The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-29

GhippeG and donted. it stood on the man.
telpieeo among the pipestems which Imam
Din, khitmatgar, was cleaning for me.
Does the heaven born want this ball2"
said Imam Din deferentially. "By your
honor's favor, I have little son. He has
seen this bali and desires it 20 play with.
do not want &c for myself"
He carried cut the battered thing into
the varanda, and there followed a hurri-
cane Of joyful sqaeaks, Patter of small
feet and tho thud, thud, thud Of che ball
rolling along che ground
Next day, coming back from Office hall
an hour earlier than usual, Z vvas aware OF
a small figure IN the dining room tiny,
plump figure in a ridiouiously inadequate
shirt which came perhaps half way down
the tubby stomach. 1t wandered round
the room, thumb in mouth, grooming to
itself as it took stock Of the pictures. IN
doubtedly this was the ''little son.
he had no business in my room, Of
course, but was SO deeply absorbed in his
discoveries that he never noticed me in the
doorway I stepped into the room and
startled him nearly into a 1T. He sol
down on the ground with q gasp. His
eyes opened and his mouth followed suit.
knew what was coming and aed, followed
By q long. dry howl which reached tho
servants quarters far more quickly than
any command of 1nine had ever done. IN
ten seconds Imam Din was in the dining
room. Then despairing sobs arose, and ]
returned to find Imam Din admonishina
the small sinner, who was using most OF
his shirt as a handkerchief
tfThis boy, " said Imam Din iudicially,
sis q budmash-a big budmash He Will
without doubt, 60 to ths jailkhana for his
behavior" Renewed yells from the peni.
tent and an elaborate apology to myself
from Imam Din.
'tTeu the baby, " said I, THAT the sahih
is not angry and take him away" Imam
Din conveyed my forgiveness to the of.
fender, who had now gathered all his shirt
round his neck, stringwise, and the yell
subsidized into q sob. The two set of FOL
the door. His name, p said Imam Din as
though the name were part Of the crime,
sis Muhammad Din, and be IS a bud
mash" Freed from present danger, Mu.
hammad Din turned round in his fathers
arms and said gravely: ct is true that my
name IS MuhaInmaG Din, tahib, but Z am
not a budmash. am mani'
From that day dated my acquaintance
with Muhammad Din. Never again did
he come into my dining room, but on the
neutral ground of the compound we greeted
each other with much state, though oul
conversation was confined to ssTalaam,
tahibr' from his side and 'sSalaam, Mu.
hammad Dini' from mine Daily on my
the fat little body used to rise from the
shade Of the creeper covered tre1lis where
they had been hid, and daily I checked my
horse here, that my salutation might not
be slurred over or given unseemly.
Wuhammad Din never had any compan.
ions. He used to trot about the com
pound, in and out of the castor oil bushes,
On mysterious errands Of his own. One
day stumbled upon some OF his handi.
work far down the ground. He had hall
buried the polo ball in dust and stuck six
sitriveled old marigold flowers in a circle
round it. Outside that circle again was
rude square. traced out in bits Of red brick
alternating with fragments of broken
china, the whole bounded by a little bank
Of dust. The bhistie from the well curl
put IN plea for the small architect, say.
ing that It was only the play Of baby and
did not much diadgure my garden.
Heaven knows that I had no intention
OF touching the child's work then or later,
but that evening a stroll through the gar
den brought me unRwares full on it, SC
that I trampled before knew marigold
heads, dust bank and fragments Of broken
soap dish into confusion past all hope OF
mending. Next morning I came upon
Muhammad Din crying softly to himself
over the ruin I had wrought. Some one
had cruelty told him that the sahib was
very angry with him for spelling the gar.
bad language the while. Muhammad Din
labored for an hour at efaoing every trace
of the dust bank and pottery fragments,
and it was with a fearful and apologize
face that he said, "Talaam, tahibi" when
I came home from the Office. A hasty in
Quiry resulted in Imam Din informing
Muhammad Din that by my singular favor
be was permitted to disport himself as he
pleased. Whereat the child took heart and
fell 60 tracing the ground plan Of an sdidoa
which was to eclipse the marigold polo
ball creation.
For some months the chubby little CO.
oentricity revolved in his humble orbit
among the castor oil bushes and in the
dust, always fashiOning magnificent pal
aces from stale flowers thrown away by
the bearer, smooth water worn psbbles,
bits Of broken glass and feathers pulled,
fancy, from my fowls-always alone and
always grooming to himself.
A gayly spotted seasheIl was dropped
one day close to she last of his little build
ings, and looked that Muhammad Din
should build something more than ordi-
narily splendid on the strength Of it, Nor
was I disappointed He meditated for
nearly an hour, and his grooming rose to
q iubiiant song. Then he began tracing
in dust. It would certniR ely be a vvOndrous
palace, this one, for it WAS two yards long
and yard broad in ground plan. But
the palace was never completed
Next day there was no huhammad Din
at the head of the carriage drive and no
Z Talaam, tahibF' to welcome my return.
had grown accustomed so the greeting,
and its omission troubled me. Next day
Imam Din told me that the child was suf-
fering slightly frem fever and needed
quinine He got the medicine and an
English doctor
They have no stamina these brats,"
said the doctor as he left Imam Din's /
quarters.
A week later, though would have given !
much to have avoided it, Z met on the road
to the Mussulman burying ground Imam