the Hindu’s and seat herself in it before the Indians realized what was happening. Their faces regis tered ch a g r in and consternation when they saw her there. The lawyer ordered her out, threatening her. “ There will be indignities to your person if you refuse,” he said. “ I will not get out,” she said firmly. The lawyer stepped aside and the two huge, burly Hindus entered the car as if to drag her out. Instead, however, they sat down one on either side of her. Seeing that she could not be pre vailed upon to leave, the men out side pulled Asha roughly from the front seat, the la w y e r say ing , “Why will you suffer insult to your person by staying?” But Miss Moore, wedged be tween the giants, yet unnaturally calm, managed to call to two Indian teachers who had come out from the school, “ Follow Asha and keep in touch with her! Don’t let her out of your sight!” The car started up and Miss Moore was driven a short distance to a neighboring cotton gin com pound. The driver and other ac complices immediately left the car. When she came out, the driver immediately turned upon her and accused her before several hundred laborers. “ You are a thief! You have stolen this car!” M om e n t a r ily dismayed, Miss Moore turned to the workmen crowding about. “ Friends,” she said in Marathi, “ I am not the thief! They are the thieves! They have stolen a girl from our school!” The manager of the gin, whose car the men had taken, had come up and looked at them accusingly, saying something to them she could not hear. She decided he told them the car would stay there since he no longer trusted them. The men slunk away and she hurried hack toward the police station. Near the railroad station she met Mr. Siegel in his car with two mis sionary ladies, looking for her in stead of getting the police as she had asked him to do. What had happened to Asha in the mean time? She had grave misgivings. At the police station they found that Asha’s father, her purported husband and the Brahmans had claimed her, and the police had
be turned over to him. Miss Moore then stood up to make her appeal. Before the court she referred to Asha’s rights of liberty and freedom of choice. She was not a minor. She was a Chris tian. It was against her will to go back to a Hindu husband. Asha was asked to give her testi mony privately. The lawyer re monstrated against her speaking, but the Hindu judge gave her per mission. Waiting two hours for the ver dict, the Arya Samajists fretted, less confident now that they would not be turned down in a Hindu cou r t. Asha waited with Miss Moore and the other missionaries. It looked discouraging. If only the Hindu Christian lawyer could have been there to plead for Asha! Suspense hovered over the court room as they all listened for the sub-divisional rftagistrate’s verdict. “ The girl has her liberty,” he intoned. “ She cannot be compelled to go with her Hindu husband against her desires. She is free to choose what she wants to do.” Making her choice known, as Miss Moore’s heart overflowed with gratitude to God, Asha answered, “ I wish to return to the mission school.” An order was given for bidding the Arya Samajists to dis turb her liberty in any way. It stated that the ruling cited by the pleader of the husband did not apply to Asha since she was not a minor. Since she had been con verted to Christianity she was en titled to apply for divorce under the Native Christian Marriage Act. The Christians present in court were elated. Even the Hindu mem bers of the court looked pleased at the outcome. Miss Moore hugged Asha. She could not cease marvel ing at the way God worked for them in the courtroom that day. Even the Christian lawyer could not have effected a more satisfac tory court decision if he had arrived in time. Back at the school the girls were jubilant when they heard the news. They realized Miss Moore had risked her life to save Asha. Asha married and became a fit ting helpmeet for Samuel, a Chris tian pastor. Asha-bai — Hope Woman —she is called by her people. END.
given them permission to take her out of town on the grounds that she was the lawfully wedded wife of the young Hindu, already mar ried to another woman. The two Indian teachers told Miss Moore they had tried to help Asha as she withstood the men’s efforts to put her in the car again. But their strength was overcome. They had also tried to get the police to wait until the missionaries arrived, but their request was not heeded. Asha was gone. Frustration and despair threat ened to shatter the faith Miss Moore held till this moment. But she shook off her fears, resolving to start a search. At her plea for help the police said they could do nothing without a summons. Wasting more time to procure one at the courthouse, the missionaries returned and asked the police to take action. The assist ant superintendent of police entered the car, and the whole party set out after Asha and her captors. But where could they look? By this time the Brahmans’ car prob ably had left town. Surely the Lord was with the missionaries. As Miss Moore looked a n x io u s ly about, she suddenly spotted the Hindus’ car parked be fore a house not far away. The Arya Samajists had collected be longings left after lodging there the night before and were just ready to leave, Asha wedged in the back seat between two men. Mr. Siegel drove his car before their old Ford, and the assistant superintendent of police jumped out to serve the warrant. Thwarted and chagrined, Asha’s captors returned to the courthouse. While they were all waiting in the courthouse for the case to be taken up, Miss Moore crossed the street to the postoffice to send a wire to the Christian lawyer, tell ing him the case was in court. She hoped he could come to help her out. But immediately after this she was recalled to the courtroom to hear the reading of the case. She would have to speak for Asha her self! She suffered misgivings concern ing the outcome of the case. When it came up, the lawyer pled on grounds of Hindu law. Sarji was her husband’s property and should
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