The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1890-07-09
LISPETH.

She was the daughter of Sonoo, a Hill
man, and Jadeh his wife. One year their
maize failed, and two bears spent the
night in their only poppy field just above
the Sutlej valley ON the Kotgarh side; SO,
next season, they turned Christian, and
brought their baby to the mission to be
baptized The Kotgarh chaplain chris
tened her Elizabeth, and "Lispeth" is the
Hill or pahari pronunciation.
Later, cholera came into the Kotgarh
valley and carried off Sonoo and Jadeh,
and Lispeth became half servant, half
companion, to the wife of the then chap
lain Of Kotgarh. This was after the
reign of the Moravian missionaries, but
before Kotgarh had quite forgotten her
title of mistress of the Northern Hills"
Whether Christianity improved Lis
peth, or whether the gods of her own
people would have done as much for her
under any circumstances, do not know;
but she grew very lovely. When Hill
girl grows lovely she is worth travelling
fifty miles over bad ground to look upon.
Lispeth had Greek face-one OF those
faces people paint so often and see so
seldom. She was Of pale, ivory color
and, for her race, extremely tall Also,
she possessed eyes that were wonderful;
and, had she not been dressed in the
abominable print cloths affected by Mis-
sions, you would, meeting her on the
hillside unexpectedly, have thought her
the original Diam of the Romans going
out to Stay.
Lispeth took TO Christianity readily,
and did not abandon it when she reached
womanhood, as do some Hill girls. Her
own people hated her, because she had
they said, become memsahib aud
washed herself daily; and the chaplain's
wife did not know what to do with her.
Somehow, one cannot ask stately god.
dess, five foot ten in her shoes, to clean
| plates and dishes So she played with
| the chaplain's children, and took classes
in the Sunday school, and read all the
books in the house, and grew more and
more beautiful, like the princesses in
fairy tales. The chaplains wife said
that the girl ought to take service in
| Simla as q nurse or something ''genteel"
But Lispeth did not want to take SER
vice. She was very happy where she was.
When Travellers were not many
in those years-came into Kotgarh, Lis
peth used to lock herself into her own
room for fear they might take her away
to Simla, or somewhere out into the UNI
known world.
One day, u few months after she was
II years old, Lispeth went out for a
walk. She did not walk in the manner
of English ladies-a mile and o half out
and a ride back again. She covered be-
tween twenty and thirty miles in her
little constitutionals, all about and
about, between Kotgarh and Narkunda.
This time she came back Mt full dusk,
stepping down the break neck descent
into Kotgarh with something heavy in
her arms. The chaplain's wife was doz-
ing in the drawing room when Lispeth
came in breathing hard and very ex-
hausted with her burden. Lispeth put
it down on the sofa, and said simply
"This is my husband. found him on
the Bagi road. He has hurt himself. We
will nurse him, and when he is well
your husband shall marry him to me-"
ever made of her matrimonial views,
and the chaplains wife shrieked with
horror. However, the man on the sofa
needed attention first. He was young
| Englishman, and his head had been cut
to the bone by something jagged. Lispeth
said she had found him down the khud,
so she had brought him in. He was
breathing queerly and was unconscious.
He was put to bed and tended by the
chaplain, who knew something Of medi-
cine; and Lispeth waited outside the
door in case she could be useful. She ex-
| planned to the chaplain that this was
| the man she meant to marry; and the
chaplain and his wife Iectured her Sc
verely on the improperly of her conduct.
Lispeth listened quietly, and repeated
her first proposition. 1t takes great
| deal of Christianity to wipe out uncivil-
| lied eastern instincts, such as falling in
love at first sight. Lispeth, having
found the man she worshiped, did not
see why she should keep silent rs to her
choice She had no intention Of hilg
sent away, either. She was going TO
nurse that Englishman until he was
well enough to marry her. This was
her little programme.
After fortnight Of slight fever and
inflammation the Englishman recovered
| Conference and thanked the chaplain and
his wife, and Lispeth-especially Lispeth
| for their kindness He was q traveller
in the east, he said-they never talked
about "globe trotters" in those days,
when the P. &c 0. fleet was young and
small--and had come from Dehra Dun
to hunt for plants and butterflies among
the Simla hills. No one at Simla, there
fore, knew anything about him. He
fancied he must have fallen over the cliff
while stalking a fern on rotten tree
trunk and that his coolies must have
stolen his baggage and fed. He though.
he would go back to Simla when he was
q little stronger. He desired no more
mountaineering.
He made small haste to go away, and
recovered his strength slowly. Lispeth
objected to being advised either by the
chaplain or his wife, SO the latter spoke tc
the Englishman and told him how matters
stood in Lispeth's heart. He laughed .
good deal, and said it was very pretty
and romantic, perfect idyl of the Him
alayas; but, as he was engaged to a CIR
ut home, he fancied that nothing would
happen. Certainly he would behave
with discretion. He did that. Still HI
found it very pleasant to talk to Lispeth
and walk with Lispeth, and say nice
things to her, and call her pet names