The Somerset reporter., 1896-05-07

who belonged TO lady until a regular
ly ordained nurse could come out. The
lady said Miss Nezzis was a bad, dirty
nurse and inattentiye. 1t never struck
her that Miss Nezzis had her own life
to lead and her own affairs to worry
over and that these affairs We're the
most important things i'll the world to
Miss Nezzis Very few mistreSses admit
this sort of reasoning. Miss NeZzis was
rs black as Il boot, and to our standard
of taste hideously ugly. She Wore cotton
print gowns and bulged shoes, and
when she lost her temper with the chill
dren she abused them in the language
of the border liue-which is part Eng.
lish, part Portuguese and part native.
She was not attractive, but She had her
pride, and she preferred being called
Miss Nezzis. .
Every Sunday she dressed herself
wonderfully and went to see her mann
ma, who lived for the most part on an
old cane chair in greasy tussur silk
dressing gown and big rabbit warren
of house full Of Vezzisses, Pereiras,
Ribieras, Lisboas and Gonsalveses, and
floating population of lOafers besides
fragments of the days bazaar, garlic,
stale incense, clothes thrown on the
floor, petticoats hung on strings for
screens, old bottles, pewter crucitixes,
dried immortelles. pariah puppies, plas-
ter images of the Virgin and hats with
out CROWNS. Miss Vezzis drew 20 rupees
f., 81,
squabbled weekly with her mamma as
to the percentage to be given toward
housekeeping
When the quarrel was over, Michele
d'Cruze used to shamble across the low
mud wall of the compound and make
love to Miss Vezzis after the fashion Of
the border line which is hedged about
with much ceremony, Michele was n
poor, sickly weed and very black, but
he had his pride. He would not be seen
smoking a huqa for anything and he
looked down on natives as only Il man
with seven-eighths native blood III his
veins can. The NeZzis family had their
pride too. They traced their descent
from mythical plate layer who had
worked on the Some bridge when rail
ways were new i'll India, and they val
ued their English origin. Michele was Il
telegraph signaler on 30 rupees a month.
The fact that he was i'll government
employ made Mrs. Vezzis lenient to the
shortcomings of his ancestors
There was a compromising Legend
Dom Anna, the tailor, brought it from
Poonani-that a black jew of Cochin
had once married into the d 'Cruze fam
lily, while it was an open secret that an
uncle of Mrs d'Cruze was at that very
time doing mental work connected with
He sent Mrs. d'Cruze rupees s annas II
month, but she felt the disgrace to the
family very keenly all the same.
However, in the course of few Sun
days Mrs. Vezzis brought herself to
overlook these blemishes and gave her
consent to the marriage of her daughter
with Michele on condition that Michele
should have ut least 80 rupees a month
to start married life upon. This Won
derful prudence must have been lin
gering touch of the mythical plate lay
er's Yorkshire blood, for across the Dor
der lne people take "A pride i'll marrying
when they please-not when they can
Having regard to his departmental
prospects, Miss Vezzis might as we'll
have asked Michele to go away and
come back with the moon III his pocket
But Michele was deeply in love with
Miss Nezzis, and that helped him to en-
dure. He accompanied Miss Vezzis to
mass one Sunday, and after mass, walk
ing home through the hot stale dust
with her hand in his. he swore by sew
eral saints-whose names would not in
terest you-neyer to forget Miss Vezzis,
and she swore by her honor and the
saints-the oath runs rather curiOusly,
I'm nomine sanctissimR -(whatevcr
the name Of the she saint isl and so
forth, ending with a kiss ON the fore
head, kiss on the, left cheek and
kiss on the mouth-never TO forget MI
chele.
Next week Michele was transferred
and Miss Vezzis dropped tears upon the
window sash Of the intermediate"
compartment as he left the station.
If you look at the telegraph map of
India, you will see long line skirting
the coast from Backergunge to Madras.
Michele was ordered to Tibasu, little
subo flee one third down this line, to
send messages on from Berhampur to
Chicacola, and to think of Miss Vezzis
and his chances If getting 30 rupees
month out Of Office hours, He had the
noise Of the bay Of Bengal and Ben
gall babOo for company-nothing more.
He sent foolish letters, with crosses
tucked inside the flaps of the envelopes,
to Miss Vezzis
When he had been at Tibasu for
nearly three weeks, his chance came.
Never forget that unless the outward
and visible signs Of our authority are
always before a native he is as incapa-
BILE as IA child of understanding what
authority means or where is the danger
of disobeying it. Tibasu was forgotten
little place with few Orissa Moham
medans in it. These, hearing nothing
If the collector sahib for some time ana
aeartily despsing the Hindoo subjudge,
arranged to start IA little MohuIrum riot
OF their own. But the HindOos turned
out and broke their heads. When, find
ing lawlessness pleasant, Hindoos and
Mohammedans together raised an aim
less sort Of Donnybrook just to see how
far they could 90, They looted each
IL i i 10