The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-09-04

d Cat anu SGlI6u HeF WTlSt' ne was
not gentle. The dagger tinkled as it
struck the marble floor He stopped
for it.
Since you will not bend, break he
said, and left tie chamber, cold with
fury.
KathIyn sank weakly upon her pill
lows as Pundita ran to her side.
What shall l do, Pundita?"
God knows, memsahib!"
Are you a Christian"
Yes"
And so they comforted each other.
There was a garden in the palace
grounds, lovely indeed. A fountain
tinkled and fat carp swan about in the
fluted basin. There were trellises Of
flowers, too; Persian roses, despite
the fact that it was still winter. 1t
was called the Garden of Brides.
Kathlyn, attended by Pundita, await
ed there the coming Of Umballa and
the Council. Her heart ached with
bitterness and she could not think
clearly. The impression that all this
was some dreadful nightmare required
to- her wildly. What terrors awaited
her she knew not nor could conceive.
Marry that smiling demon?-for some
thing occult told her that he was a
demon No; she was ready to die.
And but a little while ago she
had been working happily in the out
door studio; the pet leopard sprawled
at her feet; from the bungalow she
heard the nightingale voice Of Winnie,
soaring in some aria of Verdis; her
father was doing on the veranda.
Out of that, into this! 1t was incred-
ible. From time to time she brushed
her forehead, bewildered.
In this mood, bordering on the hys-
terical (Which is sometimes but step
to supreme courage), Durga Ram, So
called Umballa and the Council found
her The face of the former was
cold, his eyes steady and expression
less.
Has your majesty decided?" asked
the eldest of the Council.
yes" quietly.
and your decision ISL"
mo, absolutely and finally. There
is no reason why l should obey any
of your laws; but there is good rea-
son why all of you shall some day be
punished for this outrage"
Outrage! To be made queen of Al
laha?" The spokesman for the Coun-
Gil stamped his foot in wrath.
Think" said Umballa.
81 have thought. Let us have no
more of this cat-and-mouse play. re-
fuse to marry you. I'd much prefer
any beggar in the street. There is
nothing more to be said
There are worse things than mar
riage"
What manner of indignities have
you arranged for me?" Her voice
was firm, but the veins in her throat
beat so hard that they sti1ed her.
Said the spokesman of the council:
1--WE have found a precedent We find
that one hundred and ninety years ago
a like case confused the Council OF
that day. They finally agreed that she
must submit to two ordeals with wild
beasts of the jungle. If she survived
she was to be permitted to rule with
out hindrance. 1t would be matter
for the gods to decide"
Are you really human beings?"
asked Kathlyn, her lips dry. Can you
possibly commit such a dreadful crime
against one who has never harmed
you, who asks for nothing but the free.
dom to leave this country"
Pundita secretly caught Kathlyn's
hand and pressed it.
Once more!" said Umballa, his
compassion touched for the first time.
But he had gone too far; for the safety
of his own head he must go on.
II am ready"
The four men salaamed gravely
They turned, the flowing yellow robes
of the Council flutteri1g in the wind,
the sun lighting with green and red
fires the hilt of Umballas sword. Not
one of them but would have emptied
his private Golfers TO undo what he
had done. 1t was too late. Already a
priest had announced the ordeals to
the swarming populace. You feed a
tiger to pacify him; you give pop
ulace a spectacle
That night Umballa did not rest par
ticularly we'll But he became de.
termined upon one thing; no actual
harm should befall Kathlyn. He would
have marksman hidden nearby in
both ordeals. What a woman! She
was a queen, and he knew that he
would go through all the bells of Hind
to call her his. Long ere this he
would have looted the treasure chests
and swept her up on his racing ele
plant had he dared Sa'adi's houri!
A thousand times he heard II
through the night:
Il am ready"
(