The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-07-06
SELECTED STORY.
Sunia.
A uIMALAYAN IDYLL.

II.
But prayers and votive offerings
failed to avert the decree of Fate. Mai
Kali was deaf, or hard of heart in those
days, or, maybe, she was busy with
the affairs of weather. folk. For 10,
as June was drawing to a close, and
the patient pines were signing for the
summer rain, there came 10 the hut on
the hilltop the "white miss" of Mai
Radha's prophecy with hair like the
sunshine and eyes like the MONDAY
sky" And Sunia's heart within her
dried up like like an autumn leaf; for
she knew that her hour had come.
In prosaic Western terms the Hateful
event may be set down as follows:
Edith Lindon, escorted by her BROTH
er and by certain Col. Polden OF
Brodie's acquaintance, had been riding
Dalhousie-ward one sultry afternoon,
on their return from the yearly race
meeting at Kajiar. They were hot
and thirsty; for they had ridden eight
miles, and the air, even at that height,
was heavy with coming monsoon. Col.
Polden suggested a raid on Brodie's
hut, with view to obtaining rest and
refreshment-a proposition to which
his companions assented cheerfully.
On the road thither the Colonel, by
way of entertaining Miss Linden, in
dulged in rhapsodical word-picture,
half quizzical, half sincere, of Brodie's
"bewitching little Hill Beauty"
"Saved her from the embraces of an
amorous bear, winter before last" he
wound up. "And she's served him for
love ever since. A very pretty little
woodland romance, isn't it?"
"Charmingly pretty. But you must
be sure and persuade your friend to let
us see the girl Perhaps he might let
me make sketch of her. / should
like that above all things. I'm making
a collection of Indian figure sketches to
take home, and the Hill costume is so
very picturesque" If Sunia could but
have heard herl
She saw her however, which was per.
haps more than enough in the way of
anguish. Crouching in the warm Cd
orous shade of group of deodars, she
saw Brodie lift the fair girl from her
saddle; saw her yellow hair flash in
the level stream of sunlight; saw the
blue eyes, clear and shadowless-the
magic pink and white of the soft round
face. Then she glanced down at her
own brown, shapely hands and shud
dered. "MAi Radha spoke true talk"
she whispered. 81 have been fool,
and blind-blindl"
But, though the sight hurt her strain
ing eyes, though the tinkling laughter
from the veranda made her vince and
SILVER, she stirred neither hand nor
foot, but continued to look and listen
with feverish eagerness.
Tea was served in the veranda-a
typical Khansamah's tea; Rockingham
teapot, with damaged spout; plush tea
cosy; hideous slabs of cake, and plate
of meta biSc0ot, which, being interpret
ed, signifies "mixed Biscuits! The
"bold white miss" presided over the
teapot with as much ease and freedom
as as though she were the veritable
mistress of the house; which, indeed,
she already was, in Sunia's excited
fancy. The Sahib had sent money,
doubtless, to his own land far over the
seas, and the grayhead, her father, had
brought him this his bride.
Such was her eminently Oriental rem
deripg of chance tea-drinking be-
tween comparative strangers.
But more potent factor than chance
seemed, in very deed, to be at work on
Kalatope ridge that June day. For
anon gray cloud swept suddenly
across the face of the sun, and the
parched pine boughs over Sunia's head
stirred and whispered mysteriously
She knew the sound and its meaning
well. Two minutes later a vivid,
snaky streak of lightning flashed past
her, and a sound as of the rattle of
musketry seemed to rend the very sky.
Then, one after one, like liquid bullets,
fell the first rain drops of the great
monsoon.
In less than five minutes time the
clouds were emptying themselves, in a
solid sheet of water, upon the thirsty
hills, while the southwest wind battled
Justify with the creaking pine boughs.
Sunia fled, dripping, to her smoke.
grimed howell, and endured, in silence,