Evening star., 1937-10-24

whole life of Sonia Denniston
completely, and brought her happiness greater
perhaps than she really deserved?
Wani, who had no other name, was so poor
that she had no clothing save one small dirty
rag; no food save lizards, fungi, berries,
snakes, roots, and any entrais of small beasts
that her father did not want
Sonia DenniStOn was so poor too, that she
could not have London season every year;
eked out her real pearls with rope or two of
imitation ones, that looked rather better than
the Others; visited a lot, and rode other peoples
horses when she hunted wore the same gown
to the same parties several times; and could
not possibly go to all the very best beauty
witches, hair specialists, manicurists, or even
dressmakers.
And like Wani, Sonia had rather missed
her market, for both were unmarried and
even unengaged, Sonia at the advanced age
of twenty-five, Wani at the disgracefully
sere and yellow estate of fourteen.
To be fourteen and unmarried was, in
Wants tribe, to be on the shelf, to be an old
maid, and to be an object of ridicule, pity
and contempt.
1t wasn't that Wani was unattractive and
undesirable from the tribal point of view.
On the contrary Although, to the prejudiced
and narrow vision of the European, she was
stunted, squat, flat-faced, snub-nosed carl
cature of womanhood, she was to her family
and friends, her acquaintance and fellow
inhabitants of the deep dark jungle, a very
comely lass. And to poor Wagu she was
lovely.
So, to Wani, was the somewhat ape-like
Wagu lovely. And therein lay the secret of
the disgraceful fact that Wani at fourteen
was unmarried. For Wants proud and trucu-
lent father Peetl, would not have Wagu
for a son-in-law; and Wani would have none
other for husband.
Peetl's objection to Wagu was like so many
proud papas objections to prospective sons
in-law. Property and prospects - both nil.
For Wagu was poor and unenterprising
thief, who at present owned nothing and
might in future be expected to own less. He
was ne'e -do-well, a waster, who instead of
attending to business and stealing indus
triously, went hunting with his bow and
arrows. That might be all very we'll for Bhil
and Gond, whom the Gods had made hunters
and whose caste-work and tribal Job was
hunting but Wagu belonged to a proper,
regular, recognized, ten-thousand- year-old
Criminal Tribe, whose occupation and calling,
job, trade and profession, was stealing.
Thieves they had been from the dawn of time
and thieves they would be while there was
man of them left, or woman to bring up her
child in the way it should go = the way of
the thief.
Man, woman and child, aged dodderers,
with one foot in the grave, infantile totterers
with one foot in the cradle, thieves they were;
by thieving they lived; and the beautiful God
of the Thieves they worshipped.
And Wagu was despicable thief, though
a clever hunter of the poorest, clumsi-
est, most unenterprising thieves who ever
lived - and Wani loved him.
In vain she pointed out to her naughty and
eminent father that she could steal for two,
for herself and Wagu as we'll. Rightly and
Justly, Peetl bade her be ashamed of such
talk. If she could steal for two, let Wagu do
the same, and make four of it. Or let Wani
abide with her father and steal for two, in his
interest maintaining him in his old age, when
he could steal no longer.
Wani could not very well run away from
home as there was none from which to run
away. She had never slept beneath roof in