The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-01-07
A Struggle For
a Fortune
A Story of Eastern Su.
perstitiOn
By r A. Mitchell

There Is no end to the superstition
of the eastern hemisphere. In India
there is firm belief in the transmigra
ton Of souls-that is. when human
| being dies the soul passes into the
body of an inferior animal
There was q woman, NirmaL who
| lived near Calcutta who was possessed
Of larger share of this worlds goods
than is usual to any one In that coun
.ry except the rulers She was old and
infirm, and the only person she had to
comfort her was son. who was in
poor health
Nirmal nursed her boy, he growing
weaker every day. till at last he died
In her arms Leaving the body. she
went out into the yard, and the first
thing she saw was a newborn calf
trying to balance itself on it's legs and
looking at her with its liquid eyes She
did not doubt that her sons spirit had
passed into the calf and. going to it
threw her arms about its neck and
crooned over it
II ever a dumb animal was born into
the world with silver spoon in Its
mouth" it was this calf. room on
the ground floor was prepared for it.
with door that would enable it to go
out and In at will At one end of the
room a trough was built for its food.
and since it did not eat dainty food 1t
vas given a plentiful supply Of such
as calf requires.
When Nirmal died she left her for
tune to the calf. appointing an ad
ministrator and guardian. At the ami,
mails death the fortune was to pass to
the testator's little niece. Agya. then
seven years old. Nirmal was aware
that it might be to the interest of some
session Of the property through Agya.
who was but child and untitled to
defeat such a purpose. Nirmal there
fore appointed Kadur, priest, whose
sacred calling she believed would make
him honest. to take care Of the calf
This man had charge Of a temple
wherein was an oracle who told PEG
pie what would happen to them and
how to avoid adverse DEGREES of fate
The oracle was the priest himself. who
was concealed at the other end of the
speaking tube. whence came the voice
Those who received information drop
ped coins into a receptacle set up for
the purpose, and the money was appro
priated by the priest.
Business at the temple being dull
when Kadur was left the care of the
calf. he relegated the temple to an
other and accepted the new position.
not that the salary he received as ad
ministrator was more than his profits
as oracle. but the income of the estate
still have far more than he could make
at the supernatural end of the speak.
ing tube.
For a few years he enjoyed the per-
quisites of his misunderstanding: then
the calf. which had meanwhile become
cow, died Kadur, having no idea
of giving up good thing. substituted
another cow and kept ON heaping up
the funds.
By this time Agya had come to a
manageable age. She had often visit
ed the COW in its manger and knew
not only its color, but every spot on
its body. Kadur had matched as well
as he could the cow of which he was
guardian, but it was impossible that
he should do SO exactly. Every patch
Of color was duplicated, but there was
In the original black spot in white
behind the right ear that was not pres
ent In the substitute.
After the ward COW died Kadur dis
couraged Agya from visiting the sue
cessor, fearing that she would discover
the fraud. He told her that he had
had dream that her cousin" would
kick her to death. Agya grew suspi
cious and found way to visit the
manager when it's guardian was absent
and discovered the substitution
Agya when she made this discovery
had passed the age when Indian girls
are married. for they wed in child
hood. and. since unmarried girls in
that country are considered undesira
bic. was fearful that she would be put
out Of the way She had been thus
far saved by the fact of her prospec,
tive inheritance; but, now that one
cow after another would nominally
hold her fortune and Kadur would alb
sorb the income. she feared that if the
matter became known she would be
strangled The original COW would
now be ten years old, and Agya's ia
ther was thinking that it was time she
should die. Agya. poor girl. was in
IN agony Of fear lest he should sus
pect fraud. make an Investigation and
discover that new heir had received
her property, for she knew that no one
| would have power to defeat the ras
| cality of a priest in the courts. and
her fortune would be considered lost.
Agya about this time met a young
man, Rustum. with whom she fell in
love. and he loved her She confided
to him the situation. and the two put
their heads together to form plan of
killing the cow and getting the prop
erty. This would be difficult feat to
accomplish First it would be next to
impossible, to get at the beast. for Ka.