St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1900-07-14

acFld III It's D1tIeIHeSS,s anu DueIIliI
looked up in surprise.
80, come, Pamphlett,' y he said, eager
", "that's not fair. Anyway, let you
and be friends"
.Well, Sheriff." hesitatingly an
| swered Pamphlet, "Im a queer-tem-
pered man; but let it be so.''
Then come and live at my diggings!
There's capital front and back room
above my floor, and we. can read to-
gether comfortably"
Now. look here, young man." said
Pamphlet three weeks later. 'sIt's time
we began to read at night. Grin1ling at
the hospital all day won't pass our ex-
ans for us, unless we work at night,
too. We've seen all the plays. we've
| visited most of the halls, and you and I
have got to buckle to!
Both men We're sitting in Sheriff. S
rooms smoking and discussing the
events of the day.
'sVery well,' lazily replied the lad,
| knocking out the ashes from his pipe.
What do you suggest?'
s.Well, we ought tn grind up our bones
regularly at night before working at
st. Paul's in the morning. I'm sick Of
going out, aren't your
''Ive got a capital skeleton in a box
upstairs" said Sheriff, laughing. Il
got it," Then he stopped abruptly, as
he caught sight of his companions look
of inquiry. sPll go and turn the box
out. It'll save you from buying, for we
shan't want two sets"
Box in hand, Pamphlet left the room,
and the door closed behind him. Often
now, as he drives the patient bullocks
in his paddy fields IN India he sees that
lamp-lit room in his fancy, with the. boy
standing by the door.
Gloomily enough he went to his sit
ting-room and lit a candle, while he
opened the box, and turned the
bleached bones out with rattle on the
table.
The skull rolled toward the edgeyand
he hastily placed his hand on it, and
raising it up. gazed absently at It. Sud
denly his face grew green, while his
pupils contracted and expanded as he
watched with horrible fascination the
shining bone. There, on the vortex,
were two deep cuts crossing each
other. sss
by sivagee!'' he murmured in Hin
doostanee. MY father was left for
dead by two such CUTS
MY father has a badly set left
arm!'
Then unwillingly, as if dragged by
an unseen power. he crept round the
table, and laid his hand on one of the
arm bones. With a low cry of hor-
ror he fell half faiting into chair.
My father left u.s." he moaned, still
in the language of his thoughts, ito
go on a pilgrimage to give thanks for
his recovery. He never returned, and
now this curse Feringhi makes by
word and reproach of him. May every
curse light on his head!"
Salaamfng almost to the ground be-
fore the table, Pamphlet gathered
the ends OF The tablec1oth together,
so that they covered the grim relics,
and then, lifting up the burden rev.
erently, he replaced it in the box.
Then, resting his head on his hands,
he wept silent, awful sobs.
Pamphlet! Pamphlett!'s cried
Sheriff. from below. .'aren't you com
ing down? I've ordered in the cof-
fee. Come on!''
The man rose oneeN more saIaamed
at the box, now resting on q chair,
and then slowly went downstairs,
by the. way, where did you get
your bones. Did you buy them %
'sWell. it's too bad Of me to- spin q
yarn against myself, but here goes.
About three years ago, just beforemy
father had decided TO make mea doc
tor when I was old enough. I was
walking near the great trunk road
near Amritsar. Lyings in the long
grass, about 20 yards from the track,
I found dead pilgrim, dried almost
to mummy. He might have been
there for years. for all knew, as the:
undergrowth was thick and tangled
and It was no use making any in
quiries about him. Then, thinking
that later on 7 should require skel-
eton-''
Had Sheriff looked up at that mo-
ment he would have died then and
there, for Pamphlet was crouched in
his chair like q tiger about to spring.
For q moment the extremity of his
rage made the oriental forget his ma
tive caution; but he recovered him-
self and said, in cultural tones:
But the man was on a holy errand,