Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-18

and turbans and chuddars of every color
or the rainbow. There were few women
among them, and the few were of very
low caste. AS we went through a noble
arch INTO another marble-paved court va
encountered a Judge in somber dark silk
coat and turban. being carried home in hts
sedan chair.
We passed out of the gateway and ON into
the pink city. pinker in the lovely glow of
.he sunset, found the streets full of stray
puHocks. small white or gray ones with
horns and hoofs painted green or red. tiny
oonkeys, wandering about picking I'D stray
wisps of straw fallen of the bullock carts:
cameis loaded with wood or stone and
guided by a rope through their noses: and.
Just coming up the street from their
stables. the elephants out for an airing"
On one of the broad streets we found that
fence Of cotton stun. about eight feet
high, had been stretched to some distance
down. and on looking over ii from our high.
swinging carriage, we found hundreds or
people, 1900 We We're told afterward. with
chuddars and turbans of every irpapina BILE
color and shade seated on the ground eat
ing. 1t proved to be a funeral feast, but
looked more like huge garden of very
large tulips in full bloom. AS we were driv-
ing slowly by a native gentleman who
proved to be the giver of the feast, he
salaamed to us respectfully. and. coming
to the opening In the cloth wall, asked us
politely, in very doubtful English. IL he
might bring us some of the funeral
meats. We could do nothing but accept,
and he soon after appeared with two OF
the huge leaves of the teak tree on which
were five or six different kinds of native
dainties.
Plenty Friends Left.
My fader die. these my relatives" he
said sadly with graceful wave of the
hand toward the 5000. Whether the note
OF melancholy was for the one or the
many we could not tell, but we looked SYM
pathetic, as, indeed, We felt, in regard to
either case. AS his English was extremely
limited, and our Hindustanee still more SO.
we soon drove away, and did so the
sudden lull caused by the curiosity of the
relatives on our behalf was broken and the
900 tongues once more wagged in unison.
We drove down the length OF the cloth wall
and finally stopped at what We were told
was an sEnglish chemists" The English
chemist, in being summoned to the car
riage, turned out to be a mild and learned
old native gentleman, clad in lavender cot
ton trousers, or rather SwathingS, and a
white loose coat, with little black velvet
embroidered cap on his gray locks.
AS ne took SO very long TO bring the
courtplaster which We had gently demand
ed, we descended, for it was little less, the
carriage being swung at such a height that
several steps had to be let down for US.
from our hideously uncomfortable carriage.
and entered the very civilized shop with it's
plate glass front. Then began an elaborate
search for the article demanded. in which
we joined. Everything apparently was
nothing seemed by any chance to be mark
ed. and 1t was only after we had all three
unrolled countless packages and cut the
strings or broken the seals of a number of
others that we found a small book of
English courtplaster, all cracked and hard
and almost useless. We felt by that time
on terms of intimacy with the gentle little
old native and longed to suggest returning
to help him mark and make an inventory OF
all his wares, but the bells of the Hindoo
temples had begun their ciangor, which in
formed US that the sun had just set and
that the evening chill was about to begin, So
we drove off through the enchanting town,
past the graceful palace called the Hall of
the Winds, past many small domed shrineS
containing idols, before which were strings
or mar1goids. ana out through the pink arch
of the gateway. accompanied all the way to
the hotel by the changing of the bells and
dinging of the pompons at the big temple
inside the city walls
Wrapped in Chuddsrs.
Every native by that time was swathed
from head to foot in his chuddar, and the
green, orange and lavender gauze overcoats
covered by heavier cotton chuddars which
they wrap around their legs loosely. and
tightly about their waists and around their
shoulders and heels.
The town of Jaipur IS full of small
shrines, sometimes only little place cut
out of the bottom of a house wall with
tiny image of the monkey god. Hanuman,
and the shrine all smeared with red paint.
to show the many faithful worshipers; at
others little plaster house in the middle
of the street under a peepu tree, and with
larger figure of the elephant-headed god
of luck. Ganesh, to whom we become devo-
tees for the time being, partly on account
OF our great admiration of the elephant and
partly because of the very Jolly and slightly
cynical twinkle in the small eyes of the
god, Ganesh, whether ia stone. wood or
brass. AS all good things must come to
nd mos fact Il in,
the beautiful Jaipur came all too quickly to
a close. and we drove down to the station
enwrapped and EMBODIED in our usual
gloomy feelings that nothing could
equal or come anywhere near to the beauty
and interest of the Hindoo city of Jaipur,
and for the first time the feeling has proved
to be true, for nothing else ever has. :
MARGARET STERLING.