The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-03-25
BISARA OF PURI.

BISARA OF PURI.
Some natives say that it came from
the other side of Kulu, where the IL
inch temple sapphire is; others that it
was made at the devil shrine of 40
Chung, in Tibet. was stolen by Kaffir,
from him by Gurkha, from him again
by Lahouli, from him by khitmat-
gar, and by this latter sold to an Eng
lishman, so all its virtue was lost, be-
cause, to work properly, the Bisara OF
Puri 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 at Puri
ages since-the manner of its making
would fill 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 north
ward, till it reached Hanla, always bear
ing the same name, the Bisara of
Puri. In shape it is tiny square box
of silver, studded outside with eight
small balas rubies. Inside the box,
which opens with spring, is little
eyeless fish, carved from some sort of
dark, shiny mt and wrapped in a shred
of faded gold cloth. That is the Bisara
of Puri, and it were better for man
to take king cobra in his hand than to
touch the Bisara of Puri.
All kinds of magic are out of date,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 Bisara of Puri will tell you
what It's powers are, always supposing
that it has been honestly stolen. 1t is
the only regularly working, trustworthy
love charm in the country, with one ex-
ception.
(The other charm is in the hands of a
trooper of the Nizam' s Horse, at place
called Tuprani, due north Of Haidara-
bad. 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
Meanwhile you can laugh at it. AT
present the Bisara is safe on an ekka
pony's neck, inside the blue bead neck
lace that keeps off the evil eye. If the
ekka driver ever finds it and wears it or
gives it to his wife, am sorry for him.
A very dirty hill cody woman, with
goiter, owned it at Theog in 1884. 1t
came into Simla from the north before
Churton's khitmatgar bought it and
sold it for three times its silver value to
Churton, who collected curiosities. The
servant knew no more what he had
bought than the master, but man
looking over Churtons collection OF
uriosities-Churtou was an assistant
commissioner, by the way--saw and
held his tongue. He was an English.
man, but knew how to believe-which
Englishmen. He knew that 1t was dan
gerous to have any share in the little
box when working or dormant, for un-
sought love is terrible 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 90
shilling, tailor made one. Nobody liked
him, and suppose it was his wizened'
ness and worthlessness that made him
fall so hopelessly 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 miser-
able little nature into the business. 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 the coun-
try where we marry by code. of a really
blind attachment all on one side, with
out the faintest possibility of return.
Miss Hollis looked on Pack as some sort
of vermin running 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 be.
ing what he was, it was only 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 lunching at the
Simla club together. Churton was com
planning of life in general. His best
mare had rolled out Of the stable down
the hill and had broken her back. His
decisions were being reversed by the up
per courts more than an assistant COM
missioner Of eight years standing has a
right to expect. He knew liver and fe-
yer, and for weeks past had felt out Of
sorts. Altogether he was disguised and
aisheartened.
Simla club dining room is built, as
all the world knows, in two sections.
with an arch arrangement dividing
them. Come in, turn to your left, take
the table under the window and you
cannot see any one who has come in,
turned to the right, and taken table
on the right side of the arch. Curiously
enough every word that you say can be
heard. not only by the other diner, but
by the servants beyond the screen
through which they bring dinner. This
is worth knowing. An echoipg room is
| a trap to be forewarned against.
Half in fun and half hoping to be be-
heved, the man who knew told Churton
the story of the Bisara of Puri at
rather greater length than have told
80 4 4.