Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-09-29

scrlDtion, there were women of the
higher class, with yelled faces and
shrinking forms, who, gliding along in
the shadow thrown by the oyerhang-
ing roofs attracted the attention of the
English ladies, and they had to have
the whole system of "purdah' ex-
planned to them. Mrs. and Miss Vii
lars were ostensibly travelling through
India, but excepting for fortnight n
Bombay, and a hurried visit to Gavin
pore, they had spent all their time in
Lucknow. At first Mrs. Villars used
to speak about once week of the ne
cessity of their seeing "Delhi and
Benares and Agra and everything"
bat lately she had become silent on
these points and seemed to be wait
ing, with the rest of the society in
environments, for the announcement of
an event which would, in all proba-
bility, give Miss Villars ample oppor-
tunity for visiting these famous cities
in turn and without any need for
haste!
Edith Villars was typically English
in appearance, having soft, fair hair
and gray-blue eyes, and with the latter
she now gaZed as if fascinated at the
shrouded figures which passed her in
an endless stream. They filled her
soul with terror. She felt that each
of those wells might cover some awful
tragedy, a tragedy whose horror was
increased ten-fold by the seal OF
silence and of secrecy, typifed by that
shrouding veil.
Suddenly she turned to her compan-
ion, a gray-haired man, strong and up
right, a man in the prime of life, and
whose whole appearance, from the tip
of his pointed gray mustache to the tip
of his polished riding boot, was as typ
zeal of the English officer as hers was
of the English girl.
did you notice that woman, Col
Manners?" she asked.
'Which?' said he, gazing at the
numbers by which they were sur
rounded with a mutually bewildered
expression.
"Just on ahead There-now- look
The one with the pretty blue-sarry
do you call it?"
''Sari,' said Col. Manners, instinct
lively correcting her pronunciation. 81
see the woman, or rather the figure
you mean; but what is there extraor
binary about h-r?"
"Only her feet They are white,
quite white Isn't it funny?"
ooh, no. They often look white with
the dust of the road, and, besides,
some of them are fair. Perhaps that
particular woman is a hillWoman-a
Kashmiri they are sometimes as fair
as-no, not you-but many English
girls and he glancer admiringly at
her dazzling complexion.
But her remark had evidently irn-
pressed him, and for some time he, too,
watched the passing women, gazing
always at their feet. And it seemed
to him that there were many white,
horribly white. Strange stories came
to his remembrance, stories which
were whispered just after the mutiny.
that all the missing English women
and girls had not been killed. That
thought had nearly maddened him
once, even now he shuddeEed and saw
with thankfulness that they had ar
rived at the Chauk, the part of the
bazaar where the best goldsmiths'
shops are situated, and remarkable for
the beautiful carving of the wooden
balconies which overhang the porches
where the work is carried on. The
t,,oy in
and comparisons with every pictur-
esque town in Europe. giving, how
ever, as they felt correct the prefer
ence to this city Of 1.-The gorgeous
East"
The principal police officer soon usE-
cred them into one of the largest
shops, a low-ceiled room with a mud
floor, while he whispered to Col. Man
ners that the owner was the biggest
rascal in the whole bazaar, but also
the best worker, and that the English
''memsahibs" would see some wonder
full things. Col. Manners, who had
often performed the duty of Snowman
during his stay in Lucknow, knew ex-
actly what to explain, and waited eS-
pectantly for the inevitable eXclama-
lions of establishment over the fire
few pieces of glowing charcoal in L
broken earthenware pot, the very
primitive bellows, worked by an a.
most naked, shining little boy, and the
few rough and simple tools.
The proprietor was n stout man.
greasy and repulsive looking, and with
an air which made Col. Manners look
even sterner than his wont. HIS
words were sharp as he babe the man
show his goods as quickly as possible.
The ladies thought all natives alike
| and noticed nothing wrong with the
mans leer and sly chances or the way
in which he directed all his remarks
and compliments to the young girl.
They watched him make few silver
| bangles, and bought some curious or
| ~ 1xySro Nh h1