The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-09-04

Aftera month Of this folly the cxigencics
OF his other life compelled TrejagO To be
especially attentive 10 lady Of his ac-
qualntance. You may take it for a fact
that anything Of this kind is not only no.
ticcd and discussed by mans own race,
but by some 100 natives as well. Trejago
had 90 walk with this Indy and talk 20 her
at the band stand and once or twice To
drive with her, never for an instant dream
ing that this would affect his dearcr out Of
the way life But the news flew in the
usual mysterious fashion from mouth TO
mouth till Bisesa's duenna heard Of 1t and
told Bisesa. The child was 50 troubled
that she did the household work evilly and
was beaten by Durga Charan's wife in
consequence.
A week later Bisesa taxed Trejago with
the Irritation. She understood no grada-
tions and spoke openly. Trejago laughed,
and Bisesa stamped her little feet-little
feet, light M marlgold flowers, that could
lie in the palm of "A mans one hand.
Much that Is written about oriental
passion and impulsiyencss is exaggerated
and compiled ut secondhand, but n little
of it is true, and when an Englishman
finds thar little il is quite as startling as
any passion in his own proper life. Bisesa
ragged and stormed and finally threatened
10 kill herself If Treiago did not at once
drop the alien memsahib who had come
between them. Trejago tried TO explain
and tn show her that she did not under
stand these things from western stand
point. Bisesa drew herself up and said
simply:
II do not. know only this-it is not
good that / should have made you dearer
an Englishman. am only black girl"
she was faircr than bar gold in the mint
-"and the widow of black man"
Then she sobbed and said: "But on my
soul, and my mothers soul, love you.
There shall no harm come to you whatever
happens 10 me-.
Treiago argued with the child and tried
| to soothe her, but she seemed quite unrea-
| sonably disturbed. Nothing would satisfy
| her save that all relations between them
| should end He was to go away at once
And he went. AS he dropped out at the
window she kissed his forehead twice, and
| he walkel home wondering.
| A week and then three weeks passed
without a sign from Bisesa. Trejago,
| thinking that the rupture had lasted quite
| long enough, went down To Amir Nath s
| gully for the fifth time in the three weeks,
hoping that his rap at the sill of the shift
| ing grating would be answered He was
not disappointed.
There was n young moon, and one
| stream of light fell down into Amir Nath s
| gully and struck the grating, which was
| drawn away as he knocked. From the
black dark Bisesa held out her arms into
| the moonlight. Both hands had been cut
| off at the wrists, and the stumps were
| nearly healed.
| Then as Bisesa bowed her head between
her arms and sobbed some one in the room
| grunted like wild beast and something
| sharp-knife, sword or spear-thrust at
Trejago in his boorka. The stroke missed
| his body, but cut into one of the muscles
of the groin, and he limped slightly from
the wound for the rest of his days
| The grating went into its place. There
| was no sign whatever from inside the
house-nothing but the moonlight strip
on the high wall and the blackncss OF
Amir Mathis gully behind.
The next thing Trcjago remembers after
| raging and shouting like mailman be
tween those pitiloss walls is that he found
himself near the river rs the dawn wa:
breaking, threw away his boorka and went
home barehcadcd.
What the tragedy was-whether Bisesa
had in fit of causeless despair told every
thing or the intrigue had been discovered
and she tortured - tell; whether Durga
Charan knew his name and what became
of Bisesa-Treiago does not know to thi;
day. Something horrible had happened
and the thought of what it must have beer
comes upon Trcjago in the night now and
again and keeps him company till the
morning. One special feature of the case
is that he does not know where lies the
front of Durga Charan's house IL may
| open on to "a courtyard common to two OIL
more houses, or it may lie behind any one
of the gates of Jitha Megii's bustce. Ire
jago cannot tell. He cannot get Bisesa-
poor little Bisesa-back again. He has
lost her in the city, where each Iian's house
is as guarded and as unknowablc as the
grave and the grating that opens into
Amir Maths gully has been walled up.
But Trejago pays his calls regularly and
is reckoncd very decent sort of man.
There is nothing peculiar about him ex-
cept slight stiffness, caused by riding
| strain in the right leg. -Rudyard kipling