The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-03-30

49, NJ lnuhplLduLb duu tueIA
gSzS$& consciousness Of superb
M sdSN GRITTY to the tribes Of
M "a other districts-for the
NM IN Mahrattas have in theil
IN slime conquered all India
snakes them peculiarly
siisce1fIble to the claims Of family
pride. and this in turn has given rise
tosfFagedie Of an abnormal and often
lioffitylng character ~
One Of the crimes that thrilled the
whole country, and incidentally nearly
brought 10 the gallows an innocent
man; occurred shortly after the ter
nithation OF the American Civil war
puFlng the progress Of this conflict the
native cotton growers had accumulated
enofmous profits owing to the block
ade:ot the southern ports. Cotton was
AZ premium everywhere, and mil
Hons Of rupees poured into the Nah
rata country from the sale Of the sta
pie Cultivators who had formerly
ekel out a precarlous existence sud
denly found themselves enriched be
You'd their widest ambitions. In fact
their chief problem was how to dis
pose of their wealth.
Among the ostprpsperous OF these
farmers was YellapRo Patel, who had
one, son, Bussapa, The boy was the
pride Of his old father and had beer
educated III much better style thar
was the custom among people Of his
class. When the family suddenly be
came enriched through their cotton
sales Bussapa easily persuaded his
father to launch out into the widest
extrayagances in order to save the
face" Of the family among the neigh
bots. All the cultivators Wed with
one another In display. sarees, or pet
ticoats of the most expensive tissues
were loaded upon the women, and gold
and silver ornaments. Hlgh.priced
trotting bullocks we're purchased, and
carts with silver tires, and harness
with silver Jokes and silver mount
ings. The blooded bullocks were
matched against each other in trottine
races at which the whole countryside
attended; and the entire population
ofi The district blossonded out with red
silk sunshades which we're sent out by
an enterprisidg English Arm and
promptly purchased wholesale Bran
az gin and champagne now made their
appearance for the first time among
the sober country folks. Riotous de
bauches began, and first among the
jewellers always was Yellapa, who was
rarely sober during the last few
4 months OF his life and, outdoing his
son, forced him to become a drunkard
also Ss,G2S 'R 'a' "e- p79r,
Yellapa Patel died when the warwas
at It's height. His son Blu ssapa pMnged
a into owen wilder extravEgances.r why
shdlld he think Of money Gwher
wealth kept pouring in? Indeed, the
only persons who did not share the
public prosperity were the money
lenders. who had always previously
held mortgages upon the crops and
were the acknowledged masters Of the
land. Dewchund, the Village banker
had no silver tires 70 his carts, no trOt
ting hullocks; and he went about with
a long face, looking Indignantly upon
his nelghbors and hoping for the time
when the price Of cotton would sud
denly t1mble-a time which the long
erheaded persons among the Mahrat
has had already begun. to foresee.
Bussapa Patel had one link thai
bound him to decency. This was bis
little son BLOW. Bussapa was Nah
rata and Dewchund, the mohey'lend
er, d despised Wanna; but their fami
iiess been Intimate for many years
I, and; had had business transactions to
getter, and they were as friendly as
persons OF their respective stations ir
lie conld be. Little blow was an al
most daily visitor at pewchlhds booth
in the bazaar, where he was always
aure5of being given some sweetmeats
or a handful Of nuts or some otheI
delIcasy dear to childhood. AS Bus
SABA gave himself up more and more
+ to his drunkenness and his violence
Increased, little Blow began to spend
I nearly all his time outside school
hours with Dewchund, who al7ays pet
ted him, while 5ussapa's violence
frightened him.
Bussapa was not slow to see the in
I ereasing intimacy between his son and
1 the money-lender, but he dismissed
X the subject from his mind. he had
nothlng against Dewchund; indeed, he
deFided him because the banking bust
ness was at so low an ebb, and con
temptuously dismissed him from fur
thert thought.
Dewchund, in the meantime, sal
waiting In his booth. After while
business gradually began to pick VI
again, for the Civil war was at an end
ahdSthe price Of cotton went down
Sard. at first almost imperceptibly
then more and more swiftly, A series
81 bad seasons set in; the monsoon
Jailed and a drought parched the cot
tbh fields. On top OF this came q
IilagSie Of rats which destroyed the
crops. The silver tires and silver
yokes became less and less In evi
deace. The %omen's sarees no longer
fastled as they went to tho well. Trot
Ting bullocks were sold for what they