Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-27


| muted confusion of sounds---the blended
voices of the multitude that inhabited the
hidden chambers of the palace. the paw
| ing and shrill neigh!ng of the stations
| In the lower courtyard, sEivering clash
of steel against steel, somewhere the tin
kle OF stringed instrument and q soft
voice singing. q mans accents weighty
with authority. the ripple of = woman's
| lausn-aH relieved against IN -u!!dertone
! like u profound sigh. waning and waxing
| the breathing nf the Raj Mahai ="
Amber turned away TO reioih Salig
Singh by the c;stern. But the Rajput
] path tempting him to unlawful explora-
ton, he yielded and sarntered aiinlessy
| away. y sudden corner cloaked with
foliage brought him to a little open space,
. been raised. Beneath this a woman sat
! alone. He halted. thunderstruck.
! simultaneously. with soft swish OF
draperies, clash of jeweled bracelets.
ing color. the woman stood before him.
young, slender, graceful, CARRIED in IN
describable splendor-and yelled.
For the space Of three long breaths the
Nirginian hesitated. unspeakably amazed
though she were yelled, 1t were deep dis
honor for a woman of a Rajputs house
! nuid to be seen by a stranger. 1t seemed
inexplicable that Salig Singh should have
Willingly left him in any place where he
might encounter an inmate of the zenana
Yet the Maharana must have known
Amber made an irreSolute move
ment. as if to go. But it was too late
With murmur. inaudible, and swift,
infinitely alluring gesture, the woman
swept the veil away from her face and
looked him squarely in the eyes. She
| moved toward him slowly, swaying, as
graceful as a fawn, more beautiful than
any woman he had ever known. His
breath caught in his throat. for sheer
wonder at this Incompatible loneliness.
| Her face was oval without flaw. and
pale newly minted gold, with flush
Of red where the blood ran warm beneath
| the skin Her hair was black as ebony
an. finer than the finest silk, rich and
lustrous: he's jet-black eyebrows formed
a perfect arch Her mouth was like
pass. on flower, but small and sweet, with
| lips full and firm and scarlet. Her eyes
| We're twin pools of darkness lighted with
ardent inAer fire. They held him speech
less and motionless with the beauty of
their unuttered desire. and before he
could collect his wits sne had made him
c-ptive-had without warning cast her
self upon her knees before him and inn
prisoned both his hands burying her face
in their palms. He felt her lips hot upon
his flesh, and then-wonder of wonders
tears from those divine eyes streaming
through his fingers
The shock of it brought him to his
sen ;es. Pitiful, dumfounded, Mortified, he
gEred wildly about him, seeking some
avenue of escape. There was no one
watching; he thanked heaven for that.
while the cold sweat started out upon his
forehead. But still at his feet the woman
rocked. softly sobbing. her fair shoulders
gently agitated, and still she defied his
gentle efforts to free his hands, holding
them in a grasp he might not break
without hurting her. He found his tongue
eventually.
DON'T he pleaded, desperately. My
dear. you mustn't. For PHYS sake don't
sob like that. What under the SUMS the
trouble? Don't please! Good LORD.
What am 1 to do with this lovely luna
tic?" Then he remembered that he had
spoken in English and thoughtfully trans
lated the gist of his remonstrances. with
as little effect as if he had spoken to the
empty air.
Though in time the fercest paroxysm
of her passion passed and her sobs dimin- |
ished in violence. she chung heavily to
him and made no resistance when he
lifted her in his arms. The error was
fatal; he had designed to get her on her
feet and then stand away. But no sooner
had he raised her and succeeded In dis
engaging his hands, than soft round arms
were clasped tightly about his neck and
her face-if possible, more ravishing In
tears than when first he had seen it-pi!- |
lowed on his breast. And for the first
time she spoke coherently.
"Aie.'' she walled, t,-mulously. Ale!
Now is the cup of my happiness full to
brimming. now that thou hast returned
to me at last 0, my lord, Well nigh had
/ ceased to hope for thee. o beloved:
we'll nigh had this heart of mine grown
cold within my bosom, that had no nour-
ishment save hope, save hope. Day ana
night l have watched for thy coming for
many years. praying that thou shoulds:
return to me ere this frail p1ettineSs of
mine, that made thee love me long ago,
should wane and fade, so that thy heart
should turn to other women, my nus
band!
Husband. Great-heavens. Look here,
my dear, hadn't you better come to your
senses and let me go before
Let thee go. Lalj. ere what? Ere any
come between husband and wife in the
first hour Of their reunion after many
years of separation? Is 1T not known
does not all Khandawar know how
ere thy wife, all this weary time?
or is it that thy heart hath forgotten
thy child-bride? Am l scorned. my
lord-I, Naraini? Is there no love in thy
bosom to leap in response TO the love Oh
thee that is my lffe?'
She released him and whirled pace or
two away. draperies swirling, jewels scin-
tillating cold fire in hopeless emulations
of the radiance of her tear-gemmed eyes.
..Narainio" stammered Amber, recalling
what he had heard of the woman. Ma
raini.
AYE, my lord, Naraini. thy welded
wife, The rounded little chin went up
trif1e and her eyes cleaned angrily. Am
l no longer thy Naraini, then? Or wouldst
thou deny that thou art Har Dyal, my
king and my beloved? Hast thou indeed
forgotten the child that was given thee
for wife when thy father reigned inI
Khandawar and thou vert but boy-a
boy of ten, the Maharaj Har Dyal? Hast
thou forgotten the little maid they brought
thee from the north. Ialji-the maiden
who had grown to womanhood ere thy
return from thy travels to take up thy
fathers crown? Ale. Thou canst
never forget, beloved; though years and
the multitude Of faces have come between
us as veil. thou dost remember-evenl
as thou didst remember when the mes
sage Of the Bell came to thee across the
great black waters, and thou didst learn
that the DAYS of thy exile were num-
hered. that the hour approached when
again thou shouldst sit in the place OF
thy fathers and rule the world as once
they ruled 1t"
(To be continued tomorrow
Capturing Wild Horses.