The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-10


while and asked the prospective bride:
What do you study" No reply was
forthcoming from the bashful girl.
After repeated asking and o xing the
girl family spoke in one breath: Cha
rupat, Bengal grammar, geography,
arithmetic and history Of India"
" a sudden there could be heard
the thud OF some approaching foot
steps outside and In a moment Mrin-
mayi ran into the oom painting and
waving her hair. Ignoring Apurba al
! together. she at once began to pull
the brides brother. Rakhal, to take
him out.
AS X was engrossed in look
ing at the bridegroom. he refused to
leave his seat. The maid began to re-
Duke Mrinmayi as sharply as she could
without sacrificing the modesty of her
voice. Apurba mastered all the gravity
at his command, sat quite straight and
Kept playing with his gold chain. Mrin.
mayi. on the other hand, being disap-
pointed In her mission, slapped Rak-
mai hard on his back. suddenly pulled
OF the veil Of the bride. and rar out
or the room as fast as a storm.
The silent gathering soon ended and
the girl sighed a sigh of relief and
returned 10 the Zenana. led by the
maid. Apurba was gravely twisting
his thin mustache and was about to
come out Of the room.
When he came near the door he
FOUND his new pair of shoes missing.
a search was made for them. but they
were nowhere to be found. The host
and the hostess were embarrassed and
began to shower rebukes on the per-
son who might have stolen them. At
last when all %endeavors failed to To-
cate the lost property Apurba put on
a pair OF old, loose fitting slippers of
his host and thus oddly dressed he
carefully walked along the muddy
village path.
Apurba again heard the outburst of
the same continuous and intense
laughter by a lonely pord on the way
side. 1t seemed as IL some sylvan
deity could not resist her laughter at
the inappropriate slippers. Apurba
stood still in embarrassment ard i'm
mediately saw a guilty girl place his
shoes before him. The girl was about
10 run away. but Apurba quickly made
a captive OF her.
"iSEitu dTNunU 10 get
away. but failed. The suns rays from
behind the branches OF the trees
bathed her face-a face that was III,
up with a soulful smile and e%ncroached
upon by locks OF her wavy hair. Just
as an inQuis!tive traveller intently
looks at the bottom Of n
ard restless fourtain. even 80 Apurba
gravely and Accordingly looked upon
the translucent and magnetic eyes OF
Mrinmayi that SO much enhanced the
beauty OF her upturred face. And he
slowly loosened the grip and let the
captive go.
Mrlnmayfs soulful laughter began to
r~eNerberate in the sky like the music
or uareing natures And
I Apuroakrishna reached home with
measured steps and app in in
tense thought.
All that day, under many mr. ,tcnces
Apurbakrishi a did not 10 in the 70
mana to see his mother. He was in
Vited out to dinner. so he did not go
in even for dinner.
How did you like the girl. Apuo"
inquired Apurba's mother when her
son entered the zenana in the cyering.
hStiti odIu .tDuI IA, Tdtlef
embarrassed, Il have seen the girls
and like n Of them"
How many girls did you scc?"
asked the mother. quite surprised.
After much discussion ii beca me
known that her son liked her neigh
bor's daughter Mrinmayi. She was
shocked AZ the taste OF her son. a uni
versity man.
At first Apurha felt rather bashful
to discuss the matter. But when his
msther began strenuously to object To
the match Apurba lost all sense OF
delicacy and in a burst of anger said:
i shall never marry any girl but
Mrinirayi." The more he thought of
that almost inanimatc girl he went to
see that morning the more he became
disguised with the idea of marriage.
After two days fast. slceplessness
and discussions Apurba was victorious.
His mother consoled herself by think
ing that Mrinmayi was a little girl.
that her mother was not fit TO give her
proper education. and that after mar
riage. when Mrinmayi would be under
her mother-in-law's control. the girls
character. by proper training, would
undergo a thorough change.
And gradually she began to see that
Mrinmayis face was really pretty.
But at h next moment, when she
thought of Mrinmayi's short hair. she
became exceedingly discouraged. Blu,
she hoped, however, that by tying her
hair tight in the back knot and by
application Of plenty of perfumed hair
tonic Mrinmayi's hair might grow long
and beautiful.
On the final settlement of the match
Mrinmayi's mother and the elderly
women OF the neighborhood began to
give advice to the prospective bride
regarding her future duties. They all
succeeded in making married life APP
pear to her as a terrible thing by for
bidding her games, fast walking, loud
laughter. conversation with boys and
eating to safety.
Mrinmayi felt as il she had been
sentenced to twenty years rigorous
imprisonment, and after the expira-
ton of that term she was to he
hanged from the gallows. SO Mrln-
mayi. like a naughty little pony, curled
her neck, walked backward and said:
II shall not marry at ALL"
And yet Mrinmayi had tn marry.
Her education began after her mar
riage. The entire world of the free
dom loving girl shrank outright into
the .enana Of Apurba's mother. The
unther-in-law beean her work of cor