Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-11-12

thing as a watch or clock: sunset
and sunrise. Perhaps the man of the
family may sit awhile at dusk on his
mud doorsill. with his bubbling water
pipe III he has one), and watch the
stars slowly swing across the arch.
A pinch of very bad tobacco is slowly
consumed; then he enters the hut,
filings himself upon his mating (per-
haps a cotton rug, more likely a bum
die Of woven water reeds). and sleeps
No one wakes him: habit rouses him
at dawn. He scrubs his teeth with a
fbrous stick. 1t Is part of his re-
ligious belief to keep his teeth clean.
The East Indian (Hindu OF Mohamme-
dam has the whitest. soundest teeth
in the world II the betelnut is but tenn
perately used.
Beyond this village lay q ruined city.
now inhabited by cobras and sinking
jackals.
Dawn. A few dung fires smoldered.
From the doorway of one of the mud
huts came 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 signi.
\ fies 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 solemn
ly declared that 1t 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 Brnhmin; 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 be said is that he yer
formed his duties scrupulousis.
So. then. the red rim IF the March
. sun shouldered up above the rolling
Jungle as he came into the beater
clay court which fronted the temple
The lion stalked only at night, rarel,
, appearing in the daytime. Once 8
month he was given bullock. for HI
kept tiger and leopard away, and thu
villagers dwelt in peace. The lion hat
! escaped from Alfalfa. where the spe
cies were kept as an additional spor,
Since he had taken up his abode il
, the temple there had been fewe
. thefts from the cattle sheds.
The holy man was about to assum
: his souatting posture in the center O
the court. as usual, when from out O
!. the sarcophagus rose languldly
, form, shrouded in white. The forr
a stretched its lovely arms. white a
alabaster. and presently the hand
q rubbed pair of sleepy eyes. The
, the form sat down within the sarct
/, phagus, laid its arms on the rim an
:, wearily hid its face in them.
. The watcher was the most dun
, founded holy man in all India. Fc
n the first time in his hypocritical II.
d he found faith in himself. In HI
r pueriIe rites. He had conjured Il
A. wonder spirit. unaided. alone. H
ia rose. turned. and never holy ma
ID ran faster When he arrived, pantin
ia and voiceless. at the village vel
is where natives were coming and goin
a with water In goatsklns and lars an