In Kali's Country: Tales from Sunny India

Sa

at stood on the mud floor. At the call the mother dropped the long stone from her hand and, springing to her feet, hastily followed her naked boy out upon the street of the village. Old Sarah was a new friend who recently had come

Old Sarah has come! Old Sarah has come!" as Old Sarah herself had taught him to do at her arrival so

running child, for she had looked up and d

boy coming up. "Don't you see

I never saw her sitting

bare feet in his eagerness to reach the side of the old lady who always had some sweet for him hidden away in her ba

can be the matter with her?" exclaimed th

had come trudging into their village week after week, after a walk of five miles,

head well sprinkled with gray, raised to them a face white and drawn. The people were astounded, for never in

question which she saw in their faces. "You a

help her!"

my house!" c

child's mother as several women stepped

ren were following close behind or crowding ahead to te

, he said sharply, "What

knowing what to say. Then the old woman herself looked up. With a feeble attempt at t

cholera,"

frightened vo

rawn. The women fled from her, dragging their children with them while the larger youngs

along the road, for never are the roads of India, except in

her head. Not a person was in sight. The little village was deserted. It consisted only of a few palm-leaf huts on each side of the street, shaded by cocoanut trees, and could be taken in at a glance. Old Sarah's head fell

eart to think that some one had returned to help her, painfully turning her head, she saw-only the sacred bull of the village sticking an inquiring nose into the door. Perhaps there might be something within that he might feed upon, for he, according to Hindu custom, was privileged to help himself to whatever he could find anywhere. With disappointed heart, Old Sarah let her head roll back and closed her eyes, although the thought passed through her mind that the bull might enter the house and trample upon her in his search for food in the tin

e moaning from the house near the middle of t

oman's feet; a dog peered in at the dark obje

lad, very dark native, and drawn by a pair of the gray, humped bullocks of the district, entered the street at the head of the v

o you see her?"

ght," he replied. "But

ening a moment, pointing as he spoke with a thin, blac

Tamil woman in the cart, with beautiful face and straight, lithe figure, leapt to the ground and ran into the house, her pretty r

ll I can for her. She is very bad. I think we had better take her to the hospital in

s to make it as comfortable as possible for the sick woman. Then he went into the house with another blanket in his arms. And in a few m

ve miles, really ten, there and back, day after day, to tell them about her new religion and to help them; for she never came that she did not help the women in their work, or bring the children some sweets, or teach the people something new. Dear old soul! And after all the love you have given them, just in your ho

old woman settled with her head on the young woman's lap and

new religion. She would pucker her face all up and think and think until she had answered every one. Alas, I never let her know that her religion touched my heart and that I believe in Jesus Christ! I never even let her know that I lo

ater as he had turned around to look at the old woman and they both were

e man. "Have you give

ened our village." She pulled a bottle from the bosom of her sari. "I'll g

ally swallowed a very little. It seemed to revive her for

is Jessa. Don't you know Jessa? I've come to

voice asked while the big eyes

at Bindy, the chief's daughter w

o help me. She doesn't love m

p and, gazing into her eyes, seemed to draw her back to sight. "Sarah, it is Jes

ied to clap as was her custom when overjoyed, fell back at her sides. But although she became again unconscious, the smile of joy remained upon her face and lighted up the thi

s bullocks as he spoke he slid from his s

doing, Nado?"

r the life of the old woman and o

the rice bag, "Nado, she is a Christian. I, too, am a Christian now. We cannot pray f

and clasping them to heaven, raised her eyes and prayed. The words were the words of the young girl herself but the gestures were copied from Old Sarah as she had prayed

others. Save Old Sarah's life, I pray. I will bring Thee an offering of the best I have, if Thou wilt spare her life and let her live. Take the awful pain away from her. Let he

ore easily and the moaning had ceased. As the girl was absorbed in watching the effect of her prayer, the man took a handful of rice from the bag, without attracting attention, and slipped to the side of the road where under a tree stood a wayside shrine. Pouring out the rice before the ugly image and bowing three times in front of it, he hurriedly mutt

d ride to any of the three, for native Indians prefer hard seats and hard beds to springs and cushions. And already the old woma

So the latter quietly placed a kiss upon the old woman's forehead and turned away, confide

rs slept under their carts. There they made themselves comfortable for the night, after the driver had cooked them a little meal at a fire of twigs and dung-cakes. The girl kept in the cart with her sari drawn up ove

had been yoked up again and all thing

we must find her. She lives in a big house and takes care of a lot of

to know the compound well. And a few minutes later Jessa stood before a sweet-faced English woman, but so embarrassed by the memsa

"Old Sarah is very ill with the chole

been gone since day before yesterday. She never was gone so long alone before a

rl added hastily as she saw the lady's anxiety. "I am

rvant in a pleased tone to himself, for he was listen

he memsahib called to her bearer. "I must go to O

of which her father was head man and had told them; and how she herself, because she loved Old Sarah on account of the loving teaching she had received from her, how she had taken her servant and cart and gone to save the old woman's life. She told the la

ed them to remain until her return from the hospital, but the girl felt that she must hurry back, since she knew that Old Sarah would be all right now. So they said good-bye and Je

the lady spoke of. Another nurse was called who knew nothing of such a woman as Old Sarah. The lady, however, would not be turned aside; the records must be searched. And searched they were. The

t once," said the lady,

e dead-house for several hours be still alive? But the lady was well known to them by reputation and they yielded to her wishes. At her demand they

r with other corpses. The familiar gray hair drew the memsahib'

her. I do not t

faces, the nurses had the body removed to an empty room. And then, becaus

en the signs of life became unmistakable the nurses worked zealously to make up for the awful wrong that had almost been done.

they looked around in wonder until they rested upon the memsahib's face. Then a gla

eaven. You are still on e

d a little later as she looked around at the bare walls, "but with

t murmuring, evidently unable t

h alive and just to convince you I will scold you a little. Why,

t; so she just took her burial clothes and went away, thinking that her friends at Yenna, for whom she had travelled so many,

n that you had not told

t Old Sarah should die all alone than that the mems

er arms around the thin, brown shoulders, implanted a kiss upon the gray hair.

e memsahib realized that no hearts in the world were whiter before God than those of these brown people who loved Him well enough to be willing to lay down their lives for others. In beauty of form and feat