The National tribune., 1896-02-13

u SAW FIGURE IN THE DOORWAY
my dream true? Was it eating jim? But
my scream scared it. 1t SUNK away-a poor
starved wretch of pariah dog, driven to
| tapping the oil out of the lamp. / sprang
out of bed There was no jim! was still
alone in this open, unprotected garden-house
| | shouted for the ayah and the bearer, who
woke up, frightened at my fright.
Not another moment, l exclaimed, would
] remain without the sahib in this place
where all sorts Of things could roam in. l
| could not sleep wink! / ordered them to
| find me out some other room Mt once, and
| shivered with the night air and with terror.
The bearer, still halfasleep joined his
hands in supplcation. OF course, my High
| Mightiness could go where liked; but the
Maharaia abs sahib guests always had their
| beds laid in the Pearl Garden House. The
| palace was doubtless unwashed and mus
keio-y, but if it was safer, l would sleep
there. No. not in the big hall that would
give me the blues. Were there no little
rooms?
The bearerdeparted to investigate, through
some of the Rajah'- myrmidons, lying asleep
about the place. He returned with the in
formation that my Mghtiness could
rest in the Bebi-Khana, the women's apart
ucHtS, over tue pTesb UdII. EOO we set lOE
they do these things so easily in 1ndia-I
and my servants, my bed, my bag, and my
tea basket. fsG
The huge mirrors of the great hall, by the
dim light of the bearers lantern, reflected
very woebegone little white face By mar
row little dirty stairs in the thickness of the
wall we climbedito a suite of rooms high up.
/ chose the least and inneImost, as the secur-
est, as well as the airiest, with the night
breeze blowing in through glassless win
dow opening on to small arched balcony of
stone. The servants quickly arranged my
little bed, and in a few minutes / had lain
down again, whiethe ayah, her head muffled
in her white shawl after the manner of her
kind. stretched hersef on the floor of the
adjoining room.
Despite my gnawing anxiety about Jim,
the change, the cooler air, soon made me
drowsy and quickly fell asleep, this time
soundly and dreamlessly. How long slept
/ cannot tell / was suddenly awoke by
the sound Of voice near at hand.
i opened my eyes. Straight in front of
me, through the carved arches of the bal
cony, was a brilliant patch of light. The
moon had risen, but, inside, the room was
in dense shadow. BY the dim light of the
Pickering lamp on the floor, when turned
my head, I saw figure in the doorway.
sprang up in bed as it advanced slowly
toward me and resolved itself into that of
wien old scarecrow Of a native woman,
quite half-naked, and simply mass of
wrinkles and bones, crowned with few stray
gray locks. 1t might have been hundred
years old it looked scarcely human, till it
opened its toothless jaws and spoke.
Hal here you are, ShahZadi," ;" it quavered,
gritnIy have cnuUht vnu avaruwbara
and have found you at last!" it added with
grin so fiendish that sat up in bed, too
transfixed with terror even to scream or
move.
"The beautiful white Princess " it croaked,
sliding nearer, "with the yellow hair and
the pale face! Hal Salaam the beautiful
new Maharanee! Salaam The Maharajah's
Hearts Delight. The beautiful prisoner
all the white men killed Only the white
Shahzadi left, and left to be the Maharajah's
Bebi! IIa! she Missed. Il have found you
at last!"
She seemed about to spring upon me. /
saw her eyes glitter in the gloom. For a
moment i shrauk up against the wall, and
then jumped over the end of the bed and
glanced round for a means of escape. But
the old madwOman had got between me and
the door! / tried to scream. But my tongue
claVe TO the TO0i OF my mouth. Besides, ayahs
asleep, and swaddled up like mummies, are
stone deaf Then, it all happened so quickly.
She advanced upon me, nearer and nearer,
still with that horrible grin and jabbering
wildly
Found found! You white Bebi! Beau
tiful? Faugh! Once | was beautiful too,
and his Higbness the Maharajah loved my
long black hair and my fat white neck"
/ edged way--back-back. She drew
upon me like baleful old snake, fascinating
me with her horrible glover.
:" / was the Naharajah's Hearts Delight
Was the Maharanee, till you came, you
white Shahzadii Yah!"
Twas against the pillar-tbrough the arch
way-in the balcony-on she came!
"Wah wah!" she croaked. "Beauti-
full? l will make you beautiful-Ill dim
those beautiful eyes of yOurs"-
A long, bony arm bangle laden, hovered
in the air. A knife cleaned in the moon
light rs she swooped down upon me. Whether
she pushed me, whether let myself fall,
cannot say. But the next moment / was
over the edge Of the balcony and down, 80
feet, into the pond below!
There was yell of maniacal laughter, the
shadow OF figure following me as / fell