The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-29

duly tempered by cyncism, and a
| characteristic reluctance to take his
| own, or any one else's, emotion too
seriously. But when an Englishman
chances to encounter Oriental passion,
in all its pristine simplicity and
strength, he is fairly compelled to take
it seriously, whether he will or no.
Brodie was just beginning to be aware
of this fact, and the discovery made
him feel not little anxious and I'M
comfortable.
There were others also who were
growing daily more anxious on Sunia's
account. These were the one-eyed
mali and Mai Radha, his gaunt and
grizzled wife, for they had knowledge
of which Brodie dreamed not.
They knew of treasured box of
withered flowers, to which one or two
were added daily. The box once held
hundred Havanas, and had lived on
Brodie's office-table. They knew of
long night-watches spent in stringing
scented wreaths of golden mari-golds
and white waxen "champa" blossoms;
of secret fittings, in the first pale glim-
mer of morning, to the tiny hamlet that
chung to the steep hillside some two
hundred feet below. They knew,
moreover, that Sunia's wreaths-yea,
and even fruit and flowers from her
own cherished garden-were destined
for the "Mundar,p or shrine or Kala
Dew, the dread goddess of whom every
pious Hindu stands in holy awe, and
Mai Radha's soul waxed wrathful
within her at the knowledge.
A =. Aa11 ILL 81 II.
full" said she to her less aggressive
spouse, "that maid, young and good
to look upon, should do this thing.
Are there not men without number OF
our own jat. who would give rupees in
plenty for so fair a chattel? A true
Rajpoot, with face as radiant as the
morningl And we are old, thou and l,
and l had looked that from this girls
dover we could purchase rest in our
old age. Lo, this two years have l
been to her as as q mother, and the in
CRATE rewards me thus? Were it not
meet that thou shouldest speak to the
Sahib of this foolishness?"
But Dhunnu was a chicken-hearted
little man, and at this startling PROPOSE
ton he turned his two hands about in
expressive native fashion.
"Na, ma, valiant one, love not to
thrust my head betwixt lions teeth.
Speak thou, if thou art minded to-"
And Mai Radha did speak fluently
and to the point, not to Brodie, for
even she dared scarce go such length,
but to the delinquent herself.
She reaped small reward for her la
Dor. Sunia-her wonderful eyes ablaze,
her small hands clenched so that the
knuckles stood out sharp and white
gave her back eloquence for eloquence,
good measure, well pressed down.
"What sayest thou of the shame that
a maid should live unwed? Nay, l tell
thee it is thou, gray-headed though
thou be, that talkest shameful talk, and
/ will not hear it, for I am none of
thine"
"-Ai tobah! but these be brave words,
insolent, from one who hath eaten my
salt these many MONTHS" the elder
woman retorted in shrill wrath.
"Nay, not one grain of thine have
eaten, oh Mai Radha. Thou hast for
gotten surely whence came the rupees.
What! And should take to myself a
man? l, who own but one lord of my
life, and my body, and my hearth l.,
who would even now be dust as is my
mother, but for the strength of his
right arm! And yet thou canst pirate
to me of men-folkl Betrothed was l.,
long since, to son of mine own peo-
pie; but now am my lords slave, and
none others, till 1 die-till die!"
Her soft lips quivered little over
the last words, and two cleaning tear
drops hung upon her thick lashes.
But Mai Radha had eyes for none of
these. She was woman, and old,
and this girl stood between her and the
money her lean fingers itched to hold.
Wherefore she spoke harshly, as be-
fore.
sob fool, and blind! This thy lord
whom thou worshippest hath no thought
of thee in his mind. 1t is ever 80 with
these English. They are stone hearts
all. For, as the wind blows, and the
water flows, 30 kind calls to kind, and
he will assuredly take to wife some
bold white miss with hair like the
sunshine and eyes like the MONDAY
sky, and what will be thy portion then,
o thriftless one?"
A dull gray pallor creeping slowly
over the girls clear skin tod how the
thrust had gone home. But her lips
were steady now and the eyes dry and
bright.
"There is always-Death," she made
answer slowly. "Mai Kali must needs
accept my life at my hands, if none
other offering availeth."
Phil Brodie, seated within at his Of
fice-table, his mind deep in the intrica-
cies of an official report, had no knowl-
edge either of Mai Radha's vicious
prophecies, or of Sunia's secret prayers.
Only at his side, in wine-glass of
water, bloomed the wild white rose of
the morning, fresh and fragrant still.
He could scarcely tell what had prompt
ed his desire to preserve it; nor did he
trouble himself to search out the rea-
son for 30 unwonted freak of senti-
ment.
Sunia, on the other hand, had no
knowledge of the rose on Brodie's ia
BILE; 80 that she went heavily for many
days, a haunting fear at her heart, a
ceaseless prayer upon her lips. Also
she redoubled her offerings at the
u.