The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1911-07-27

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the hour approached when again thou
shouldst sit in the place Of thy fathers
and rule tho world as once they ruled
Il"
A denial stuck in Amber's throat.
The words would not come, nor would
they, he believed, have served his
purpose could he have commanded
them, II he had found no argument
w~herewith to persuade Sally Singh,
he found none wherewith to refute the
claim Of this golden-faced oma who
recognized him for her husband. He
was wholly dismayed and aghast. But
while he fingered IN indecision. star
Ing in the woman's face, her look OF
petulance was replaced by one of d.
vine forgiveness and compassion. And
she gave him no time to think or to
avoid her; in a %twinkling she had
thrown herself upon him again, was In
his arms and crushing her lips upon
his.
Nay" she murmured, but | did
wrong thee, beloved! Perchance." she
told him, archly, thou didst not think
to see me so soon, or In this gardenY
Perchance surprise hath robbed thee
Of thy wits-and thy tongue as well,
o wordless one? Or thou art over
come with Joy, as am overcome, and
smitten dumb by II, as | am not?
Aho, Lalji! was ever a woman at loss
for words to voice her happiness
And nesting to him she laughed quiet
ly, with a note as tender and sweet
as the cooling OF a wood-dove to it's
mate.
Nay, but there is a mistake" He
recovered the power OF speech tardily,
and would have put her from him;
but she held tight TO him. Il am not
thy husband, o yet a rajput. | com
from America, the far land where thy
husband died. Nay, 1t doth
pain me to hurt thee so, Rance, but
the mistake is not of my making, and
It hath been carried too far. Thy hus-
band died in my presence"
Tt Is so, them" she cut him short.
And his arms were suddenly empty,
to his huge relief. Indeed. they had
warned me that thou wouldst tell this
story and deny newly, ! know not,
unless 1t be that thou art unworthy OF
thy lineage, a coward and a weak
ling" Her small foot stamped angri-
ly and on every limb of her round
body bracelets and anklets FLASHED
and shimmered. And SO thou hast
returned only to forswear me and thy
Gin0dOnn n thou ~ 1itfln lnirit ~ The
scarlet lips curled and the eyes grew
cold and hard with contempt. III that
be so, tell me, why hast thou returned
at all? To die? For that thou must
surely come to, II It be In thy mind
to defy the behests OF the Voice, thou
king without a kingdom .
Why, then, art thou here. rather than
running to hide in some far place,
thinking to escape with thy worthless
life-worthless even to thee, who
art too craven TO make a mans use OF
it-from the Vengeance Of the Body?
Dost think ! am to be tricked
and hoodwinked-I, in whose heart
thine image hath been enshrined these
many weary years?"
Il neither think, nor know, nor
greatly care, Rance Amber inter
posed, YEARLY. Doubtless ! deserve
thine anger and scorn, since ! am not
he who thou wouldst have me be. II
death must be my portion for this Of
tense, for that I resemble Har Dyal
Rutton then il is written that
| am to die. My business here in
Khandawar hath concern neither with
thee, nor with the state, nor yet with
the Gateway of Swords-of h very
name Of which | am weary. E.
Now" with his mouth settled in lines
OF u~nmistakable resolve, Il Will go;
nor do | think that there be any here
TO stop me-
He wheeled about, prepared TO fight
his way out of the palace, II need be.
indeed, 1t was in his mind that a death
there were as easy as an hour after
sunrise; for he had little doubt but
hat he was TO die II he remained OBJ
durate, and the hospitality Of the raj
put would cease to protect him the
moment he set DOT upon the marble
bund of his bungalow.
But the woman sprang after him
and caught his arm "Of thy pity,
she begged, breathlessly, hold for a
space until | have taken thought.
=. Thou knowest that If what
thou hast told me be the truth, then
am | widow before my time-widowed
and doomed"
Doomed"
Aye" And there was real terror
In her eyes and voice. Doomed to
sati. For, since l am a widow-stnce
thou dost maintain thou art not my
husband-then my face hath been
looked upon by a man not OF mine own
people, and | am d~ishonored. Fire
alone can cleanse me Of that defle-
msnt-the pyre and the death by
hame!"
Good God! you don't mean that!
Surely that custom has perished!"
Thou shouldst know that 1t dieth
not. What to US women In whose
bodies runs the blood of royalty, is
-. -Atzx - -1.~ E.~ltoh m NJ 2