The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-12-05
THE BISARA OF PO0REE.

IHE DlSARA UE PUUHEE.
1.-THE author of this story, Rudyard Kipling is a
young Englishman who has lived most of his life
In British India. His stories of that country
written during personal contact with its people
and the British army, have recently attracted n
great deal of attention both in England and
America.
Some natives say that it came from the
other side of Kulu, where the eleven inch
temple Sapphire is. Others that it was
made at the devil shrine of Ao-Chung in
Thibet, was stolen by Kafir, from him by
a Gurkha, from him again by Lahouli,
from him bya khitmatgar, and by this
latter sold to an Englishman, so all its vir-
tue was lost; because, to work properly
the Bisara of Pooree must be stolen-with
bloodshed if possible, but at any rate
stolen.
These stories of the coming into India
are all false. 1t was made ut Pooree ages
since-the manner of it's making would fill
a small book-was stolen by one of the
temple dancing girls there, for her own
purposes, and then passed on from hand to
hand, steadily nOrthward till it reached
Hanla; always bearing the same name
the Bisara of PCoree. In shape it is tiny
square box of silver, studied outside with
eight small balas rubies. Inside the box,
which opens with spring, is II li;tle eye
less fish, carved from some sort Of dark,
shiny nut, and wrapped in II shred of faded
gold cloth. That is the Bisara Ct Poorec,
and it were better for Il man to take a king
cobra in his hand than to touch the Bisara
of Poorec.
All kinds of magic are out of date, and
done away with except in India, where
nothing changes in spite of the shiny, toy
scum stuff that people call 'civilization. !"
Any man who knows about the Bisura of
Pooree will tell you what its powers arc
always supposing that it has been honestly
stolen. 1t is the only regularly working,
trustworthy love charm in the country,
with one exception.
The other Charm is in the hands of a
trooper of the Nizam's Horse, at Il place
called Tuprani, due north of Hyderabad. |
This can be depended upon for a fact
Some one else may explain it.
If the Bisara be not stolen, but given or
bought or found, it turns against its owner
in three years, and leads to ruin or death
This is another fact which you may cX-
plain when you have time. Meanwhile
you can laugh at it. At present the Bisara
is safe on an eklia pOny's neck, inside the
blue bead necklace hat keeps off the evil
eye. If the ekEa driver ever finds it, and
wears it or gives it to his wife, | am sorry
for him.
A very dirty hill-cooly woman, with
gOiter, owned it at Theog in 1881! 1t came
into Simla from The north before ChurJOn' s
khitmatgar bought it, and sold it for three
times its silver value, to Churton, who col
lected curiosities. The servant knew no
more what he had bought than he master;
but man looking over Churton's collec-
ton of urioSitieS-Churton was an assist
ant commissioner, by the way-saw and
held his tongue. He was an Englishman,
but knew how to believe. Which shows
that he was different from most English
men. He knew that it was dangerous to
have any share in the little box when work.
ing or dormant; for unsought love is a ter
rible gift.
Pack-"Grubby" Pack, as we used to
call him-was in every way nasty little
man, who must have crawled into the army
by mistake. He was three inches taller
than his sword, but not half so strong.
And the sword was a fifty-shilling tailor
made one. Nobody liked him, and | sup
pose it was his wizenedness and worthless
ness that made him fall SO hoDelcssly in
love with Miss Hollis, who was good and
sweet and five foot seven in her tennis
shoes. He was not content with falling in
love quietly, but brought all the strength
of his miserable little nature into the bust
ness.
If he had not been so objectionable one
might have pitied him. He vapOred, and
fretted and fumed. and trotted up and
down, and tried to make himself pleasing
in Miss Hollis big, quiet, gray eyes, and
failed 1t was one of the cases that you
sometimes meet even in this country
where we marry by code, of a really blind
attachment all on one side, without the
faintest possibility of return. Miss Hollis
looked on Pack as some sort of vernlin run
ming about the road. He had no prospects
beyond captains pay, and no wits to help
that out by one anna. In large sized man
love like his would have been touching. In
good man it would have been grand. He
being what he was, it was only II nuisance.
You will believe this much. What you
will not believe is what follows: Churton
and The Man Who Knew what the Bisara
was were lunchng at the Simla club to-
gether. ChurtOn was complaining of life
in general. His best mare had rolled out
of stable down the hill and had broken her
back; his decisions were being reversed by
the upper courts more than an assistant
commissioner of eight years standing hes
right to expect; he knew liver and fever
and for weeks past had felt out Of sorts
Altogether he was Disguised and disheart.
ened.
Simla club dining room is built, rs all
the world knows, in two sections, with IN
arch arrangement dividing them. Come
in, turn to your left, take the table under
the window, ard YOU cannot see any one
who has come n, ti!rncd to the right and
taken a table on Jue right side of the arch
Curioualy enough, every word that you
say eau be lcard not only by the Other
diner, hat by the servants beyond the