Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-03-21
gruesome love stories known to his


tory.
Apart from the incidental fact that
Shah Jahan's domestic circle included
5000 cOncubines, dancing girls and
SO forth, he possessed four sons and
two daughters by his wife, the beauti-
full Mumtaz Mahal, who lies entombed
in the superb mausoleum of the Tai
at Agra.
According to tradition. the Lady
Begun Sahib, or queen of princesses,
was little short of a houri, and Shah
Jahan could not bring himself to be-
lieve there was prince in all the
world worthy to marry her. But the
princess thought differently. In some
way she had seen and fallen in love
with a young noble of the court, a
very high but dangerous honor for
the object of her affections.
Presumably by bribing the eunuchs
the lovers met in the pavilion. There
they passed delightful hours in each
others society before the affair I'M
fortunately reached the ears of Lady
Rauchenara, Begun Sahib's sister.
Rauchenara was jealous of Begun
Sahib's beauty, her greater influence
with her father and the young man,
him. So Shah Jahan was told by the
apparently much-shocked Rauchenara
how his dearly beloved Begun Sahib
was conducting a clandestine love
affair under his very nose in the gar
den pavilion of the seraglio.
Shah Jahan was too exalted a being
to admit even the possibility of such
a disgraceful affair in his family. A
- ~, = I,
a common noble? Never. But Shah
Jahan did regard it as possible that
the young noble might have ventured
to make overtures to Begun Sahib.
So he decided to sweep the lover and
his family out of existence as one
might handful of pestiferous insects
and in a manner that would leave an
impression on the mind of Begun
Sahib.
At their next clandestine meeting
the lovers were surprised by the sud
den approach of the Emperor. but
before Shah Jahan entered Begun
Sahib had time to conceal the young
noble in a large metal caldron- This
caldron stood in an adjoining aicove
and was used for heating water for
baths.
ed by his daughters forced composure
and, glancing around, he shrewdly
guessed that the audaclous noble was
concealed in the caldron-
With exquisite craft the oriental
parent did not charge his daughter
with having a lover in concealment,
but, as usual, embraced her, affec-
tionately, and then proceeded to dis
cuss with her the gossip of the court
and the beauty of a certain necklace
that he was having made for her as
present
1t may be that Begun Sahib saw
through his mask or, perhaps, was
led to hope that her lover might es-
cape detection. At any rate, the EN-
peror, as if by chance, soon observed
the caldron and asked his daughter
its purpose. To this she replied that
it was heating water for the bath.
Shah Jahan affected surprise and de-
clared he would like to see the heat
ing apparatus in operation. The at
tending eunuchs were ordered to
half fill the caIdron with water. and
further comment. the Emperor re-
sumed his conversation with his
daughter.
BY this time. of course. Begun
Sahib had grasped the situation But
she did not faint, go into Mysteries or
implore her fathers mercy Like a
true daughter of the mogu1s. her
spirit rose admirably to the OCCASION
She knew well no prayer of hers,
could save the young mans life.