Evening star., 1903-10-26
HOUSEKEEPING TRIALS.
Setting Up an Establishment
at Sky High.
WHAT TWO WOMEN DID
FAILING WoRKMEN, DECORATED
THEIR OWN COTTAGE.
Making a Dirty Place Habitable by
Liberal Use Of Soap, Water
and Kerosene.
WHAT TWO WOMEN DID
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

UPPER BAKROTAH,
DALHOUSIE, India, September ., 1903.
The day after our arrival at beautiful
Dalhousie We spent in looking up a cot
tage, for SO uncomfortable were our pres
ent quarters and none other even to be
had. and SO successful had been our ex-
pertinent in housekeeping in Srinuggur,
that we looked forward to trying 1t once
more. We were advised to go first to the
postmaster. who was reported to be a most
obiiging person and to know more about
Dalhousie affairs than any one else so we
wound our way along the lovely. thickly
wooded lanes beneath the hillside and
finally down hill to the little post Office.
which, with the English church and the
large variety" shop of Salig Raur. forms
the nucleus of the village. The postmas-
ter, a small, fair person. fully lived up to
his reputation for civility, but knew of
only one cottage to be let and feared that
that was. as some one had only yesterday
gone to look at 1t, already taken. How
yer, we set forth In hopes, and after a long
walk, but most lovely one, We reached
large cottage with many stone outhouses,
and went boldly up to the open door.
Il beg your pardon" said one of US,
vaguely, for though we could hear voices
we could see no one in the rather dark
drawing room, could you tell me If West
View cottage is still unlet?" A cold and
freezing voice answered from the obscu-
rity, 1T Is already taken; it was subiet
yesterday morning" oh. we exclaimed.
away. AT that very genial looking gen
tleman appeared at the door and said: IF
you are looking for cottage, l fear you
will have difficulty in getting one. as the
afterward a lady with most charming
face joined him and exclaimed. Jim, !
wonder If the cottage they call SKY High
is occupied. No one was in 1t two weeks
ago, 1 know Then, turning to us, she
said, IF you do not mind being far away,
about two miles from the post office, you
can get bungalow, 1 fancy. small a 2Hs
pretty and with a superb view. we
thanked her with warmth and made our
way hastily to the post office again 10 con
suit the postmaster He knew OF the cot
tage but did not know 1t was TO let no"
ever he urged US to get dandies and go to
see it at least, which We at once did.
First Mile Away.
The first mile the road led up hill along
the side of lower Bakrotah. road lined
with forest trees and a hillside covered
with lovely ferns and wild flowers. All the
finest places are on lower Bakrotah. and
bread paths lead to them from the road. at
the entrance to which are signs such as:
]. g. Arbuthnot. l. C. s.. or Lieut.. Col. L.
r. Fennel, South Wales Borderers, ana SO
on. At the foot Of upper BakrOtah Is
stgnboard with a map giving the roaos ana
hill which we consulted and then started
our dandies to the right along nat, very
good road. even prettier and more fornah.lc
than the other. After mile or more U.
this we came to a signhoard. Sky HIGH
and found a broad path, much out OF re-
pair but picturesque beyond words, which.
after many windings and turnlnss. came
out at the very top of the hill. ana there
we found small stone bungalow WIN
very long. sloping roof and broad veranda,
built on the extreme edge OF the hillsiue'
and with view which was so tremendous
and so beautiful as nearly to take our
breath away. ,
|, Not a person was to be seen and the
house was Theoretically sealed. We got
out of our dandies and knocked gently at
the door but with no result. Then we
knocked louder and louder, and at last
feeble voice called out. What do you want
and who are you?" I'VE want to see your
cottage. If we may" we answered. ana at
that the owner of the voice tried. appar-
emily, to come out to u.s. out aIiet nuliiea
Gus drawings of bolts and unlocking OF
DOORS she said in a whining tone, L can
not get this door open. 1t sticks; perhaps
If YOU will push 1t 1t will OPEN. We there
upon did push 1t with vigor, ana II new
suddenly open. nearly knocking down
slight little. old Eurasian lady. who came
out looking fearfully about and then said.
'sAre you alone? I thought I heard voices
I am so frightened being here by myself,
that keep all the windows ana doors smut
and locked all the time
We felt sorry for the frail-looking wo-
man. but after we took one Snir or that
dreadful room we fastened out on the
yeranda for fresh air. for it most GER
tainly had been shut up for days. that
room, with It's combined smells of bad air.
onions. cigarettes and native the Wails
were tinted hideous German blue with
dado of nile green; a frtghtful native car
pet covered the floor, on which were scat
tered scraps Of paper and apple cores;
pitcher of milk and a glass stood on a
dirty table near by. and, in fact. OF all
hideous and undesirable rooms to be seen
those seemed to US the worst. However.
1t was our only chance. and we could see.
even amid the ugliness and dirt. possibil-
tiles of better things.
Cheap Enough Rent.
After long and wordy arguments from
the old lady she agreed to let US have the
cottage for ten dollars month, If we
would not ask for any repairs except the
two chimneys. which were just on the point
of falling. She would clean the house and
place and we c,me in on the next after
noon.
The price was so small that we could af-
ford to do a few things ourselves such as
retinting and repairing to certain extent.
so we wrote out an agreement which we
both signed and with which the little per-
son seemed quite content. THE path Is
in very bad condition. we mildly remarked.
as we concluded the agreement, and she
hastily added. 4eS Dut tndC Is easily
mended and you would not ask poor lone
ly old woman to spend more money on the
place 1 have only my pension Of six dol
lars and sfxty-six cents to live on.
We asked for nothing else. being glad to
get the pretty cottage with its nine acres of
lovely woods, even though I'VE must spend
a small fortune to get 1t IN order. We had
been shown through the house. which was
all on one floor. and had found that there
were two bed rooms with bath rooms. sit
ting room. pantry. dining room and trunk
room. all in the most dreadful state Of i'm.
possible dirt.
The dining room had grease an inch thick
over the floor. and the fireplace was jet
black with smoke. the walls patched with
several different colOrs. and. in fact, 1t was
worse than many pigpens we had seen. We
bade her q cheerful goodbye as we got into
the dandies and promised to pay a month
in advance when we came at the next
day. When we got back to the village the
postmaster was eager to know Of our sue
cess, and asked why we had not made the
old lady repair the road. We answered that
she was too poor POOR said he, why
she has million II she had an annar"
which proves the generally stated fact that
in the Eurasian the native predominates.
We bought goodly lot of provisions to