo-
li-jan sitting among the flowers, nod
ding her head and saying: 'They are
at my beck and CALI
IL | We're GolOo or Chuchchu, /
would be buried somewhere else.