The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-02-28

conscious OF another presence. A fash as Of moonlight
striking two chrysoberyls took tie madness out of her
mind. This forsaken temple was the haunt Of a leopard
or a tiger.
She was lost. That magnetism which ordinarily was
hers was at its nadir. She hesitated for a second, then
climbed into the empty sarcopha gus, c~rouching low.
Strangely enough, as she did so a calm fell upon her; all
the terrors Of her position dropped away from her as
mists from the mountain peaks. She had, however, gotten
into the hiding place none too soon.
She heard the familiar pad-pad, the whif-whif of a big
cat. Immediately into the moonlight came an African
lion, as out of place here as Kathlyn herself; his tail
slashed, there was a long, black streak from his name to
his tail where the hair had risen. Kathlyn crouched even
lower. The lion trotted round the sarcophagus, shifting.
Presently he lifted his head and roared. The echoes
played battledore and shuttlecock with the sound. The
lion roared again, this time at the insulting echoes. For
a few minutes the noise was deafening. A rumble az OF
distant thunder, and the storm died away.
By and by she peered out cautiously. She saw the lion
crossing the open space between the temple and the
Jungle. She saw him pause, bend his head, then lopa
away in the direction taken by Rajah.
10 kathlyn it seemed that she had no longer anything
to do with the body of Kathlyn Hare. The soul Of
another had stepped into this wearied flesh of hers and
now directed its physical manifestations, while her own
spirit stood gratefully and passively aloof. Nothing could
happen now; the world had gro IN still and calm. The
SS S~f VI ~ AOpC uuE1f z &ImS
and laid Kathlyn's head upon them and arew her down
into a profound slumber.
Half a mile to the north of the ruined temple there Law.
all unsupported by Kathlyn, a village village belonging
solely to the poor, mostly ryots or tillers of the soil. The
poor In Asia know but two periods Of time, for rarely do
they possess such a thing as a watch or a clock: sunset
end sunrise. Perhaps the man of the family may sit
awhile at dusk on his mud doorsill with his bubbline
water pipe (f he has one), and watch the stars slowly
Eufn~ - thu nrob A p;uob- 80 -.-- - AI---
slowly consumed then, he enters the hut, filings himself
upon his mating (perhaps a cotton rug, more likely a
bundle of woven water reeds), and sleeps. No one wakes
him habit rouses him at dawn. He scr: BIS his teeth with
a fbrous stick. 1t is a part of his religious belief to keep
his teeth clean. The East Indian (Hindu of Mohamme.
dan) has the whitest, soundest teeth in the world IL the
betelnut is but temporarily used. u.~ --. .-...
Beyond this village lay q ruined city, now inhabited by
cobras and Sinking jackals.
Dawn. A few dung fires ~smolderei. From the door
way 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 signifies physical debasement, patience, and
fortitude 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 holyl
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 solemnly declared that it would take no less than ten
years to bring about this miracle. And the villagers fell
down with their foreheads In the dust. He was a Brah-
min the caste string hung about his neck he was indeed
holy, he who could have dwelt on the Fat Of the land, in
maharajahs' courts. The least that can hesFHad fl shas
he performed his duties scrupulously.
So, then the red rim Of the. March sun s~houIaefed up
above the rolling jungle as he came into the beaEen clay
court which fronted the temple. The lion aLalkea Only
at night, rarely appearing in the daytime. Once q nl0nlh
he was given a bullock, for he kept tiger and leopard
away, and the villagers dwelt in peace. IhA ilon hadf
escaped from Alfalfa, where the species were kept aA as
additional sport. Since he had taken up his abodein the
temple there had been fewer thefts from the cattle Hae0a
The Holy Man was about to assume his ~squastSns pos
ture in. the center of the court as usual, whes Erpna out
of the sarcophagus rose ~1anguidly 4 form, shepssad III
white. The form stretched its lovely arms, white Ri ala+
baster, and presently the hands rubbed a pairBo& nleaps
eyes. Then the form sat down within the safSnphagssHs
laid its arms on. the. rim, and YEARLY hid Its facASiSkzthenas
The Watcher was the most dumfounded Holy Man la
all India. For the FIRST time in his hypocriticaI lfSa he
found faith in himself, in his puerile rites. Hs hsa
sconjnred MP yonder spirit, unaided, alone. As Foas