The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-08-04

tcnestN with more ashes.
"a second holy man appeared upon
1.-THE scene, wanting in breath. His jaw
dropped and his eyes started to leave
Their sockets: Knowing his nix SO
Thoroughly well, he flung himself
lldown before the brazier and beat hts
forehead upon the! ground; not in any
Echastened spirit, but because he had
OVERSIGHT that morning This glory
might have been his! Al, al!
Later the two conferred. During
1.-THE day they should guard the priest
;ess, because. having taken human
torn, she might some day tire Of this
particular temple. AT night she would
be we'll guarded blythe llions
Several awe.stricken women came
forward with bowls OF cooked rice and
fruits and a new copper drinking YES:
sci. These they sreverently placed at
Kathlyn's feet
Gradually the spirit which had com:
forted lKathlyn withdrew, and at
length Kathlyn became keenly alive.
IL entered her mind clearly that these
poor, foolish people really believed
lher celestial being, and SO long as
they laid no hand upon her she was
moi! alarmed: She had recently passed
through too many terrors to be dis.
turbed by q bit OF Kindness, even II
stirred into being by a lreligious Ifanati,
cism. z
Kathlyn ase.
BY pairs the villagers departed, and
soon none remained save her self:ap.
pointed guardians, the two holy men
Kathlyn8 felt 8, desire to explore this
wonderful temple. She discovered
what must have been the inner shrine.
The chamber was filled with idols;
here and there q BIT Of! gold leaf, cen,
turtles old, glistened upon the bronze,
the clay, the wood. The caste mark
on the largest idols head was a pol.
ilshed ruby, overlooked doubtless dur
iing$the loot. She swept the dust from
the Jewel with the tip Of her finger,
and the dull fire sent "a SILVER Of de.
light over her. She was still a woman.
AS: she wandered farther IN her foot
touched something and she looked
down: twas a bone; in fact, the floor
was strewn with bones. She quickly
discerned, much to her relief, that
none of these bones were human. This
was, or had been, the den OF the lion.
There was an acrid, unpleasant odor,
so she hurried back to. the brazier.
Vaguely she comprehended that she
must keep the fire replenished from
time to time in order to pacify the
two holy men, AT night would fend
on any approach Of the Hon..
Where was Bruce? Would he ever
find her? That philosophy whicd she
had inherited from her. father that
quiet acceptance OF the inevitable
was the one thing which carried 5ier
| through her trials sanely. An ordi.
nary woman would have died from
mere exhaustion. 4 4. \ 4
Bruce, indeed! at that very mo mo.
ment he was rushing out Of Kumar's
presence. wild to be on toward, the
road to Alfalfa, since Kathlyn had not
been seen upon. it. He found where
(Rajah had veered on into the jungle
again, and followed the trail tireless.
Sly. But It was to be his misfortune al.
ways to arrive! too late.
To Kathlyn the day passed with
nothing more than the curiosity Of the
natives to disturb her. They brought
her cotton blankets which she ar!
ranged in the sarcophagus. There
were worse beds in the world than
this; at least ct shielded her from the
bitter night wind. \ q N y 8 g ]:
She ate again at shutdown and build.
ed high the sacred fire and tried to
plan some manner Of escape; for she
lidid not propose to be; q demi. goddess
lIany longer than was necessary. From
Punditas she had learned many words
land o few phrases In Hindustani, ana
she yentured to speak them to the
tholy men, who seemed quite delight:
ed. ! They could understand her. but
she on her part could make little or
nothing Of their jabbering. Neverther
less, she pretended.
Finally the holy men departed, after
having indicated the sacred fire and
the wood beside It This fire pleased
Kathlyn nightly. While Il burned
brightly The lion would not prowl in
her Immediate vicinity. She won.
dered where this huge cat had come
from, since she knew her natural his.
tory well enough TO know the African!
ions did not inhabit this part Of thf
globe. Doubtless Il had escaped fses
some private trnenagerie
and III. Postnasters from every