Evening star., 1937-10-17

young must go. ana Sne tOld ldSl OF
the tryst by midnight at the drinking
pool at the foot of the mountain.
The girl knelt at the bedside and her
tears flowed over the wrinkled old
hands of her grandmother. ''Old one.
l couldn't do that" she wept, but
love him - love him so. There will
be nothing for me in the world any
more when he has gone away"
The sweet peace of the morning was
shattered by ribald laughter, and there
stood Markobi in the doorway. you
don't know what is good for you,
weak old fool" he shouted at the
shrinking woman in the bed. Come
along. wench. and get you gone about
your work" He jerked Tasl to her
feet with his great hand beneath her
elbow and jostled her through the
door And you. old woman, shall
taste little of the care you'll get if
the baggage goes lovesick.'
He shut the door with a resounding
slam that shook the walls to their
foundations. Tasl did not speak, but
Janna heard Markobi's vibrating
tones dying in the distance. and silence
descended on the day. She reach
for the goats milk at monday when
hunger conquered her. and afterwards
slept fitfully through the blazing
hours of afternoon She woke when
the street came to life with goat bells
and voices.
The air sweetened with evening.
The savory odor Of frying sausages
and the fragrance of coffee drifted
into her, rousing her starved body to
appetite The walls of her room were
lost in shadows till the Grange beams
of the street lamps streamed across
the bottom of her bed. She raised her
self on her elbows and called Markobi
with all the strength of her thin cracked
voice. A neighbor came to her balcony,
looked in and called the innkeeper
from his doorway. "Hi there, your
old woman wants YOU" He came -
loud and clustering = and looked in
at her.
Hungry. old one?" he mocked.
''Or are you tired of your bed?" But
he did not bring her food. He went
away well pleased with himself. Janna
knew it was useless calling to the
neighbors 1t would only make trouble.
She reached for the bread on the table
beside her, and the strawberries, and
ate them with dry parched mouth. All
the goats milk was gone and there
was no water.
The evening hours seemed endless.
but at last she heard the shutters
clicking into place, the doors closing,
the cheerful goodnights. The yellow
glow died from her room with the
crooked street lamps. and the MOON
light lay on the floor like silver water.
Markobi stumbled noisily to her door
on his way to bed and stood there
muttering He was too drunk to roar.
and she could not understand what
he said She heard him stagger down
the passage and burst into his own
room. He would sleep like log this
night
Now there we're no human sounds
any more no hoofbeats on the SUM-
baked roads, no footsteps in the street.
But if there were, who could she trust
to 90 down to the witchwoman' house
and release Markobi's daughter?
People were afraid of him. He used no
violence against those who stood in his
way. But things happened to them -
queer things Their oxen died, or their
pigs or their little white goats.
She was hungry and cramped, un-
comfortable and miserable. Thus
would it be if Tasl went away. A great
wave of thankfulness trembled through
her limbs Tasl couldn't 60 - couldn't
go. She would not be left to be neg
lected and shouted at, taunted and
starved, the helpless butt of MarkObi's