ONE MORNING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 188, 10 August 1929, Page 3 (Supplement)

ONE MORNING.

One early morning, along the stretch of beach that edges the long road by the sea at Bombay, two children were walking. On their right, some distance off, rose Malabar Hill, half hidden in mists of silver curtains, waiting to be drawn aside by the sun's heat which was so soon to spread like a tide across the day.

Molly and John wandered slowly on, taking in many familiar sights once again—perhaps a little more eagerly than usual, for they had only a few days left before tie steamer would sail for schooldays in England.

Little drab-sailed boats were putting to shore, and men and women were wading up to them, crowding about them to fill large baskets with fish. As the people came away with, the laden baskets on their heads", against the pale sea the women's brown arms and feet and their bright robes made wonderful pictures which John and Molly looked at for a long time.

As they stood there a woman passed close to* them in rusty-red draperies and a blue sari. On her brown arms were gleaming silver bangles, and on her head was an enormous basket with fish tails sticking out from it in all directions. She had no hard free even is she had wanted one to help to balance her burden, for a tiny child was .holding on to each one, as she stepped -long the sands with that erect and graceful carriage which Eastern women possess. Suddenly one of the children pulled ts hand away from hers and made a lart towards .the sea. "Come back!" ailed the woman in Hindustani. "Come ack at once." But. ;tb.e child took no notice, but raced on to where - the. sand .vas wet, laughing at the waves that were tumbling about its feet.

The mother took a quick step forward, and in doing so overbalanced her basket, which fell to the ground, the fish sprawling- in all directions.

"Come on, Molly," said John. "Let us help her," and, without hesitation, both the children bent down and began to collect the large fieh, one at a time, first taking them down to the waves to wash them free of sand, then piling up the basket with them once again.

The Indian woman, having captured her runaway, came back to find her fish packed again in her basket, shining and clean. Tears of gratitude brimmed over in her eyes. The children of an English Sahib colonel (for she knew Molly and John by sight) condescending to do bTich a thing for her. It was wonderful.

She salaamed with both hands to her forehead and bowed several times to show her gratitude.

That evening when the children's father had returned to his bungalow, and they ran out to meet him on the verandah, they told him the incident of the early morning. They had hardly finished speaking when up the little drive of the garden came the figure of the Indian woman. She moved quickly and silently toward them. In her hands were wreaths of white and red flowers, which she brought up to the children and, going close to them, put them round their uecks. Molly and John accepted the gifts politely, for they knew it was the custom of the country and that they would hurt the giver if they showed the slightest suspicion of amusement. So they smiled at the woman and thanked her. At that she salaamed again and again, and, showing a row of very white teeth, began showering blessings upon them.

'•She is the woman who was on the beach this morning," the children explained to their father, as they watched the receding figure in its bright robes going away down the road. '•What a little thing we did to make such a fuss about," said John. "In England everybody helps everybody to pick up things that they drop." 'Of course they do,' 5 Molly agreed.