Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-01-14
A Transmiigration
Story

By F. A. mitchell


,ne Kadur, an old man, lay dying. His
wife knelt by his bedside-there were
10 children-waiting for the end and
praying to Vishnu IN his behalf. In
India they believe in the transmigra-
ion of souls. and the woman prayed
that in order that she might have her
husband near her his spirit might pass
Into the body of one of her pets, of
which she had great many. When
she was satisfied that he was dead she
left the body where it lay and, weep
Ing, went out to another room. As she
opened the door she saw in the middle
Of the floor a tiny monkey that had
Just been born looking up at her with
q peart face and a pair of bright eyes.
Whether or not 1t was her imagination
that made this human-like countenance
appear In her eyes to resemble her late
husband it is impossible to say. Ger
tain it is that she took the little crea-
ture up in her arms and Rugged it to
her bosom, at the same time thanking
her god that he had answered her
prayer, for she did not doubt that the
soul of him she loved had passed into
the body of the monkey just born.
Now, the woman was rich, and this is
what she did. She made will. leav-
Ing all her property to the monkey so
long as it lived, and at its death 1t
was to go to her nephew, Rustom,
boy of whom she was very fond. She
also bequeathed the monkey to a wo-
man in whom she had great confidence,
who was to have large sum for its
care as long as it lived. 1t was thus
made the interest of its keeper to pre-
serve it's life as long as possible.
The widow lived three years after
her husbands death. When she died
her nephew. Rustom. was about eight
cen years old and had a sweetheart.
Naturally he wished to marry and
needed the money.
But the woman, Dulmara, who was
getting large pay for taking care Of
her ward, realizing that Rustom was
interested in its death, redoubled her
efforts to keep the monkey alive. She
put it in wing of the house, had
iron bars put on all the windows, and
no one was permitted, to go in to it
without passing through apartments
occupied by herself.
But these precautions were not nee
essary, for Rustom had been brought
up to believe that his uncle's soul was
In the monkey and~if he killed it he
would be guilty of crime. But Agya,
the girl he wished to marry. had been
to a Christian mission school and did
not believe in the transmigration theo-
ry. She could not see why a monkey
should prevent her and the youth she
loved from enjoying fortune. In
deed, she thought no more Of killing
monkey than dog. Besides, 1t was
plain that Dulmara might at the mon
keys death substitute another monkey
In its place and keep on thus substi-
tuting monkeys till the crack of doom.
She therefore determined that the lit
tie beast should die.
Fortunately for her intention, Rus
toms love for her was not known to
Dulmara, nor had Dulmara ever seen
her.
One day Agya appeared to Dulmara
and said that she had singular dream.
But before she told the dream she look
ed about her at the pets which were
wandering around. hen was sitting
on some eggs, upon seeing which Agya
told her dream. She said that woman
had appeared to her in her sleep and
said that her husbands soul was in a
monkey in house which she describ-
ed The woman herself had died and
passed into the body of COW Sacred
In India). The COW was about to die,
and the woman's spirit had been per-
mitted by Vishnu to be born in the
house where her husband lived in a
monkeys body. She would come out
of an egg. The girl was instructed to
go to the house described, and the first
chicken Matched in that house would
contain the spirit of the wife of the
man whose spirit inhabited the mon
key. She was to have the care of the
chicken.
There is no end to the superstition in
the people of India, and Dulmara be-
lieved the story. While the two were
VICE IhlSh pANhOt AOo5 a
the shell of an egg, and this settled the
matter. Dulmara did not dare to turn
Agya away for fear of the wrath of the
tiny bird which might contain the soul
of her from whom she drew her sti-
pend. The girl was at once taken into
the household and given the care of the
chicken. She took it in to see the mon
key. but the little brute evidently did
not recognize it as its wife. for If per-
mitted to get at it would have eaten it.
Agya, having effected an entrance to
the household as well as access to the
monkey, lost no time in carrying out
the rest of her plan. Soon after her
arrival the monkey sickened and died
the next day.
Though Agya did not admit that she
had poisoned the monkey. she threw of
the sham she had put on and, leaving
her little ward to take care of itself.
want 70 RuStnm and told him that he