Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-29

such an Improvement on old Mohammed.
and we feared a change might bring us
worse; but finally while on visit to
very old friend at Agra. we had to let
him go. as our friend who gave none Of
his twenty-three servants more than four
teen rupees a month. said 1t was a sin 10
pay such wages and that 1t was making all
of his servants discontinued. He insisted
on our Offering Kullen fourteen during or
two months visit and sixteen IL he travel
ed with us. The bearer who had saved up
quite hoard by that time. nevertheless
refused to stop with US for less THAI TWEEN
ty. and so we babe him reEretful laTe-
well! Our next was Mott. the pearl. tsii.
slim boy of twenty-one with an attractive.
animated face and intelligent expression.
He came to us for twelve rupees during
our visit and fourteen when we Travelled.
with the addition of four annas day ex-
ira for food when actually on the Tram.
a tiD which is called "Batta" from the
Hindustanee for flour. He proved 10 b. :,
quick servant spoke English fairly We'll
and was satisfactory for a time. wren. OF
one OF his worst vices was that he Was
never by any chance on time. and finally
in state of evaporation we told him that
We would fine him every time he was fif-
teen minutes late, for long experience has
proved that the native cannot be managed
except by fines or by threats of SUCH. and
We have found it by far the best way to
enforce our commands. Mott was also far
from neat. ana Wnen reDukeQ Saiu meek
ly: "HuZoor- when clothes / have noEe.
how can one man neat be kept? We
knew that he possessed two white cotton
coats. at least but we said nothing more
and ordered two more at once. paying
eighty-two cents each for them. After
that he was compelled to keep in DetteI
condition. but he never really looked trim
as Kullen invariably had
The Minor Vices.
AS his appearance was rather "glmin"
we did not from the first trust him III any
way. but that was matter OF small mo-
ment. The sugar was always considered his
perouisite and it was only by repeated
seedlings and finally by fines that we could
get enough for our chOta hazri in the
morning. If we CHANGED to have ANY
sweets in our room. we must lock them up
securely, or they would gradually disap-
pear even tho he was Mohammedan, and,
most annoying vice of all. he was always
demanding an increase of wage.
At the first he came to US saying that he
had had to buy new clothes in order to be-
come our servant at all. that he had not one
anna left and must surely starve unless we
gave him some extra rupees. We really be-
lieved that tale and advanced him four ru-
PEGS on the next month. making him, how
ever, sign receipt for it. After that weak
moment we were pestered to death. Now
1t was two rupees HuZoor, to send to me
poppa. me momma is dead and me poppa
eats grief and all his friends must come to
feast" Again it was: "One wife and three
children is mine. Huzoor, all with no food
to their mouths or, Me brother Huzoor
has borrowed two rupees to go home to his
wife and now has them not again sent" OF
course, we were taken in at first for the
young wretch had an expressive face and
could cry at moments notice but grad
ually We grew hard-hearted by experience
and by advice from our experienced friends
and now these tales of woe have no effect
upon us whatever At last we left Agra
and started on our travels again. and for
a time. with the two rupees increase of
wage and the almost daily four anna bat
Ia. contentment reigned in the soul of our
gamln. but as We made for Calcutta the
town In India where servants get the high
est wages, discomfort again came to the
fore and this time we were the recipients
of neatly written letters saying that Cal
cutta was so dear spot that no man could
with sixteen rupees month get food
enough to keep him from starvation How
ever, though we were amused at the eIab-
crate letters, we were not touched and our
hearts remained adamant We had not
discovered any thefts since Mott had been
In our service. though. to be sure we had
kept everything of any value under lock
and key. but we did not consider him a
thief. and it was with real surprise that we
heard that he had stolen fifty rupees from
the servant of friend of ours at the hotel.
that knives and spoons belonging to the
hotel had been found in his goodwin, and
that he must go to JAIL In all probability for
six months and I fear is there still, and
our only comfort is that we are told that
they live more luxuriously in his majesty's
1ails than on their own earnings and that
they emerge later on fatter and lazier. If
possible. than ever
Adults Good Qualities.
Our fourth bearer. Abdul. who is still
with US. is a real character He is a very
neat. old maidish little man with a sugary
expression of countenance, and he brides
himself on his honesty. his good manners
and his English. If one of those three quail
ties is questioned he Immediately shrivels
up and suffers so deeply that 1t is quite pitt
full. He Is rather an elegant little person.
and his turban and sash are always spot
less. His ordinary apparel consists of
loosely draped trousers, a dark blue serge
coat. very long and slightly open at the
neck showing an undergarment of very fine
lawn with daintily embroidered band for
a collar; a snowy turban and the sash At
table when he is waiting he wears a long
white cotton coat in place of the blue. and
he is the most accomplished and quietest
waiter / have ever seen. In spite of his mild
and gentle nature. which causes him to be
continually cheated and taken advantage of
by the willy KaShmiri. he has on several
occasions boldly demanded an increase of