The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-10-02


niuu uoorsill. with his buDDung water
pipe On he has one), and watch the
stars slowly swing across the arch
A pinch OF very bad tobacco is slowly
consumed; then he enters the hut,
filings himself upon his mating (per'
haps cotton rug, more likely a bun
die OF woven water reeds). and sleeps
No one wakes him; habit rouses him
at dawn. He scrubs his teeth with a
tlbrous stick. II Is part OF his re-
llglous belief TO keep his teeth clean
The East Indian (Hlndu Of Mohamme'
dam has the whitest. soundest teeth
In the world II the betelnut Is but tenn
perately used.
Beyond this village lay a ruined city,
now Inhabited by cobras and sinking
jackals.
Dawn. A few dung fires smoldered
From the doorway OF one OF the mud
huts came a lean man. his naked torso
streaked with wet ashes, his matted
hair hanging In knots and tangles on
his emaciated shoulders. His aspect
was exceedingly filthy; he was a holy
man, which In this mad country signi-
fies physical debasement, patience,
and fortitude such as would nave
adorned any other use. A human
lamprey, sticking himself Rlwaye at
the thin and meager board Of the Loor.
vile parasite, but holy!
The holy man directed his steps to
the narrow, beaten pathway which led
to the temple, where. every morning,
he performed certain rites which the
poor. benighted ryots believed would
some day restore the ruined city and
the prosperity which attends fat
harvests. The holy man had solemn
ly declared that 1t would take no less
than ten years to brihg about this
miracle. And the villagers fell down
with their foreheads in the dust. He
was a Brahmin; the caste string hung
about his neck; he was indeed holy,
he who could have >dwelt on the fat Of
the land, In mahamjahs' courts. The
least that can be said is that he per
formed his duties scrupulously,
So, then, the red rim Of the March
sun shouldered up above the rolling
jungle as he came into the beaten
clay court which fronted the temple.
The lion stalked only at night, rarely
appearing in the daytime. Once a
month he was given a bullock, for he
kept tiger and leopard away, and the
villagers dwelt in peace. The lion had
escaped from Allaha, where the spe-
cies we're kept as an additional sport.
Since he had taken up his abode in
the temple there had been fewer
thefts from the cattle sheds.
The holy man was about to assume
his squatting posture in the center OF
the court, as usual, when from out Of
the sarcophagus rose languidly a
form, shrouded in white. The form
stretched its lovely arms, white as
alabaster, and presently the hands
rubbed a pair of sleepy eyes. Then
the form sat down within the sarco-
phagus, laid it's arms on the rim and
YEARLY hid its face in them.
The watcher was the most dunn
founded holy man in all India. For
the first time in his hypocritical life
he found faith in himself, In his
puerile rites. He had conjured up
yonder spirit. unaided, alone. He
rose, turned, and never a holy man
ran faster. When he arrived, painting
and voiceless, at the village we'll,
where natives we're coming and going
with water in goatskins and jars and
copper vessels, he fell upon his face,
rose to his knees, and poured hand
fuls of dust upon his head.
"Ai, ali" he called. TT is almost
done, my children. The first sign has
come from the gods. have brought
you in human form the ancient priest
essi" And he really believed he had.
20, my children, my little ones, my
kids! have brought her who will now
attend to the sacred fires; for these
alone will restore the city as of old,
the fat corn, the plenitude of fruit.
Since the coming of the lion two rains
ago the leopard and the striped one
have forsaken their lairs. One bullock
a month is better than fire, together
with the kids and the children. All"
More dust.
Naturally the villagers set down
their water skins and Jars and copper