The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-02

had remained so long fighting that Winnie
had long start of them. and when they
neared her, she was already at the veran-
dab, crying "Ayah! ayahr At that cry
out sprang the nurse with the broom TO
guard her charge. Winnie was exhausted
and stumbled forward on the steps, but
the ayah picked her up and laid her down
in big chair, stin grasping the rescued
baby
Then the nurse turned and grasped the
broom determinedly and, when the man
came up running, the ayah thrust II i'm his
face, and then belabored him ferocously,
so that he sneaked Off and berated her
from the coffee bushes. But the mother
came up silently and fell on the ground
with her face in the dust and her hands
extended humbly pleading without tears,
without words, for the restoration of her
child. Then the ayah looked round at the
masters little daughter, and she was iy-
ing back In the chair, very white and still,
aud little triclkle of blood was upon her
lips, while the baby lay unguarded her
lap
Shriliy did the ayah scream and run 10
Winnie's side, but even as she screamed
shout answered her and young white
men came round the bungalow and loudly
demanded TO know what was wrong. Very
thick and red and strong he was with
grim face and a resolute jaw and a stri-
dent, angry voice. This was the sinnardore,
the little master, the assistant manager,
Wnnle's stalwart cousin. The child open
ed her eyes, while still the woman lay on
her face and the man skufked in the bushes
and she told her tale. Then the snna-
dore spoke in Tamil and rebuked the child
mother harshly and strobe towards the
coolie. The coolie, when he saw him COM
ing, clustered at first, but all the coolies
were sorely in terror of the fierce little
master, and when he approached near at
hand, the Tamil was afraid. So the sinna-
dore pushed him out of sight of the bung-
allow, and there, where no one saw there
was soon terrible bowling and the sounds
OF blows from the sinnador's stick.
So away went the sinnadore, having
done what he deemed best, and the coolie
crept back TO the lines with wrath and
revenge and bitter hate in his heart
against the white man. And the faithful
ayah was almost Jealous. for Winnie
would not hear of the little mother going
back to her hut, but kept Rame beside
the verandah nursing the brown baby, and
all day they talked to each other, for from
babyhood the child had picked up Tamil
words.
II.
Al even Ramie went away with a won
derfully new feeling in her heart, know
ing love for the first time, and prostrat-
ing herself at the feet of the little daugh-
ter of the sun" And when the master
came home tired from the long days work
in the coffee he found the child aglow with
a new interest. and he rejoiced, and told
the ayah that Ramie the coolie could
come and go and be fed as she wiIed
But Cousin Tom, the naughty sinnadore
was full of indignation.
1T is worse than absurd" said he
What are things coming to when a lot
of dirty coolies are to be petted and treat
ed as If they had souls? The only way to
manage them is to bully them. as / do"
No souls?" said Winnie with big, horri-
fed eyes.
Now, Winnie" said Cousin Tom. you
know nothing about it. If you saw them
bowling TO a wretched idol In the jun
gle
oh Tom" cried Winnie.
ooh. nonsense said Tom. 'What
you've got to do is TO keep quiet and get
strong enough for the journey to Eng
land. and not worry yourself about Ra
mic and her brute of a husband
Every day the sinnadore did as he
thought. in his clustering, wrong-headed
way, was right, and beat and bulted Tho
lazy coolies until no man ia Ceylon was go
hated. First Ramie came for some davs
alone, and was happy simply sitting on
the ground and listening to Winnie talk
and sing. One day she brought with her
a sick woman, and again she brought a
young girl who was unhappy and each
went back comforted to the lines, because
of Winnie's smiles. and Wlnnie's
words, and Wnnie's hymns. Soon
1t was a daily thing for the
child TO have a meeting of the
helpless and the unhappy every morning
until the sinnadore and the ayah aliEe
were wrathful, but the master let her have
her way.
"She looks happier and stronger" said
he. Let my little missionary alone. She
is doing herself good at any rate"
But he, too, smiled at the idea of any
benefit coming thus to Tamil coolies, who
are as beasts Of the field. Yet very often
when he was up on the mountain looking
after the plckers, he would stop and listen
to the voices that came from the bunga-
low, his child's and the coolie girls she
taught, singing together. II was nearing
Easter, and Winnie taught them to sing
brokenly, the songs of new life, of
new hope, of something entirely new to
them-eternal love, to them who knew
nothing of love save what they had for
the little missionary, the daughter of the
sun.
What beastly rot" said Cousin Tom.
ut makes me sick. She spoils these
brutes."
From below came the chld's voice, and
the stammering attempts of the coolies:
Now He bids US tell abroad
How the lost may be restored"
"Humbug" cried Cousin Tom, and kick
ed a kangarnie for not hustling his men.
But the master thought TO himself how
her mother had taught the child, and
found himself with dimmed eyes repeating
under his breath, as the hymn changed
and the voices rose once more:
Loves redeeming work Is done"
So, because she was weak and sick and
had been very near the grave, and was
much-loved, the little missionary had her
own way, even, in charge Of the ayah and
Ramie who adored her, going 70 the lines
and speaking to the men and boys OF a
Sunday, because the word Tom had spok-
en- of the idol in the jungle had filed her
white soul with grief and terror. And
the men and the boys, low amongst man
kind as they were, listened to her wonder
lngly, and salaamed before new idol, the