Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-06-19

discovered and knitted never occurred to
him till his madness was over, and BIZ
sesa- But this comes later.
Bisesa was an endless delight to.Treja-
go. She was rs ignorant as n bird, and
her distorted versions of the rumors from
the outside world that had reached her in
her room amused Trcjago almost as much
rs her lisping attempts to pronounce his
name, Christopher The first syllable
was always more than she could manage,
and she made funny little gestures with
her roseleaf hands, as one throwing the
name away, and then kneeling Npfore Ire
jago asked him, exactly as an English
woman would do if he were sure be loved
her Trejago swore that he loved her
more than any one else in the world which
was true
After n month of this folly the exigencies
of his other life compelled Trejago to be
especially attentive to a lady of his ac-
quaintance. You may take it for a fact
that anything of this kind is not only no.
ticed and discussed by a mans own race,
but by some $50 natives as well. Trejago
had to walk with this lady and talk to her
at the band stand and once or twice to
drive with her, never for an instant dream
ing that this would affect his dearer out Of
the way life. But the news flew in the
usual mysterious fashion from mouth to
mouth till Bisesa' S ducnna heard of it and
told Bisesa. The child was so 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 filtration. She understood no grada-
tions and spoke openly. Trejago laughed,
and Biscsa stamped her little feet-little
feet, light as marigold flowers, that could
lie in the palm of a mans one hand.
Much that is written about "oriental
passion and impulsveness' is exaggerated
and compiled at secondhand, but little
of 1t is true, and when an Englishman
finds that little it is quite as startling as
any passion in his own proper life. Bisesa
ragged and stormed and finally threatened
to kill herself if Trejago did not at once
drop the alien memsahib who had come
between them. Trcjago tried to explain
and to show her that she did not under
stand these things from western stand
point Bisesa drew herself up and said
simply:
Il do not. know only this-it is not
good that 1 should have made you dearer
than my own heart to me, sahib. You are
IL
she was fairer than bar gold in the mint
land the widow of black man"
Then she sobbod and said but on my
soul, and my mothers soul, love you
There shall no harm come to you whatever
happens to me "
Trejago ,shrucd with the child and tried
to soothc 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 walked home wondering.
a week and then three weeks passed
without a sign from Biscsa. Trciago,
thinking that the rupture had lasted quite
long enough, went down to Amir Mathis
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 young moon, and one
stream of light fell down into Amir Mathis
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 Biscsa bowed her head between
her arms and SohEcd some one in the room
eruntcd like Il wild beast, and something
sharp-krifc, sword or spcar-thrust at
Irejago in his hoorka The stroke missed
his body, but cut into one of the muscles
Of the groin, and hc limpcd slightly from
the wound tor the rest Of his days.
The grating went into its place. There
was no sign whatever from inside the
house-nothing bur the moonlight strip
on the high wall and the blackncss of
Amir Nath's gully behind
The next thing Ircia.ro remembers after
raging and shouting like a mailman be-
tween those pitilcss walls is that he found
himself near the river as the dawn was
breaking, throw away his boorka and went
home barcLcadcd
What the tragedy was-whcther Bisesa
had in a lit OF c;tusoleSs despair told every
thing or the intrigue had been discovered
and she tortured To tell; whether Durra
Charan knew his name and what became
of Bisc-a-Ir-J9@o does not know To this
day Something horrible had happened,
ana the thought Of what it must have been
comes upon lrcjago in the night now and
again and keeps him company till the
iHOiiliiE. Oii1 special feature OF tlc case
is that he does not know where lies the
front of Durga Charan's house 1t may
open on to a courtyard common To two or
more houses, or it may lie behind any one
of the gates Of Jitha Megji's bustec. Ire
jago cannot tell He cannot get Bisesa-
poor little Biscsa-back again He has
lost her in the city, where each man IS house
is as guarded and rs unknowable as the
grave, and the grating that opens into
Amir Maths gully has been walled up.
But Trejago pays his calls regularly and
is rcckoned 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
A Story of Ed Pardridge.
Shortly after the Chicago board of trade
Dut the StamD of disnnDroVn1 on Fnutii