Evening star., 1903-10-26

| us of it. So she went forth in a dandy.
armed with the agreement. and demanded
| consultation with the little postmaster.
He said that except morally the agree
ment was waste paper. but that We had
| right on our side and that he thought We
could make the weakminded lady give US
| the place. that he understood she was crazy
to leave it. and that if We tempted her with
the price he thought she would give in.
The road up the hill seemed very long that
| day. but at last We reached the little bung-
allow, OVertaking our coolies with the lug
gage and supplies. and after the usual
| wrestle with the door of the bungalow.
sailed serenelN into the hideous room and
| took the fortress by storm.
The sight of the money melted away all
! fears In the mind of the Eurasian. and re-
ceipt was signed to our satisfaction. but.
| alas. though then 1 o'clock. there had been
! no attempt made at cleaning the house
Il could not leave the house today said
the aggravating small person: lit would be
| impossible Il think not" said one of US
| cheerfully. Il am very good packer. and
will help you. and will also make the in
| ventory. NV coolies will be here in mo-
ment. and they can carry all of your boxes
| for YOU so We went to work.
Sorry, but Determined.
We were rather sorry for the weak mind
| ed woman, though it was all her own fault
but it was out of the question to have her
remain there that night, and by she was
ready and finally out of the house. we
breathed sigh and calling in all the cool
| les, the sweeper and our bearer, armed
them with scrubbing brushes. rags and
plenty OF soap, and the cleaning began.
The floors were washed first with soap and
| hot water. and fortunately they were stone
then with carbolic acid and water and
| finally sprinkled with kerosene on account
of the fleas and other insects The dining
| room floor and walls had to be scraped All
the window glass had been painted white
| and that must all be scraped and washed
on. the furniture must be carefully wiped
down with kerosene OIL and all the car
pets we'll beaten. sprinkled with carbolic
acid and left out all night, for a summing
the next day.
A Busy Day.
BY o'clock all was satisfactory as it
could be made in one cleaning and We
| paid off and dismissed our army Of coolies,
| and after nice little dinner prepared by
| the bearer. we went to bed and to sleep
AS the dining room and drawing room
made us feel quite Ill with their dreadful
coloring, we determined to have them tint
ed at once, so one of us started off at 9 the
next morning to the shop Of Salig Raur to
look for color. brushes and a man to put
1t on.
None was to be had and we were in
formed by Salig Raur himself that only
masons knew how to put on the color
that they charged eight annas day Q6
cents) and that We would have to go down
to the native bazaar for them. Off wen went
| to that dirtiest and smelliest of places,
hunted far and wide for color and could
find only pale green and dull rose; could
not find any masons, but We're promised
that two should be sent the next morning,
but in order to get them We must write to
the chowdri. the head man of the bazaar,
who is supposed to supply workmen, cool
les or anything else, apparently.
This we did at once. telling him to send
US two good masons the next morning
with brushes and everything necessary for
a cOlOripQ of two small rooms They
came the next morning. those masons.
scantily clad. but with huge turbans, and
on inquiring what we wanted done, declar-
ed that they must have glue, white to mix
with the red and brushes.
More Troubles.
We were by that time In a state of rage
bordering on insanity. and after insulting
them terribly in poor Hindustanee for not
bringing all the needful articles as we had
commanded dispatched coolie at once
with a scathing note to the chowdri, tell
ing him to send at once so much white SO
much glue the necessary reeds to make
the brushes and some more OF the color, or
which we inclosed sample and told him
the price and that We had bought it at
the shop of Mohammed Bux. At four the
coolie returned with a small package of
glue the brush material and two pounds
Of an entirely different color also polite
note from the chowdri saying that the coolie
must be sent to such and such a store not
far off evidently for the white.
We were. fortunately. speechless with
rage that time. 1t was impossible to get
the white that night. and the masons re-
fused to put on the red alone. so they sat
about until dark tying the reeds into brush
es, and finally took themselves on prom
Using with oaths to return the first thing in
the morning.
A Woman's Way.
Alas. they came not! Nor have We seen
Iya n stodf fSIyn 6av nd
now determined to wait no longer. so We
sent a coolie for more color. then had him
mix 1t all in a huge bathtub. and we our
selves mounted rough ladders with tins of
the stuff in front of US. and by of that
same day had put on two coats of color
with a smoothness and finish which Is our
10y and pride to this moment. Alas. We
forgot the glue as our clothes and those of
our visitors now testify at all times and
hours. The dining room we turned over to
the two coolies. who. having no brushes.
used bits Of rag. with the result that IN
stead CT an even pale green color we found
the wall partly the palest of Nile greens.
partly q deep-sea green and the rest pale
yellow.
mensely proud of their work. we said moth
ing. and determined to leave II for the pres
ent. and indeed 1t was very much better
than the original dirty wall. One side of
the room. the worst Of all. we concealed
by hanging over 1t a large bed quilt of
Kashmir embroidery. white with q pattern
Of big leaves done in lovely greens. and real
ly the room looked very passable after its
carpet. a green and white dhuri. was laid.
and the table covered with an embroidered
table cover in browns and tans. with a
large glass bowl OF ferns in the middle OF it.
The Finishing Touches.
The little drawing room we made really
pretty. for all our embroidered curtains har-
monized beautifully with the wall, an old
teak wood kitchen table with several
inches of the long legs cut OF did for our
writing desk. and in one corner we made
a nice little seat of packing boxes covered
with more embroidered and some big cush-
ions In pretty colors A Kashmir hanging
lamp of beaten brass and our many odd
and pretty curios completed a really at
tractive and homelike room. and, though
quite tired out. We went to bed that night
In a state Of delicious contentment.