The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-04-23
COUSIN
LISA
Bv DONALD CHAMBERLlN

man with a heavy beard, shocky hair,
large and thick set form. In other
words. you fancy me to be a Russian.
IL you were to see me you would be-
hold a rather small man with closely
cut light hair and clean shaven face.
Moreover I cannot speak a word Of
Russian. al only speak English
and American English at that, for !
wal born in the United States and
till recently had W been OF the
North American continent.
My father was born in the province
Of Perm in eastern Russia. lying next
to Siberia. He came to America when,
he was very young, married an Amer
lean girl and died within q year after
l was born.
My father brought a little money
with him from Russia, which he used
to a profit and left my mother In com.
Portable circumstances. When I was
twenty-five a letter came to her STAT
ing that the farm which had been in
the Shovaloff family for many years
must be sold. and l was interested.
She proposed that l go to Russia and
look after the matter. l loved travel
and caught at the plan eagerly.
When l reached my fathers former
home | did not wonder that he had
left it. The country round about was
thinly settled. though a village had
grown up near the farm. The people
had their W customs. which had
heen handed down to them through
many generations. Some Of these GUS
toms were very quaint.
My father had left Il brother and a
sister in Russia. The brother had
died unmarried. but the sister. Il wild.
CIV, still lived. She had but me child.
a daughter. who jointly with me would
inherit the farm. She was a very odd.
though a very pretty. little damsel
about seventeen years old. could not
talk with my aunt or my cousin he.
cause they spoke no English and | no
Russian. but we found an interpreter
who served our purpose fairly we'll.
There was no hotel in the place. and
l was obliged to set up a dwelling Of
my own. This I did in a small house
which had been vacated. A middle
aged woman who spoke q little Eng
lish consented to be my housekeeper
and do my cooking. My aunt did not
invite me- to stay at her house. Why l
knew not.
The business that brought me to-
Russia was very slow in working itself
out, and the prospect Of my getting
away was not propitious. had been
in the village several weeks when n
morning l was surprised by a visit
from my Cousin Lisa. She came in.
all bushes and with a shrinking a
ner. My ~housekeeper being present.
l saw no improperly in her coming.
but l nevertheless wondered at it. Not
being able to communicate with her
more than to say good morning. I ask.
ed the housekeeper to inquire II there
was anything l could do for my cou-
sin. A few words passed between the
two. and the ~housekeeper. with 10
| embarrassment l thought. said that
there was only one thing I could do
for my cousin, but I had better find it
out for myself.
I concluded that I had struck anoth-
er of the strange customs Of the coun-
try and that I might as we'll let it
work itself out. Lisa assisted the
housekeeper in the work. and l vent
out about the business concerning
which l had come to Russia. | did not
return till evening. expecting surely
that my cousin had gone. What was
my surprise to find her still there.
How long," l asked my housekeep-
er, lis Lisa going to stay hereT'
"Always, unless you turn her out
Turn her OUT"
Yes. And you cannot do that unless
you are willing to suffer the resent
ment of every one herea about"
"What does all this mean?"
1T means that Lisa has offered to
marry you"
l was thunder struck. Little by lit
le l drew from my infOrmer that in
this region Of Russia when a woman
wished to marry u man she went to
his house and remained there, await
ing his action. If he refused her it
was considered a great insult to her
and her family. If she had male rela-
tives they were likely to avenge what
was considered a slight to her and
them.
While l had been charmed by my
little cousin l had had up to this mo-
ment no thought Of marrying her. Her
action put the idea into my head. A
marriage between US would greatly IA
cilitate the settling Of the Inheritance
in which We were interested. She was
very lovely, very modest, and in her
quaint Russian costume she looked
very pretty. If dressed as an Ameri-
can lady l would have no reason, at
home, to be ashamed Of her.
l accepted Lisa's proposal and as
soon as l had done so sent her home
to prepare for the wedding. My aunt
told me that she had from the
irst that her daughter had given me
her heart, and she had encouraged her
RI act "a aho had 6Ono