Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-01

and beating tlieir breasts. while behind
stood the high caste widow. her face
Suddenly she threw her arms high above
her head.
at am suttee.''
Suttee: 1t WAS against the law of the
British Raj. The soldiers began argsiiu,
with the widow. but only half hear,edl,,
1t was pious rite, worthy OF the high
caste Hindu's wife. Better death on the
pyre than a future Ike that OF q pariah
dog. For a wife who preferred TO live
after her husband vas gone was -ocisl
outcast, permitted not to wed again, 20
exist only as drudge. a mental the scpga
and contempt of all who had known he-
in her DAYS OF prosperity.
The widow. having drunk from a cup
which contained opium, climbed to The too
Of the pyre where her husband las,
swathed in white. She gazed about wild.
Is, and her courage and resolve too,
wings. She stumbled down. A low hiss
ing ran about.
Make the white woman suffice in ic-
place. cried the drunken mahout.
The cry was taken Up by the spectators.
Kathlyn felt herself dragged from the ele-
plant. bound, and finally laid beside tho
swathed figure There could be no horror
in the wide world like it. Smoke began -
curl up from the underbrush. It choked
and stified her Sparks rose and dropped
upon her arms and face. And through the
smoke and flame came Rajah. He lifted
her with his powerful trunk and carrie
her off, for hours and hours. back into tie
trackless jungle.
kathryn found herself ali at once sit
ting against the roots of an aged banyan
tree. A few yards away an ape sat on
his launches and eyed her cur ously. 4
little farther off Rajah browsed in clump
of weeds, the howdah AT a rakish angle.
like the cooked hat OF a bully. Kathlyn
stared at her hands. There were no burns
there; she passed a hand over her face:
there was 10 smart sting. dream:
she had dreamed it: a fantasy due TO her
light-headed state of mind. A dream.
She cried and laughed. and the ape
jabbered at her uneasily.
In reality. Rajah. freed OF his unwel-
come mahout had legged ii down the road
farewell, and the soldiers had not been
able to stop him.
How she had managed to get down
would always remain a mystery to her.
Food and water, food and water; In her
present state she must have both. or die.
Let them send her back to Alfalfa: she Was
beaten; she was without the will to resist
further. All she wanted was food and
water and sleep. sleep. After that they
might do what they pleased with her.
For the first time since the extraordi-
ed the elephant talk which Ahmed had
taught her She rose YEARLY and walked
toward Rajah, who cooked his ears at the
sound OF her approach. She talked to him
for a space In monotone. She held GU.
her hands; the dry. raspy trunk curled out
toward them Rajah was evidently will
ing to meet her half way. She ordered
him to kneel. Without even pausing -
think it over Eajah bent his oalloused
knees. and gratefully kathryn crawlei
back into the howdah Food and water;
these appeared at hand as ii by magic SO
she ate and drank. If she could holl
Rajah to a walk the howdah would last
az least till she came to some village.
Later. in the moonshine. she espied the
ruined portico of a temple.
ITO BE CONTINUED NEXT sunday