The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-05-20


muttering in the air ceases as if by
magic. III is, as l believed, an acct
dent My friends had no desire to dis
turb you in your worship, or to insult
your great god Vishnu. With rever,
ance they were looking in through a
window, standing upon a platform
when one end of it gave way and pre-
cipitated them through the opening.
They could not explain matters be.
cause they are unable to talk your
,ongue. so the best they could do was
20 retreat. My stout friend is partic-
ularly grieved that such thing has
occurred. He desires to make restitu
tion as far as possible. Let the higf
priest come forward and accept {
handful of rupees. That will prove
their friendship"
The point is well taken, and Jot
knows their weakness. Immediately
A hubbub arises. Most of the crowt
seem to be in favor of an eager ac
eeptance. A few demur. but they are
so much in the minority that they arr
speedily showed under and the mou
laiee ccncc eo---y.. 20 IeceIve the
promised rupees, o venerable man, who
resembles the priest Joe saw in the
mosque, though it cannot be the same
Mynheer Joe has been careful tt
Keep back portion of the truth, be
cause he fears lest it create new
Al hn nf fbo lar
disaster Sandy had been just putting
the finishing touches to a picture OF
the ugly old idol yishnu, AMI he has
managed to retain his precious note
book through all the disturbance.
The humor of the crowd has changed
as wonderfully as upon many SINH
ar occasion, for there is nothing mort
tickle upon earth than a mob. The
worshipers of old Vishnu are now
eager to call the Americans their
friends, though it is all done by word
,r gesture. Misunderstanding is generally
:abooed in India, for man fears lest
he lose caste by touching another and
lave to inflict punishment on himself
Is penalty.
Just at this moment there bursts
nto view a detachment of Sepoys
headed by British officer, at whose
tide runs brave Molly Tanner. They
.ome from the cantonment, and it is
evident the colonel did not hesitate a
moment when he learned that Myn-
Ter Joe was in danger.
OF course, all are relieved when
hey see the three Americans unin
Iured, and mark the change in the hu.
nor of the crowd. Molly cannot un.
lerstand it, and as she affectionately
sreets her father she asks:
"What is this? One time these men
seem eager to murder you, and now
hey act as though on the best of
ermsw
Demosthenes Tanner, still blowing
lard from the effects of his wild run,
Jerks his thumb over his shoulder and
remarks:
cts all owing to Mwnheer Joe. He
)alavered the heather, and made them
believe we We're doing their old god
zeal favor when we tumbied into the
semple through the window, after the
teastly platform gave way"
Indeed! He seems wonderful
man, governor" murmurs the girl,
stealing look at the object of her
thoughts who, just then, is engaged in
conversation with the British officer,
explaining the cause of the sensation.
Eyes, my dear child. Such logic as
he possesses would even enthuse the
Illinois Senate. Why, unless you're
IN you're guard he can easily bring
you around to his way of thinking and
make you believe black is white"
The girl turns her head away again,
this time to hide her rosy cheeks; she
bushes without hardly knowing why,
save that there is something in her
fathers manner of speaking that
seems like a sly allusion and warning
TO herself. Love is very sensitive, es'
pecially at that stage where the mod
ast young woman awakens to the con,
lition of her own heart, and the back
ward young man has not yet gathered
courage enough to storm the citadel
which he hopes to capture.
AS the crowd rapidly increases, with
evening coming on apace, it is deemed
best to leave the scene and retire. The
soldiers right about face and head
back toward the cantonment after the
four Americans have entered a palkee
gharry and started for their hotel.
Mynheer Joe decides that the baron
can hardly be held accountable for this
affair, since no stretch of the magma
ton could invest him with the power,
to weaken the platform and hurl tbs
two adventurous lookers-on in Venice
through the window of the temple of
Vishnu.
As the incident has really been pro
ductive of no more i'll than relieving
Tanners pocket of so many rupees
which he can easily afford to offer al
the shrine of the idol, they feel that
they can well afford to laugh over the