Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-01-14
he-Seven Goats
BY Achmed Abdullah

housekeeper overheard him. she would
interrupt im~patiently:
"Wah! You are a fool, o my master A
soft-hearted, pot-beliied foot BY Zulzaban,
son Of the devil! What do you see In herr
Why do you let her step on you with
she nothing but a wisp OF a girl-nor her
nose very straight-nor her ears very
small (which, being the second. was also
perhaps the more truthful testimony az to
Umteyra's looks.
There was finally Musa Khan's judy
ment.
He said that her face was like a battling,
sweet melody Of spring floating on the
current OF a far wind, that all Allah's
mountains must have stood around to
black eyes was like the sudden unsheathing
of a sword.
But this he said afterwards.
For that day. when Uzbek Khan Haydar
spoke to her Of Musa, the two were I'M
known to each other, since the girl had
only arrived at the castle q week earlier
a week during which Uzbek Khan Haydar
had told her of his love over and over
again, to hear her smilingly reply:
II like you, cousin mine. O, SO much (!
But-no--I do not love you. Shall I ever
love you? Who am | to known Love is like
the flying OF the wild goose. 1t is sending
OF fate-fate which is written on the fore
heads OF all OF us!'
"Will you be angry II | tell you again
many, many times-that /" he slurred,
stopped.
THAT you love me2 Why-I like to hear
it,
"Of course you do Pah! Little Tartar
cati' came Habeebah's screening COM
ment. young girls are like young fleas-
eager for blood And is there blood sweet
er than a mans heart bloodf And turn
ing to Uzbek Khan Haydar, "as for you ?
You-O-by my teeth you are old and not
| loap 7 np1v vonr wa{ct ehaxr1 and tha IOrd
Allah know how not lean you arel What
| do you want with love? What does q bald
headed man want with a hair comb? Max
ma kan, fbalike arnan-you are like the
n~oseless and earless one who yet desires
nose and earrings
And, squatting In a corner. she would
glover and grumble and storm and pull al
her waterpipe until 1t gurgled with splash
Ing, sucking protest.
She did so today, with loud, contemptu.
| Gus shouts of: "Yahooi Yahee! Y'ellah
Errahman! Irrahmin" as her master re-
peated:
who is there like Musa Khan in al
the worlds hills7"
who Is this Musa7" asked Umteyra.
II might be your twin brother" sug
gested Habeebah. "He is another one o.
Allah's useless creations. At times | won
der why Allah, being all-wise--',
peace" he commanded, and he ex
planned to Umeteyra that the other was
a man Of the wilderness. 'The days
work. added, has no great hold OF
his fancy
Nor the days honesty ~ interrupted
Habeebah. Father and mother he is O
seven titpes seven uncomfortable sins!'
But Also smiled the Tartar, "of sever
times seven glorious songs, Of seven time!
seven spiced jests, of seven times sever
splendid and incredible tales! Ah-listen !!
They say: Dost Mohammed makes ready
for war at Kabul!
Loud Ia the crackle of steel in Kabul, the
kings town!
Dost Mohammed Is a master Of the swor(
in battle!
He is a reckless man at sword time!
He is a keen gambler at sword play
lie has girt on his shining Persian
weaponsl
He is a. killer Of the English, the eaters
- Of pigs flesh!
They say Dost Mohammed makes fead,
for war at Kabuli
Hail Loud Is the crackle of steel iii KabuI
the kings town! Y
The song finished OH d high, throaty yell
"Ah" sighed Uzbek Khan Haydar, ="
wish | had him here. with me in thil
castle, always, as my ancestors In the Older
days used to hire bards and testers ="
as he rich? ?" asked Umteyra.
A poor as a rabbit in the bracken =
Then" she suggested. TASK him to 1iv,
here. Pay him well. Your wealth is great
HE is as free as a bird. He would no
live In a cage"
Even an eagle would live in a cage OF
gold. Ask him, cousin mine y For she
imagined that thus, by Musa's coming tc
live in the house, Uzbek Khan would
cease a little from his love making and
give her time for her own thoughts. Not
that her thoughts were much. Just n young
hill girls thoughts: a mingling of misty
desires for something she did not know
and misty melancholy for something she
did not understand.
Inst then above fhp window Sill ebowad
the top of Musa Khan's shaggy fur cap,
and the Tartar cried: "Heyi Come up
Musa of the Seven Goats r.
A moment itter the Afghan appeared on
the threshold3 and bowed politely.
you called, my lord 2"
81 did And Uzbek Khan Haydar told
him what was on his mind. Leave your
wild tribe" he invited. Live in my castle
bed to sleep in-money to s~pend-rich
food"
81 have what / wish now!' replied the
hillman. II have the heather to sleep in
during the sburning of summer, and a
camels hair cloak in the biting of hard
winter. l have money ~enough'-he stamped
his waist shawl so that the rupees-three
Of them-chcked and clanked. "And as
for food, | have fish and game"
Fish and game are scarce at tines
MY hands are clever. There are always
the peasants goats"
And always" laughed the Tartar, "the
punishment-the soles Of your feet to be
slashed to ribbons by the bastinadot I"
"The soles of my feet heal again. | know
a salve of wild herbs that is cunning and
soothing"
Stealing is a bad deed"
what OF 1t? II other folks could get
as sound contentment out of their good
deeds as / out OF my bad deeds, 1t would
be the happy, happy world to live In a
while. l shall sing for you any time, my
lord. ! shall tell you all the tales you
desire. But live here-between these cramp.
ing, sitting walls? No, no! 1t would kill
me-"
He was on the point Of leaving when
shadowy place where she was curled al
her cousins feet. A ray Of sunlight danced
In. 1t. cut across her small face.