The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1914-08-14

mud doorsiii, with his bubbling watel
pipe On he has one). and watch tha
stars slowly swing across the arch
A pinch Of very bad tobacco rs slowly
consumed: then he enters the hut
filings himself upon his mating fper
haps a cotton rug. nor likely a bun
die OF woven water reeds). and sleeps
No one wakes him; habit ronses him
al dawn. He scrubs his teeth with q
Gbrous stick. II Ia a part OF his re
lIglous belief to keep his teeth clean
Tie East Indian (ISindu OF Mohamme
dam has the whitest, soundest teeth
In the world II the betelnnt Is but TEN
I perately used.
Beyond this village lay a .uined city.
now Inhabited by cobras and sinking
jackals,
Dawn, A few dung fires smoldered.
From the doorway OF n OF the mud
huts anne 4 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.
fes physical ~debasement, patience,
and foriitude such as would have
adorned any other use. A human
lamprey. sticking himself always at
the thin and meager board Of the poor,
a 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
Iy declared that it would take 40 less
than ten years to bring 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 maharaiahs' courts, The
ltdbt tuuI iau Dt bhiu 10 mat Hc PCi
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 Alfalfa, where the spe-
cies were kept as al 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 It's lovely arms, white as
a~labaster, and presently the hands
rubbed a pair OF sleepy eyes. Then
the form sat down within the sarco-
phagus, laid Its arms On the rim and
YEARLY hid It's 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 mar
ran faster, When he arrived, painting
and voiceless, at the village well.
where natives we're coming and going
with water In g~oatskins and jars and
copper vessels, he fell upon his face,
rose to his knees, and poured hand
fuls OF dust upon his head.
All, all" he called. TT Ia almost
done, my children. The first sign has
come from the gods. have brought
you In human form the ancient priest
ess!" 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