The National tribune., 1896-02-13

and far away, )" to this out-of- the-way nook
OF Hearts, Delight"
If Jim the lover had been delightful, what
were not my views about Jim the husband,
as ! looked MP at his dear, tanned face and
bleached mustache as he rode SO close by
my sidel
And Just then his keen hunters eve espied
that unlucky herd of black buck, alarmed
by our unexpected appearance, bounding
away over the horizon! Not that the sight
told upon him yet, though.
"0ne-two-four-five " counted Jim,
screwing up his eyes, and fine head, by
Jovei" he added, as the horned lord of the
family brought up the rear, driving his
harem before him.
When the sun grew hot we turned back to
the palace. The servants had laid break fast
| for us in the beautifully-carved white marble
4 garden-house where we had slept. In front
| shimmered an artificial tank of water, where
fat fish basked in the shadow of the stone
steps. Around were bosky alleys of mango
and orange trees, with here and there open
sunny spaces, gay with purple bougainvillea
and yellow alamanda, and sweet with roses.
The ring-doves cooed unseen in the branches;
1 the pert hoopoos strutted about the paths.
Behind, on a wide terrace, and faced by a
huge portico, rose the palace Of Hearts
| Delight" a dream of delicate tracery of
salmon-colored stone. Surrounded by an
obseq uious group of servants, my prince by
my sde felt like a fairy heroine out of the
Arabian Nights!
Then the spell was broken.
"Those black-buck!" muttered Jim, his
mouth full of timed salmon. " i should
like to have try Tor them this evening On
that ground, with those hillocl1s, believe
could get up TO them beautifully"
Already, with my superior rwoman-instinct,
j knew better than TO thwart even the most
devoted Of 24-hours-0ld husbands, when his
sporting tendencies were aroused.
oh! do have try" / exclaimed; but /
! fancy my tone belied my words
And leave you, little woman 2" tenderly.
"oh, don't mind I'd like you to get
nice buck"
You might ride out with me-" he de-
INJURED, as far as that dry jheel -
"And get in the way and spoil sport
laughed. and have TO ride back alone, I'd
sooner be left here IN the gardeni"
"Well, Ill talk il over with Mohun!n
Jim added, and then we returned 10 a
subject that interested us both much more
deeply-namely, our own two selves, and all
we had ever thought or felt concerning each
other, from the very first moment that J m
was introduced TO me. The gentle reader
will understand the sty lie of con ersatinn, dis
jointed, unconnected, eyes and hands playing
their part in it, and, dou btless, lips, too might
have had their share, did not the presenc. of
the ubiquitous servants, and OF Mohun the
faithful, lowering in the rear, forbid
Mohyn is Jims familiar, his shikari or
huntsman, tall, straight, swarthy, and wiry,
with beaked nose and eyes like a hawk
Not shot has Jim fired these many years
but Mohun has been in at the death. He is
a premier Of woodcraft a hunter to the very
tips of his bOny, claw-like hands. What 1
admire about Mohun. however, is the fact
that Jim is unto him like god. He
adores the very ground his sahib treads on
Once, indeed, away in Kashmir. Jim AYERS,
Mohnn saved his life, nursing him like a
woman, through bad attack of fever up in
his tiny tent on the edge Of the SHOWS.
| sometimes fancy M0hun is shade jeal-
Gus of me over our Jim. In the formers
eyes ] am but poor thing. cannot stalk,
aud TO shoot / afraid. j feel on the
other hand, that in the life of Jim cum Mo-
hun, have neither part nor lot.
The morning passed away like a beauti-
/ ful dream. After breakfast we strolled
about the garden; then, when the sun grew
J
/ The palace.
Hearts Delight is one wealth of stone
carving-portico, loggia, oriel, balcony, and
turret; the product of a land where labor is
a drug in the market. The present Mahara-
! iah, brought up 10y English tutors, affects
the place but little, preferring Simla and
Calcutta. Tie palace was built by his old
uncle, the late Maharajah. whom we de-
posed, a rather grim parsonage of the true
Oriental type. and of evil, mutiny. notoriety.
] His successor keeps the place up well, and
( is always ready 10 lend it 10 any English
officials of the neighborng frontier districts,
and certainly il is an ideal place for a honey
! moon.
We wandered through the halls, the
floors Of which were mostly innocent of soap
and water. In the dim arches of the vast
portico hung flying foxes, snoozing through
! the midday heat. The great hall was
asfrsk q eye Haotn ne}0