The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-01-02
l. THURSDAY, JANUARY 2. 1902.

before him and mutter prayers. And
his soul was stricken for love of his
little princess.
One night, when the idol was not
closely guarded, two men came and stole
away the great jeyel; two men who had
no fear of the wrath of the Unseen
One. These two men were outcasts
among their kindss one a vile Afghan
from the hill couiHry, the other sahib,
yes, a sahib who had once been "an
officer and gentleman" But.he drank
and gambled away all his self-respect.
For weeks at a. time he drank and
gambled and shamelessly contracted
unpayable debts. So the other sahibs
ostracized him kand henceforth he
became-Pariah Sahib. These two
who had stolen the Buddha Khan went
out through the night, across the
misty rice fields, to bungalow in the
jungle. And when they had entered
they lit a candle and sat down, one on
each side of the table, to discuss how
they should best dispose of the jewel.
They looked across the table at one
another-one with his eye heavy and
blOodshot from drink, the other with
his eyes heavy and bloodshot from
opium. And each loathed the other
in his soul for what he was, but they
kept peace because of the Buddha
Khan.
The sahib wished to state in the
beginning that he thought he was
entitled to more than half the proceeds,
for had he not plaaned this thing, and
had he not done the greater part of
the work? The Afghan was terse and
to the point. Why should they not
share and share alike? Had not each
taken an equal risk? Why should the
sahib have the lions share? The
Afghan was not wont to pay tribute
to man because his skin was white.
1t was plain to see that the Presence
meant to do him injustice. There was
a moments silence. Outside the wind
sOughed softly through the tree tops.
A night bird cried family in the dis
tance. The pariah sahib's voice was
angry as he spoke. 1t was plain to see
that this Afghan was fearless man.
Did he presume to place himself on an
equality with the sahib? Bah! The
sahib spat on the graves of this Afghan
soor's ancestors!
The face of the hill man was livid
with rage as he sprang around the edge
of the table, with uplifted rukri. They
grappled and reeIed against the wall
of the bungalow. The Buddha Khan
lay on the table glistening in the candle
light, watching it all. Three times they
struggled slowly around the room,
snarllng, twisting and turning like
tigers, trampling under foot the frail
furniture and earthenware pots and
crunching them to dust. Scuffle, scuffle,
scuffie, said their feet. The first time
they circled the room they knocked the
door open and the candle light streamrd
out into the nigbt, cutting square
of yellow light on the pathway and
illuminating every pebble and blade of
grass with Photographic distinctness.
1t was ali like some vague phan-
tasamagoria of a stupid brain.
The two men breathed hard as they
wrestled. Years after the pariah sahib
remembered every detail of it, the deep,
short pants Of his own breathing, the
high, thin wheeling note of the Afghan.
The end came quickly. The pariah
sahib suddenly twisted the rukri from
the hill mans grasp. Something
whistled in the air and the thing that
had been an Afghan lay huddled in
the corner with staring eyes. The
sahib grasped the Buddha Khan with
trembling fingers and fled through the
doorway, just as Che candle flickered
and went out forever.
From Bombay the pariah sahib took
ship for "Merrie England" and passed
across the face of the great waters.
When he reached the city which is
called London-that name seems
familiar,-he went to the street which
is called the Strand and sold the Buddha
Khan for MUCK gold. Fol. many days