Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-08

shaut road there is really ~ other |
way except the bride path through the |
sholas, you pass the lake of Marlmund |
lying low in the shadows that fall from
the mountain of Dodabetta, across it's
lotus leaves and sedges, then on along
IA rose bordercd stretch of road that
leads to the foot of very high hill. |
The government road goes up the hill.
which is the hill-staton until it reaches
the top, where the English shops, the |
assembly hall and the government
buildings are grouped together, then it
Wanders down the other side. passing
the old cathedral and the churchyard.
swinging around the little valley to the
club ana beyond that, to the tiny Mo- |
hammedan mosque, where the faithful
remember their prayers.
At the end of the lake the road is
lined with traps. The English men and
women are playing golf, while their
syces and coachmen are making foot
prints in the white dust and discussing
the relative merits of their masters
establishments.
Beyond the links the turn is made,
and as the road comes gently down on
the other side of the lake, it slips along
under the shadow of the hills again
widening as it goes breakneck by the
Gym<hana and back into the rose
a,ordefed stretch that leads to Marli-
mund and Dodabetta.
High above this flOwery way on the
side of the mountain itself. there is Il
white wall and beyond the wall ter
raced garden. and farther still bunga
low that seems to cling lovingly to the
mountain above. beneath and behind it.
One day in June. before the monsoon
broke over the mountains, the afternoon
tonga dashed over the Mar1mund
bridge. the driver waking the mountain
echoes with his horn and came to
full stop at the road that leads 20 the
bungalow.
Besides her majesty's mails the tonga
carried a modern Englishman, griffin
who wore his six-weeks-old topi with
the air of an old civilian. He left the
tonga and began to make his way up
the mountain side, plunsing through
ShOlas where Il wiser man might have
feared to venture.
Above. on the bungalow veranda,
woman with a fieldglass was sitting in
Il long arm chair. The glass brought
things in the hill-station so near to her
that the sunlight dancing on the road
almost daZZled her. She could see two
or three carts coming down the hill
with their bullocks half asleep between
the shafts Barelegged English chill
dren We're playing in the walled gar
dens across the valley and she fanced
She could hear the sound of their child
iSh laughter and queer UNI English con-
Nersation mingled with the clutter and
the sharp clack of the orderly's horse
salloping by them. Her Excellency.'
she thought, has lost her handkerchief
or dropped a pin and the orderly is on
his way back to Government house FOR
another handkerchief or another PIN
A little farther along, the tonga over
took and passed the governors car
riage. The governor and her excel
lency, a lonely-faced Englishwoman.
were driving with one of the aid-de
camps. They We're attended by a body
guard of stalwart Mohammedan sepoys
clad in gorgeous uniforms, carrying
long spears and mounted on superb
Arab horses.
There was glow. glamour and
glitter about it all that made it seem
more unreal that day than ever. The
woman the veranda dropped her
glass and prayed for a thunderstorm,
for the sight of the mist driving over
Snowden and Dodabetta for anything
that would interrupt the Nifvana of the
landscape.
so she must often have watched and
waited" she said aloud, and then be-
cause her mind and heart were full OF
her, she told the Englishman the other
woman's story over the teacups in the
summer house al the end of the garden
path, and in all India there is no story
garden that belong to Dodabetta.
And this is the story the Englishman
heard over the teacups:
"A long time ago." the story-teler's
voice had a new and curious note of
sympathy in it, when the shah OF
Persia went to London to visit the
queen. he took With him an interpreter
an English officer who had long been a
resident at the Persian court. This
officer whose name was Col. Travers
had Persian dressing-boy named Abid
The boy. who was devoted to his mas
ter. begged to be allowed to accompany
him. AS he spoke English rather wei
and was in many other ways a valuable
servant, the colonel yielded to his en-.
treaties and took him to England plac
ing him as guard at one of the inner
doors Of the shahs apartments a
buckingham palace. Subsequently i
was discovered that no tradesman, jew
eler, Shipbui1der anyone else Wh'
wished to enter into business relations
with the Persian ruler ever got beyond
AbiIs door until they had lined thu
boys palm with gold. AS a consequence
he was dismissed in disgrace. He lief
London and made his way to Alden
Knowing that his dishonesty hal mad
residence in the shah's country impos
sible, he boarded pilgrim ship boun
from Mecca to Bombay. Shortly afte
his arrival in Bombay. he made his wa
the country to Hyderahad an
hecame a punkahwollah in the Miami
OF nf Siv
month He learned T1industan and wa
promoted to one office after anothe
until finally the old NiZam made hir
the companion of the young prince
Mir Nebub Ali. The prince and tn
heggar Were about the same age an