Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

Atc ney to Alfalfa was
begun. But for the days cf peace and
quiet of the wilderness and the conse-
quent hardness Of her flesh, Kathlyn
would have suffered greatly. Half the
time she was compelled to walk There
were no houdahs and 1t was difficult
feat to sit back Of the mahout. The
rough skin of the elephant lad the same
effect upon the calves of her legs that
sandpaper would have had. Sometimes
she stumbled and fell. and was rudely
1erked TO her feet. Only the day before
they arrived was she relieved in any way;
she was given a litter, and n this man
ner she entered the hateful city.
In giving her the litter the chief
nahout had been inspired by no ex-
presstons of pity; simply they desired
her to appear fresh and attractive
when they carried her into the slave
Tn ftrul dreams aIl that had hap
pened came back to her-the story ner
father had told about saving the old
kings life, and the grim, ironical
Gratitude In making Col. Hare his
heir-as if such things could be. And
then her own journey to Alfalfa; the
nightmarish durbar during which she
had been crowned: the escape from the
ordeals with John Bruce; the terrors
of the temple of the sun; the flight
from there. John Bruce. she
could still see the fire in his eyes; che
could still feel the touch Of his gentle
yet tireless hand. Would she ever see
him again? -.=
ON the way TO the mart they passed
under the shadow of the grim prison
walls of the palace. The elephants
veered off here into side street, to-
ward the huge square where horses
ard cattle and elephants were bought
and sold The litter in charge of the
chief mahout proceeded to the slave
mart kathlyn glanced at the wall
yvanderingly. Was her father alive?
was he in some bleak cell behind that
crumbling masonry? Did he know thai
she WAS here? Or was he really dead?
An, perhaps il were better that death
should have taken hiIn-better that
than having his living heart wrung by
the tale Of his daughters unspeakable
miseries. ...". -"..
Even as she sent q last lingering
look at the prison the prisoner within
his head buried in his thin, wasted
hands, beheld her in vision-but in
a happy, joyous vision. busying about
the living room of the bungalow
And far away younger man beheld
:. vision, as very tenderly he gazed q,
Karhlyns discarded robe and resumed
his determined quest. Often. standing
beyond his evening fires, he would ask
the silence, "kathlyi. where are you?
Even then he was riding fast toward
Alfalfa.
A slave mart is Ii rare thing these
days, but at the time these scenes were
being enacted there existed many OF
them here and there across the face
of the globe. Men buy and sell mer
and women these times-eDlightened
so they say-but they do it by lega
contract or from vile hiding places.
Alfalfa had been a famous mart in it.
prime. 1t had drawn the agents O.
princes from all over India. Persia
Beloochistan, Afghanistan and ever
southern Russia had been rifed o.
their beauties to adorn the zenanas O.
the slothful Hindu princes.
The slave mart in the capital towr
of Alfalfa stood In the center Of tn,
bazaars. a great square platform witt
d roof but open on all four sides
Here the slaves were exhibited. tn.
poor things intended for dalliance ant
those who We're to struggle and swea
end die under the oyerSeer's lash.