Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-01
THE WHITE FEATHER

Yes, IL seems funny thing TO find n pi-
ano and mirrors and knickknncks and
china up horo among the Himalayan foot
hills, n couple OF hundred miles from any
where, and an old grny bearded planter,
whose nearest ncighbor IL 80 miles away
and who never hears tho rustic Of white
woman's petticoats, seems tho last sort Of
man 70 own them.
The piano isn't up TO much. It hasn't
been tuned for tho Inst 10 years, and two
years ago tho Frazer boys, who had ridden
over from Kajah Hath to cat their Christ
mas dinner here, managed TO broal, most
Of the strings and hammers, larking with
IL. The mirrors too, arc all cracked or
hopelessly blotched by the damp of the
rains, but they looked smart enough when
j bought them, some 10 years ago.
I've got used to the poor 1nery, and the
other boys from the plantations, when they
do ride over here, are good naturcd enough
In their chaff.
It's not onco In a blue moon that globe
trottcr like you comes up this path, for the
temple really Is not worth seeing and the
SHOWS are reached with 40 much less trou-
BILE by the other road, with its we'll built
dak bungalows. A couple OF years ago we
had commissioner who was sportsman
and who used to como here for the great
mahseer, whose favorite haunt Is where
the two rivers-you can hear them roaring
now-mect down deep In the valley, but
the present man Is not u keen man and
doesn't come as far as this.
Is there story attached to these old
sticksp
Well, anywhere but here should think
"A H. ll.A I..,t
don't mind listening will tell you the
whole little history.
I'd been out in the country ten years
% years in all I've put In In this old India
and I'd worked up to the position Of
manager at the Murrinee estate, which lies
80 miles away over that big ridge of hills,
about the direction where you can sec the
light of the rising moon. I'd good house
and a good income and like fool /
thought I'd got myself good wife. /
went home, hunted up all my people and
saw as much Of society as ! could-yOu
wouldn't think It of mo to look at me, but
am connected with some of the smartest
people OF London--and before a quarter OF
my leave was up was head over heels in
love with the most lovely girl had ever
set eyes on The life I've led here has
aground all sentiment and that sort OF fool
ishness out Of me, but even now when I
think of 1t there comes back to me n sort
of faint return Of the intense nervousness
felt the day that proposed to her, at
dance at the Star and Garter, standing
we two, OH the terrace, with the sleeping
towr in blur of moonshine at our feet
and the river winding ribbon OF silver
through the misty landscape.
She was a lovely girl, lovely even among
sf..I 90
tinted ivory, large black eyes, black hair
n contralto voice that spoke as sweetly and
with as many mOdulations as any singing
and q manner so gentle and soft that she
twisted one round her little finger with
out ones knowing that the process was GO
ing On. She had q sad story, tOO-pOverty,
a hateful stepmother and no choice except
between marriage and becoming govern
ess. We spent most Of the time during our
engagement in shopping. had plenty of
ready money, and she had. the ideas Of q
princess as to how she should be housed.
These faded brocade curtains we bought
one windy October night Mt Gillow's; that
rickety old piano was one OF Broadwood's
chef d euvres, and those little figures on the
mantel are good dresden. / said goodby
to her on board p. and %. at Southamp-
ton and came out here to get all our pref
ty things into the house and to arrange for
a proper reception OF my coming princess
Two months 1 lived in lovers dream,
and then went to Bombay to meet her.
What happened is, I know, comedy
that is played dozen times each season,
but it makes it none tho less bitter to the
victim thatothers have suffered before him
She met me as soon as set foot on deck
and told me that she could never marry
me-that she had altered her mind
There was no hope for me, she said,
none whatever. There was another
man, and If cared for her-if cared
for her, my God-I would make il all
as little painful as could be helped
and go. She was very, vary sorry, but 1
must go.
/ went back to my curtains and glasses
and pretty things in the bungalow on the
hillside, cursing God and all creation in
my heart. took a great deal of that, too,
then. BY tho way, you're not helping
yourself The whiskys good. You needn't
be afraid of it. got it out direct from
Speyside, and somehow or another re-
port against me got homc and as one Of
the directors wanted a berth for his broth
er was turned out and sent TO this small
estate, where live, seeing no one but the
coolies, the Babu, who lives mile down
below in the village, and old Aflz Kahn,
the grim old Afridi who waited on us and
who has been my body servant for the
last 20 years.
When moved, I took all my fncry with
me. 1t was foolishness, but was fool
then, and / couldn Z bear to part with any
thing that was In any way connected with
her. was as desperately In love rs ever,
and though l saw in the paper her mar
riage announced to man with couple
of estates tackled on to the end of his name
and knew that she had been bought by
higher bidder than was still, being
fool loved her all the same
All people, and they arc few enough,
who come up this road are sent on here to
me and spend the night. We, on the very
outside ring Of civilization, welcome