The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-28

AASAS w" NV VI wv N uNIuNn m An
air, and tho smell, and the sunshine yere III,
same; and the littlo groom men who crossed IN,
parade ground looked very familiar. Tbre,
weeks ago John Chinn would have said no ana
not remember n word of the Dhil tongue. b,t n,
the mess door he found his lips moving in sen
fences that he did not understandable Of old
nursery rhymes and tail ends of such orderr ne
his father used 10 give the mon.
The Colonel watched him como up the .,an,
and laughed.
"Lookl' he said to the Major. mo need 10
ask the young un's breed. Hos n p1ytka Chinn.
Might be his father in tho flfties over again. I"
Hope he'll shoot as Close said tho Major.
Hes brought enough ironmongery with him. Z"
Wouldn't bc a Chinn II he didn't. Watch
him BLOWN his nose. Regular Chinn bcak.
Flourishos his handkerchief like his father. It,s
the second edition-line for lino."
"Fairy tale, by Jovei" said tho Major. peer.
ing through the stats of his ialousies. "If has
lawful heir, he'll " = /" Old Chinn could no
more pass that chick without iddlins with e.
than"
Ellis sonl" said the Colonel jumping IN.
"Wcll. I be blowed!" said the Major. Tho
boys eye had been caught by a split reed screen
that hung on a slue between tho veranda nil.
lara. and, mechanically, ho had tweakcd the
edge to.sct 1t Lowell. Old Chinn had sworn three
times n day ut that screen for many years; no
| COulu nCNtr Ecu IL W III bNUlBIdCtlOn. and hiB
son entered tho ante.room in the middle of the
fvc-fold silence. They made him welcome for
his fathers sake, and, as they took stock Of
him, for his own. He was ridiculously like the
! portrait of the Colonel on the wall, and when he
had washed a little OF the dust from his throat
me- went 10 M 9uar'ers win the old mans
'''""sst 80 much for hieresditv."" Said the Major. "rhat
And tho men know it, said a Wing officer.
They've been waiting for this youth with their
Unless he absoIatcly beats '" en- pe oyer tSs h .nsi,
they'll lie down by companies and worship
"Nothin' like havin' a father before you" said
the Major. I'm n parvenu with my chaps. I've
only been twenty years in the egimcn and my
rcyercd parent was a simple squire. There's
40 getting ut the bottom of II Bhils mind. Now,
why is the superior, Mahommedan bearer that
young Chinn brought with him fleeing across
country with his bundlei' He stepped into the
v S4@ino end shouted after t the !, man typical
What is iti' he called.
s say viii WHY shoot tive taken my S"n'0 5 Keys and
"Doocid %mcid-doocid convincin'. How
jor strolled to his quarters to dress for mess.
dream, had fetched a compass round the entire
cantonment before going to his own tiny cot
been born delayed him for a little: then he he ~
looked at the well on the parade ground, where
lit udu SAT OI evenings Win MS nurse, and at
the ten-by -fourteen church where the officers
went to service If a chaplain of any official
e smef h aa Gomnar to come ,2its along ths 1t seemed very
he used to look up at. but it was the same place.
From time to time he passed a kaot of silent
been the very men who carried him on their
backs when he was in his first knickerbockers.
murmurod from the floor.
he spoke in the Bhil tongue: ' ~
Il bore you In my arms, Sahib, when I was a
strong man and you were a small no-crying,
crying, crylng! l. am your servant, as was
your fathers before you. We are all your
Young Chinn could not trust himself to reply
and the voice went on:
~ have taken your keys from that fat for
IN the shirt for mess les Who sho d knows SIoSs 4 TT I
did not tx Gn9 3Wreo, And d,s so the baby has become a
shall make a good servant, or l will beat him
as in Bht in arrow ro a iit TT; w whit 4 hrdretf' w Ss sarddi sbs
Of a man with chain and medals, and orders
on his tunic, stammering, s%aluting,. and trem-
uniform, was taking the trees out of Chinn's
Chinn's eyes were full of tears. The old
man held out his Keys. '
come nFoF bssEf ns,i are had he'd peop pie He win never
fathers son. Has the sahib forgotten Who took |
him TO see the trapped tiger in the village across |
snS 5n w. when be- nI his 5 !. mother was so frightened
lantern flashes. "Bukta,"" he cried, and n ali in
"a me oFef IS i; B ryGa promised nothing should hurt
The man was at his feet a second time. "He
people as his father remembered. Now can 1
die. But first I will live and show the Sahib
nephew, il he is not a good servant, beas him
and send him to me, and | will surely kill him,
tGr n bHba ahe 5 SShi b, Is with NJ his So own people Al,
%%stl;; 80 Tsks Of his boots s,f FOOL dps Sit Sta down. "'f Upon SPoh
He pushed forward the hilt of his sword as a
sign OF service, which Is an honor paid only to
dren, whom one loves dearly. Chinn touched
the hilt mechanically with three fingers. NUT
the old answer of his childhood, when Buktn in
play called him the little Gen. Sahib.
and when he he heard T3ri his s We're opposite post vS Gihhtnn,s,
ppTise ne looked across the room: Then the
tacie OF the senior native colmmissioned = offPcer
OF the regiment; an 'unmixed" Bhil, a Com.
iIirty.av % years o% spoties 81 s sr1itsh in 1n ths oI with
and a rank among his own people superior 10
mat OF many Bcngal prlncelings,. valcting the
his nerves.
The throaty bugles blew the mess call that
ing notes like the shricks of heaters in 4 far
away cover, and next. large, full and smooth,
green pulse of Mundorc- Mundorc!"
AL little children were in bed when the
Chinn n clean handkerchief. The call brought
back mcmories of his cot under tho mosquito
noting, his mothers kiss and the sound OF foot.
steps growing fainter as he dropped asleep
among his men. So he hooked his new mess
jacket and went to dinner like a prince who
has newly inherited his fathers crown.
Old Bukta staggered forth curling his whis-
kers. He knew his own value, and no money
and no rank within the gift OF the Government
would have induced him TO put studs in young
officers shirts or 10 hand them clean ties. Yet,
when nc took off his uniform that night and
squatted among his fellows for IA quiet smoke,
he told them what he had done, and they said
that he was entirely right. Thereat Bukta pro-
pounded n theory which to n white mind would
have seemed raying insanity; but the whisper
ing, leyel-headcd little men Of war considered 1t
from every point of view. and thought that
mere might be n great deal in it,.
AT mess under the oil lamps the talk turned
as usual to the unfailing subject of shikar-big
game shooting of every kind and under all sorts
or conditions. Young Chinn opened his eyes
when he understood that each one of his com.
panions had shot several tigers in tho Wuddar
slyie-on foot, that is-and made no moro of the
business than if the brute had been a dog.
In nine CaScS ont Of ton I" said the Major