Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1903-09-26

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less Of the hiss of the startled snake,
he sought an entrance to the pris-
oner. At last a spring bolt was
touched, the door opened and in five
minutes, free from cord or chain,
she lay motionless in the arms of
her overioyed parent and after a
successful retreat was at last placed
in safety, but not until dart from
Cupid's bow and Azeeta's bright
eyes had pierced my young friends
heart.
Soon they were united, and on
the death of his beloved ones ia
ther Charles Norton found himself
worth few laos of rupees and with
a wife whose clinging affection re-
warded him for all dangers incurred
for her sake.
But sickness seized him, and as
the heavy damp hung on the brow
! that Azeeta pressed to her bosom
and SO tearfully kissed she seemed
unconscious it was the damp of
death or that the dread silence told
that he breathed no more and that
life with it had fled.
Slowly came the conviction to her
mind, and, with shrek that echoed
in my ears for years, so embodied
was it with unutterable woe, she
fled to her own apartment and was
comfortless.
His body was prepared for the
grave, but so lifelike it seemed that
l felt overwhelmed with grief. I
lighted the torches around his bier
and, locking the door, withdrew.
AS / passed thick and almost
impossible hedge | heard a whis-
pering and, dropping to the ground,
listened to the quarrel of two ma
tives on the other side of the leafy
wall.
eff you lead me into trouble, I'll
kill you," said one whose dialect
proved him to be mendicant.
"Idiotp' answered the other. '"The
potion placed in the water he
drank was sure, and he died. When
was the sheeza moss known to fail?
Did he not rob us of our sacrifice?
And now within our reach is the
only article wanting to make the
holy unguent that shall appease the
goddess for the loss of her sacrifice.
My knife is keen, and you have but
to remain silent while | repeat the
incarnation and to hold the body
firmly while | cut the heart from the
cursed sahib's BOSOM"
Creeping back through the door
/ had just left, / crouched down
behind the bier, over which the pail
had been thrown to conceal it from
sight and lie in readiness for the
mournful scene on the morrow, and
was at once effectually concealed.
Loosening my sword and grasping
my pistols, | resolved to immediate
the miscreants who had welded my
friend to the worm.
I was scarcely ensconced in my
hiding place before stealthily in
crept the squalid figures of the two
devotees.
The eyes of the foremost glared
like the tiger cats as with fendish
delight they rested on the corpse
of my friend.
Drawing large knife from his
belt, he knelt down and commenced
a long chant; then as he motioned
to his companion to advance toward
the body and prepared to rise, knife
in hand, l fired.
Shot through the heart, with
scarcely groan, he fell dead across
the corpse he profaned by his touch,
while his hot blood, squirting in
streams, crimsoned the snowy habil-
iments of death.
Involuntarily sprang forward to
remove him, while his comrade
moved off. / seized him as he fled
past; but, being naked, he slipped
through my arms like an eel. At
the same moment / felt his dirklike
knife in my arm as he felt for my |
heart.
Drawing my other pistol, there
was report, and he stumbled and
fell over the threshold with a bullet |
in his brain just as my servants,
alarmed by the firing, came rushing |
in.
On lifting the miscreant first kill |
ed from the body Of poor Charles I |
started back as the light was reflect
ed in something on the face of my
friend. A second glance convinced
me that his eyes we're open, and as
this certainty flashed across my
mind the head was slowly moved
around.
The Hindoo servants fed in ter
ror, while / was staggered. Fear